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My Shadow
By Scottish Novelist, Essayist, Poet and Travel Writer
Robert Louis Stevenson. (1850 – 1894).
I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into bed.
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow,
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow,
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.
He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see,
I’d think shame to stick to nursie, as that shadow sticks to me.
One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup,
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.
END
Ms Maura Barrett, Cashel Library Reports:-
Bullán stones (From the Irish word meaning a bowl, describing the bowl-like depressions in the stone), were used as ‘Cursing stones’ or ‘Curing stones’. They consist of a stone with one or more depressions in it and date from the Neolithic period. They are sometimes located near early monastic sites.
As ‘Curing Stones’ women sometimes cured people by rolling these stones.
However, when used as a ‘Cursing stone’; did you know the last time the stone were ‘turned’ on Inishmurray Island, latter 7km off the coast of Co. Sligo, they were ‘turned’ to curse Hitler and resulted in the fall of the 3rd Reich?
Did you know the ‘Cursing Stone’ was ‘turned’ against the HMS Wasp, when it tried to evict non rent paying families on Tory Island, latter off the north-west coast of Co. Donegal, during the Great Famine (1845- 1849); same resulting on the ship being wrecked on the rocks, with just 6 of its 48 passengers only being saved?
“We in Cashel Library, would be delighted to see you, if you can make this informative lecture.
I’ve done a lot of research on this subject, so all are welcome on Friday morning, October 28th next @ 11:00am, to Cashel Library, but do remember to RSVP Cashel Library by Telephone please, to 062-63825.”
In the meantime, should you accidently stumble across ‘Cursing stones’ that may have been previously overlooked, be sure not to disturb same, as they may already have been cursed.
Warning: Turning these stones anti-clockwise or against the sun, who knows what could happen.
- Air quality in Ireland is generally good, however, there are concerning localised issues that are impacting negatively on the air we breathe.
- Ireland met all of its EU legal requirements in 2021, but it did not meet the new health-based WHO guidelines.
- Ireland and Europe should move towards achieving the health-based WHO air quality guidelines.
- It is estimated that there are approximately 1,300 premature deaths annually in Ireland due to poor air quality from fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
- The choices we make in how we heat our homes and how we travel directly impacts the quality of the air we breathe.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today launched its annual air quality report ‘Air Quality in Ireland 2021’.
The report shows that, while air quality in Ireland is generally good and compares favourably with many of our European neighbours, there are concerning localised issues, which lead to poor air quality.
While Ireland met EU legal air quality limits in 2021, it did not meet the health-based World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines for a number of pollutants including: particulate matter (PM), nitrogen Dioxide (N02), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and ozone (O3), due to the burning of solid fuel in our towns and villages and traffic in our cities.
Poor air quality has a negative impact on people’s health and there are an estimated 1,300 premature deaths in Ireland per year due to particulate matter in our air. Air monitoring results in 2021 from EPA stations across Ireland show that fine particulate matter (PM2.5), mainly from burning solid fuel in our homes, and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) mainly from road traffic, remain the main threats to good air quality.
Launching the report, Air Quality in Ireland 2021, Dr Micheál Lehane, Director of the EPA’s Office of Radiation Protection & Environmental Monitoring, said, “The EPA’s air quality monitoring carried out in 2021 has shown that Ireland met all of its EU legal requirements in 2021. However, we would not have met the new WHO air quality guidelines for health. Meeting the new WHO guidelines for air quality will be a major challenge for the country, however the report identifies a number of solutions to move towards these guideline levels”.
In the report the EPA states that:
- Ireland and Europe should move towards achieving the health-based WHO air quality guidelines.
- The planned National Clean Air Strategy for Ireland needs to be published and fully implemented.
- Local Authorities must provide more resources to increase air enforcement activities.
- National investment in clean public transport is needed across the country.
Mr Pat Byrne, EPA Programme Manager, said, “Air quality in Ireland is generally good, however, there are localised issues that are impacting negatively on air quality and our health. In our towns and villages monitoring identifies high levels of particulate matter associated with burning solid fuels and in our larger cities high levels of nitrogen dioxide is associated with road traffic. There are options and solutions to help improve the air we breathe. Changes we make to how we heat our homes and finding alternative ways to travel can immediately impact our local air quality”.
The EPA’s Air Quality in Ireland 2021 report is now available HERE on the EPA website.
The EPA continually monitors air quality across Ireland and provides the air quality index for health and real-time results online HERE.
Results are updated hourly on the website, and people can log on at any time to check whether the current air quality is good, fair or poor.
You can also find out how to improve air quality from the EPA’s “How we can improve the air we breathe infographic” or check out the ‘ABC for Cleaner Air’ campaign from the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, which highlights some simple steps we can all make and help reduce pollution from solid fuels.
Further information: Emily Williamson, EPA Media Relations Office: Tel: 053-91 70770 (24 hours) and media@epa.ie
With all pupils now firmly back to school, parents may feel the need to reduce screen time on phones and other devices.
Too much screen time can be linked with disrupted sleep; and unlimited streaming services and social media can distract from study, sport and result in very late bedtimes.
As smart phones have evolved, some very smart and simple ways of controlling screen time have also emerged. The old fashioned way of reducing screen time was to take away phones and devices, with the inevitable “please just a few more minutes” plea dominating bedtime.
Now parents can remotely control screen time, as well as limiting what children can access on their phones and tablets, all from the comfort of their own devices.
If you and your family use iPhones and other Apple devices, watch the video hereunder.
If you and your family use Android devices, check out the video below.
If you are looking for more information on reducing screen time or online, app and smartphone safety, excellent up to date information is available HERE
Ms Rachel Hoban, (Branch Manager – Templemore Library) Reports:-
“On ‘Culture Night’ [September 23rd next], Templemore Library have scheduled three full additional Culture Night activities, shown hereunder as follows: –
Basketry & Natural Art Demo: 6:00pm – with Ms Lynn Kirkham.
As one of the first contemporary basket makers in Ireland, Ms Lynn Kirkham is well-known for her woven artworks.
Do please join her for an introduction to basketry and natural art.
Ukrainian Culture: 7:15pm – Templemore Library are delighted to welcome our new friends and neighbours from Ukraine, latter who will showcase a mix of Ukrainian music, art, dance and culture.
Traditional Ukrainian food will also be served on the night.
Ceol Agus Craic: 8:00pm – Join Templemore Library for their very own “Seisiún Mór”.
Traditional music from ‘Loughmore Comhaltas‘; Irish Dancing from the ‘Flynn O’Kane Academy‘, and Irish Set Dancing from the ‘Templemore Set Dancing Group‘.
All three events will take place in Templemore Library, on the night of September 23rd, 2022, (Culture Night).
Looking forward to seeing you in attendance, but remember booking is required to access all events – répondez s’il vous plaît (RSVP) to Tel: (0504) 32555.
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