EDITORS LETTER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION CLG ‘More News…….24 years on FREE MAGAZINE MAY 2019 ‘More News, the local Issue 224 NEWS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION CLG community magazine produced ‘MORE Oranmore Community Iris Nuachta Phobal Uaráin Mhóir - Your Community Magazine by the ORANMORE Community Development NEW LOOK & NOW FREE Development Association CLG Association CLG Local Community Magazine (OCDA) is being re-launched with a new layout and 3,000 Address: St. Mary’s Church, free copies being distributed Main Street, Oranmore, amongst the local community. Co. Galway 2019 Local Election Edition ‘More News was first MAREE/ORANMORE U-16 THE LOCAL ELECTION Colouring RETAIN ALL-IRELAND 2019 Competition launched in October, 1995 Tel: by the Oranmore Community 091 790335 Development Association ALSO INSIDE: All the local school, business, culture, sport, and events news in Oranmore, with some great articles also provided by people from the community. A Community Magazine for the people of Oranmore. All articles and photographs welcome. under it’s then Chairman Ray Website: www.oranmore.ie www.oranmore.ie O’Donoghue who has remained as Editor and proofreader for all 223 issues todate. Initial production took place in a small Facebook: office over head Keane’s Bar with a small teamof young dedicated enthusiasts which included @oranmorecommunity Michael Mulqueen as Managing Editor, Síle O’Donoghue as production manager, Paul Byrnes CREDITS as Sports Editor, Leah Donoghue in Finance, Sheila Byrnes was the Advertising Manager, Marion Heery as distribution manager, Mary Conroy was chief news reporter, Linda Macken in Ray O’Donoghue accounts and with contributions from Colm Clancy, Gráinne Úí Ceallacháin, Elizabeth Byrnes, Editor Henry Walshe and many more down through the years. Production usually took place on a Thursday night into the late hours (often after 4.00am), the finished copy was delivered to Jonathan Kent the printers Clódóirí Lurgan in Indreabháin early on Friday morning and the printed copies Sub- Editor collected and delivered to the shops on Friday evening with copies also being sold before and Gaelscoil de hÍde after all masses. Interestingly, four members of the original team went on to pursue careers in Scoil Mhuire the print and media industry. Scoil IOsaif Naofa Over the years, the production moved to the fulltime staff in the OCDA office with the Greg Cleary responsibility falling to Rose Flanagan and Anne Finn. Fidelma Healy Eames It is now felt time for a new approach and a newlook magazine. An initial draft will Elizabeth Martin Just Lily be an election special and 3,000 free copies will be distributed on May 17th. It provides Contributors a great opportunity for local businesses to support their community magazine while also promoting their own business to the readers of ‘More News. Print More As we near an election, we would like to thank all the politicians who contributed to Design & Print ‘More News down through the years and also supported the work of the Oranmore Community Development Association. The importance of having a locally based representative at the decision making table, whether at local council or national level, has been proven many NEXT ISSUE times. We take this opportunity to wish our local representative and long serving OCDA Board member and colleague, Liam Carroll success in the forthcoming local election. Delivered to you on 19th July WHAT’S INSIDE THIS ISSUE For submissions please email: Culture & Lifestyle 18 Liam Carroll School News 2 The ‘Cuckoo’ Tree 22 Fidelma Healy Eames 26 Gaelscoil de hÍde [email protected] 4 Local Girl - Short Story 24 Brexit Time Extension 29 Scoil Mhuire 5 Moco Colouring Competition Opportunity 30 Scoil IOsaif Naofa 6 Hayfever 25 Marian Spelman Submissions Sports deadline: Politics Local Property 32 Oranmore/Maree Camogie News 8 Albert Dolan 20 Ten Years in Business - 33 Maree U16 Retain 5th July 10 Josette Farrell Yvonne Sweeney All-Ireland Title 11 Fionn Kiely 21 Local Property Listings 34 Naomh Mhuire Academy 12 Jim Cuddy 35 Maree/Oranmore Football Club To 13 Louis O’Hara Events 14 Martina Kinane 25 Taste of Oranmore & Advertise 15 Shelly Herterich Quinn Clarinbridge Call 086 028 0428 [email protected] Disclaimer: The opinions and views in this publication are those of the contributors. In the compilation of this publication, ever care is taken to ensure accuracy. Any errors or omissions should be brought to the attention of the Editor. ‘More News does not accept and liability to any person for loss or damage arising from anything contained in this publication or for any error or omission in it. All material is copyright. 1 CULTURE & LIFESTYLE The ‘Cuckoo’ Tree Note: for some of the following article I am grateful to Publishers, The Collins Press, and to, Niall MacCoitir, author of ‘Irish Trees, Myths, Legends & Folklore’ for much of the folkloric information in this article and for permission to use some of the stories and legends included in this most beautiful and informative book. The blossoms of the Cherry Trees may be largely gone now, nevertheless I still decided to devote this month’s article to the Cherry, and, in particular, the Prunus avium or Wild Cherry – sometimes also called Cherries for eating and drinking and making the Gean Tree. furniture………………. Prunus avium is a deciduous tree growing to 15– Cherry gum for the complexion………………. 32 m (49–105 ft) tall, with a trunk up to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in diameter. The bark is smooth purplish-brown becoming The Cherry tree is regarded as a symbol of thick dark blackish-brown and fissured on old trees. youth, beauty and love, and, with its sweet tasting fruit In autumn, the leaves turn orange, pink or red before and lovely blossom it is not too difficult to see why. falling. The flowers are produced in early spring at the However, did you know that the gum from the Cherry same time as the new leaves. Tree bark is also believed to be beneficial for the Wild Cherry grows rapidly and produces a strong complexion?!! I’m not sure if I would like to rub cherrydurable wood with a colour like mahogany and, while gum all over my face, but, in fact, people apply all sorts there is not much evidence of its being used in ancient of things to their faces and skin in an effort to improve Ireland, Cherry timber has been used in more recent them so Cherry Gum might be worth a try if you are times in fine furniture making. It is also used for looking for a new cosmetic!!! veneers and sweet-smoking cherry pipes (though how much use there would be now, in Ireland, for the latter The Wild Gean………………. I don’t know!!!!). On the other hand, Cherry fruits were harvested We are very accustomed to the beautiful as food in Ireland since ancient times and cherry stones profusion of pink flowers produced in April/May each have been found in at least one Bronze Age site – a year by the cultivated Cherry Blossom Trees, indeed, crannog in County Offaly. there is hardly a garden or park that doesn’t have at The ‘Cherry Ripe’ of the old London street chant least one Cherry Blossom amongst its plants. However, refers to varieties of the tree grown in Kent where while these trees are purely ornamental, there are, farmers grazed their sheep beneath the cherry trees. as you know, also varieties of Cherry which produce The fruit of the Cherry is, of course, still eaten edible fruit and these are – like all cultivated fruit and used in cake making. It is also used in syrups bearing tree species – crossed and selected to create and cough mixtures and liqueurs are distilled from better fruiting varieties. fermented cherry pulp. But where do they all ultimately derive from?? Well, many come from the Wild Cherry or Gean, and this The ‘cuckoo’ tree………………. is still used as a root stock on which various varieties are cultivated. The association of the Cherry tree with the The Wild Cherry was usually found in woodlands cuckoo seems to be known mainly in England. An old – especially Beech Woods where its delicate white English proverb relates that the cuckoo does not sing blossoms stood out like snowflakes in Spring – until it has eaten his fill of cherries three times, and, the flowers appearing before the leaves. in Yorkshire children used to sing a rhyme ‘cuckoo I’m not sure where, in Ireland, you can see a cherry tree, come down and tell me how many years I truly Wild Cherry but I know there are some –possibly have to live’ after which each child would then shake planted there– in Coole Park, near Gort. the Cherry tree and the number of cherries which fell would indicate the number of years each child had to live!!! There were variants of this in other parts of England also. 2 CULTURE & LIFESTYLE course, only a ballad but the clear implication from it and the other myths is that the cherry, like the cuckoo, is a symbol of love outside wedlock and explains why, in north England, at least, cherry blossom is regarded as an unlucky decoration at a wedding!!! ‘Climate change and climate action continues apace and there is much ground for hope amid the increasingly obvious situation that the world will not succeed in avoiding a 1.5degree (if not larger) increase in global temperature rise despite all the measures being taken (I hope I’m wrong but that seems to be the growing consensus. However, into this situation comes hope.........I recently watched one of the top TED talks on You Tube entitled ‘Rewilding: How Wolves radically Change Rivers’ by George Monbiot, an Investigative Journalist, it was fascinating and very authentic.