I.R.D. Duhallow Progress Report REPORT 09 10 I.R.D. Duhallow James O’Keeffe Institute, Newmarket, Co. Cork, Ireland. Tel: 00-353-29-60633 Fax: 00-353-29-60694 Email:[email protected] The Spirit Of Rural Ireland 09 /1 0 IRD DUHALLOW PROGRESS REPORT 09 /1 0 IRD DUHALLOW PROGRESS REPORT Communities in Duhallow Community Groups in Duhallow South Eastern Duhallow Communities IRD Duhallow Representatives Aubane John Kellehe & Gerald McSweeney Banteer Denis Withers & John Kirwan Bweeng Jeanette O’Connell & Sean Kelly Derrinagree Tom Meaney & Charlie Drake Donoughmore & Stuake Patrick Buckley & Michael Forde Kilcorney Donie Howard & Mary Kelleher Laharn Eileen Forde & Sheila Crowley Lyre Billy Murphy & Donal Murphy Nadd Clodagh McSweeney & Paudie O’Shea Millstreet Eily Buckley & Sean Radley Rathcoole Eamonn Hurley & Liz Burns Firmount Margaret O’Donovan & Peter Cafferkey New Tipperary Mamie O’Shea & Tony Horgan Western Duhallow Communities IRD Duhallow Representatives Ballydaly Willie Joe Moynihan & Donie Carroll Ballydaly Richie O’ Connor & Tim Murphy Ballydesmond Siobhan Moynihan & Billy Lane Boherbue Margaret Murphy & Marie Casey Cullen Tom Riordan & Hannah Kelleher Gneeveguilla Cormac Collins & Caroline O’Sullivan Duhallow - Kiskeam Paddy Joe O’Leary & Batt Casey The Land & People Knockaclarig June Walsh & Ide Fitzgerald Knocknagree Geraldine O’Connor & Claire Fleming IRD Duhallow territory includes North Meelin Kathleen Lehane & Denis McAuliffe West Cork and South East Kerry and is Rathmore Donal McCarthy & Marie O’ Leary approximately 1,800 sq.km and has a Rockchapel Mike Allen & Nellie Curtin population density of 16 per sq.km. It is Taur Batt O’Callaghan & Darby Murphy a largely Rural area. Over 85% of the Knocknaboul Maureen Fleming & Tim Fitzgerald population live in the open countryside Toureencahill Cynthia Daly & Lil Fleming or in settlements of less than 200 people. Ballinahulla Liam Doody & Betty Collins The Duhallow region has four market towns: Shrone Conon Creedon & Colette Carmody Kanturk (Pop 1915), Millstreet Foilogohig Annette O’Rielly & Geraldine Cremin. (Pop 1401), Newmarket (Pop 949) and Rathmore (Pop 611) and 36 villages. North Eastern Duhallow Communities IRD Duhallow Representatives Castlemagner James Twohig & Andy Burke Cecilstown Mary Cooney & William Morrissey I.R.D. Duhallow Dromtariffe Gerald Murphy & John Linehan James O’Keeffe Institute, Freemount Caroline O’Carroll & Pat Keane Newmarket, Co. Cork, Ireland. Kanturk John Fuller & Tommy Mullane Tel: 00-353-29-60633 Kilbrin Patrick Drumm & Sinead Lynch # # # # # # # Lismire Colmon Jones & Sheila Kearney Fax: 00-353-29-60694 # # ## # Email: [email protected] The European Agricultural Fund Newmarket Eilish Hourigan & Sean Browne for Rural Development: Tullylease Angela Hannigan & Mary O’Connell Web Site: irdduhallow.com Europe investing in Rural Areas Contents Page Chairman’s Address . 2 Manager’s Report . 3 IRD Duhallow Ltd. Company Structure . 4 IRD Duhallow Board Members . 5, 6, 7 Details of Staff . 8 LEADER . 9 Enterprise . 10,11 Warmer Homes Scheme . 12 Rural Social Scheme . 13 Agriculture . 14, 15 Community Development . 16, 17 LEADER Projects . 18, 19 LCDP Projects . 20 LCDP . 21 Carers . 22 Equality, Disability & Migrants . 23 Employment and Training . 24, 25 Mental Health and Transition to Employment . 26, 27 Youth and Education . 28, 29 Women and Childcare . 30 Parenting Alone in Duhallow . 31 Tourism . 32 Culture . 33 Community Employment Scheme . 34 Duhallow Area Rural Transport . 35 Duhallow Community Food Services . 36 d r o f r e t a W , e s u o H t n i r P n g i s e D s n a v E e v a D d d r n o a f r r e o t n a n y o W e , C s t ’ a n i O C r t y P t a s a P i t r : c y h a b C t : s n I y h : b p y a d b r e g d n e o g t t i Minister Mary Hanafin being presented with a copy of IRD Duhallow’s Annual Report with s n o i e h r Chairman Michael Twohig and Community Development Team Leader Eileen Linehan. P P D 09 /1 0 IRD DUHALLOW PROGRESS REPORT Chairman’s Address In reviewing my first year as Chairman of IRD Mary Hanafin to launch the Walks Scheme which will Duhallow, I am struck by two things – firstly the scope benefit 30 farmers along the Duhallow and Avondhu and scale of the work of IRD Duhallow in an ever Sections of the Munster Way with payments for changing environment and secondly how quickly the maintenance work on the walk. This has been time has flown. especially welcomed by the farmers, many of whom have marginal hill land. My term as chair began with a review of the Company’s Strategic plan and the key targets set by The difficult decisions, which I as Chairman had to the Board to be achieved over the next four years. It is steer through this year, were made all the more easy an ambitious plan spanning economic, cultural, by the support and advice of my fellow board human and environmental development. Indeed the members, Michael Manning who is chair of the HR first thing we recognised is that LEADER or the Local Working Group and Michael Doyle who Chairs the Community Development Programme on their own Finance and Audit Sub Committee, in addition to the or indeed together would not have the capacity to steady advice from my Vice Chairman Cormac deliver what we had set out to be achieved. Collins. The steadfast work and loyalty of our Management Team was crucial to the smooth With this thought in my mind I became aware of the implementation of these difficult HR and Financial great potential of other European Programmes and decisions and I am delighted to report that staff asked the Manager to explore the possibility of morale is high and there is a strong determination to reach even higher accessing the Life+ programme. I was rewarded with the chair of the targets this year. steering group. A comprehensive and ambitious plan, based on the river Allow to promote biodiversity and in particular the fresh water Pobal has forbidden any of its public funded programmes from Pearl Mussel, Salmon and King Fisher was submitted to the European spending on Annual Reports. The Board is strong in its belief that the Commission. I am delighted to report that IRD Duhallow has been best way of letting the people of Duhallow know about the services successful and with the support of the Department of the Environment and supports available to them is through these reports. We made an we will be implementing a wide ranging environmental programme appeal and got a tremendous response from community organisations which will compliment LEADER, include the communities which are and businesses so that all our work, including the Pobal funded targeted in the LCDP and support the farmers along the river. Community Service Programme, Rural Transport and The Local Community Development Programme can all have feature pages in this This, I believe is the future of Rural Development – one organisation, Progress Report. I want to thank the Management and Staff and in deeply rooted in the community, enjoying the support of the statutory particular Theresa Collins who produced this years Progress Report. sector with the capacity and structures to deliver a wide range of supports and services for the betterment of their area. IRD Duhallow continues with the Board rotation policy set down by the government. This year we are loosing the state agencies, which have The LEADER Partnership Companies in Ireland have demonstrated been represented heretofore and are replacing them with other such capacity. I, as well as every other voluntary chairman in the agencies relevant to the work and strategic focus of the organisation. country, welcome the very positive moves by the European Coillte, Teagasc and Cork Kerry Tourism will be replaced by Commissions DG Agri to loosen those constraints, which many of us representatives from the ESB Networks, The Department of Social believe were doing little by way of ensuring the proper delivery of the Protection and the National Parks and Wildlife Services, I want to pay LEADER Programme, on which rural areas are depending for their very tribute to outgoing Board Members, Jerry Donovan, Elaine White, Pat survival into the future. Minister Pat Carey, to whom we expend a Keane and Michael Manning. Michael Doyle, who stepped down as warm welcome as Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht representative of Coillte, I am pleased to say afterwards secured the Affairs, who has assured us that the removal of the word “Rural” from nomination of the Environmental Pillar. Suzanne Campion in her new the name of his department will not diminish in any way the role Rural role as Head of Business Development and currently South Eastern Development will have in the coming years.. River Basin Director will play a vital role in the steering group The riding instructions we received from various Departments last year overseeing the implementation of the Life+ programme. was to “do more with less” and while this proved a challenge for us I am I was delighted to chair the Community elections in North Eastern grateful for the support of the Chairs and members of our Working Duhallow recently where two of the five candidates nominated battled Groups and moreover the co-operation of the Company’s it out to win the 50% + 1 vote each to earn their seats on the board. management and staff and am delighted to report that we have The new Board Members Deirdre Green, John Cott, Barry O’ Donoghue indeed done more with less. and Cork County Council members Dan Joe Fitzgerald and John Paul O’Shea combine youth with community experience.