Dún na nGall - pobail i d’teagmháil Donegal - community in touch ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2011 / EAGRÁN 14 SAMHAIN 2011 News 2 Welcome - Fáilte Donegal Business 7 Education and Learning Message From Mayor 10 Social and Cultural 12 Hello everyone, Donegal Community Links 15 I hope this edition of Donegal Community in Touch e-zine finds you well. We at home in Donegal are still flying the flag and wearing the jersey. Our senior footballers did us proud by winning the Ulster Championship and were only piped at the second last hurdle by the Dubs. You will probably find many more teams adopting Donegal’s style of play next time around (no matter what the press or Pat Spillane says) To Jim McGuinness and all involved we say a big thank you and well done. At county level, we had a battle royal in the club championship between Glenswilly and St. Michaels, and we wish Glenswilly all the best in the Ulster Championship. Donegal, hopefully, will be represented at the 2012 Olympics in London by Brendan Boyce from Cratlagh just outside Milford. Brendan has achieved the Qualifying A time for the 50 km. walk and we wish him well in his build up. If any of you have ever been involved in athletics, I am sure you heard of Cranford Athletic Club. Would you believe they are celebrating fifty years in existence this year? Yes the big 50 and one of their founding members Eamon Giles is still at the helm. Some achievement! Cranford Athletic Club celebrates their golden jubilee with a gala dinner in the Milford Inn Hotel on the 28thOctober. We celebrated Volunteer week at the beginning of October and many people give up their time on a voluntary basis for clubs and associations but for someone to give fifty years, it must be a record. If you can think of anyone who has given more years please let me know by email at [email protected] Canadian Ambassador to Ireland the Honourable Loyola Heran So far this year we had a good number of visitors to our County and indeed many of you pictured with Mayor Noel McBride would have travelled home for the holiday period. Just this week I was in Churchill and had the pleasure of meeting three tour busses with Scottish visitors touring Donegal for the week. We need more of this. Can you help? Just a few weeks ago I met with The Canadian Ambassador to Ireland the Honourable Loyola Heran who has a huge interest in Donegal and has been to Donegal three times during his first eight months in office. Ambassador Heran wishes to create greater links with Donegal through tourism and business links. Lets all play our part to make that happen. He also informed me that his wife is a huge fan of one of Donegal’s great ambassador’s Daniel O Donnell. Why not stage a Daniel O concert in Donegal and invite the Ambassador and his wife as our guests? I was also delighted to host a reception to welcome the American Irish Legislators Society in New York to Donegal on the 16th October 2011. I look forward to strengthening these links in the future. So don’t forget ‘The Homes of Donegal,’ and the ’kettles always on the boil’! Slán agus beannacht, Mayor Noel McBride presenting the American Irish Legislators Cllr. Noel Mc Bride Society President Michael Cusick with the Flight of the Earls An Meara Chontae Dhún na nGall publication Donegal County Development Board Bord Forbartha Chontae Dhún na nGall Donegal County Council Donegal - community in touch Dún na nGall - pobail i d’teagmháil News / Nuacht 2 Liam Shiels lines up for Australia in Letterkenny Chamber Update the International Rule Series 2011 Letterkenny Chamber is the only Chamber in Donegal affiliated to Chambers thanks to his Donegal dad! Ireland that remains Ireland’s largest business network. The last number of months have been busy with Letterkenny Chamber being involved in many Hawthorn midfielder Liam Shiels events. With over 220 members in a wide range of sectors Letterkenny says his father’s Irish heritage Chamber acts as a strong lobby group for businesses in the greater influenced his decision to play Letterkenny area. At a recent lunch with Minister for Small Business, John the International Rules Series Perry TD we highlighted the issues that members have brought to us such as and represent his native Australia the cost of doing business, commercial rates, and access to finance and are against Ireland. Shiels’ father assured that these issues and others will be discussed at the highest levels. Michael was born in Fanad and left Donegal at the age of 21 to work in In July the Chamber also successfully won funding to set up Donegal Australia. The family still visit Ireland Digital Skillnet, to deliver training to small businesses across Donegal on holidays and Michael is a keen in the field of Digital Marketing. Digital marketing is opening up follower of the county team via the new markets and new advertising channels so that now even internet. Shiels will come up against a local business can reach out to customers across the world. three Donegal players during the For further information visit: www.letterkennychamber.com series – Karl Lacey, Michael Murphy and Neil McGee. Good luck to all four players! Europe Direct Christmas Tree Decoration Exchange 2011 Minister for Small Business, John Perry TD pictured during his visit to Letterkenny Chamber Brand New, state of the art Gaoth Dobhair Library opened Monday the 3rd of October The new 501sq metre Leabharlann Phobail Ghaoth European Xmas decoration display in Bundoran Library Dobhair, holds over 20,000 items and features Donegal In the run up to Christmas 2011, some lucky students in Donegal will be busy County Library’s first ever- making Christmas decorations and information packs to send to other pupils dedicated teenage area. It across Europe. This is organised through the Europe Direct Information is equipped with the latest Centre in Central Library and is co-ordinated through the Europe Direct technology including; 7 public Centre in Llangollen, Wales. access computers, WIFI, 3 This year pupils from 2 schools, St Bernadette’s, Letterkenny and Scoil listening stations, a self issue Phádraig Dobhair, Bunbeg will participate. We will celebrate their hard work unit and computer booking system. The children’s library is modern, bright in December by hosting Christmas themed events in Central Library and and exciting and the library includes two public meeting rooms and study Leabharlann Gaoth Dobhair. areas. Library users can relax, read a newspaper, listen to music or learn a new The exchange encourages primary schools to work together across the EU language. The Library boasts a large collection of Irish language material to in making Christmas tree decorations representative of their country or meet the needs of the Irish speaking community it serves. Other special region, During advent, the children receive Christmas packages from partner services include reading assistant software package, Kurzweil, accessibility schools in many different countries creating a ‘European Christmas Tree’ in equipment for the visually impaired and access to an Ebook reader. For the library. further information visit www.donegallibrary.ie Donegal County Development Board Bord Forbartha Chontae Dhún na nGall Donegal County Council Dún na nGall - pobail i d’teagmháil Donegal - community in touch News / Nuacht 3 Derry Donegal focus at Milwaukee Irish Fest There is evidence of recovery from the US Market and Failte Ireland worked closely with Tourism Ireland in the states to explore opportunities to promote the North West on a cross border basis. The Milwaukee Irish fest was recommended as the biggest showcase for The European Surfing Championships – Eurosurf 2011 – took place in Ireland in the US. Bundoran between 23rd Sept and 2nd Oct last. 13 teams from all over Europe The Milwaukee Irish Fest, is North America’s largest, four-day and including Morocco got superb waves and good weather for most of the celebration of Irish music and culture and it took place on the 10 days and managed to enjoy some of the night-time entertainment of beautiful shores of Lake Michigan August 18 – 21st. The event has the Eurosurf Bundoran 2011 Party with The Undertones, Kíla and Royseven an attendance of over 150,000 annually and this year Donegal and forming just some of the lineup. Derry successfully secured the showcase promotion. Eurosurf 2011 was won outright by Portugal with the Irish team coming There was over 60 participants from Donegal including Tourism trade, a respectable 6th place. Team Ireland member Ashleigh Smith from Sligo LYIT, Musicians, Artists and performers. Donegal artists included Altan, become the first Irish surfer to go straight through on the primary rounds of Kintra, Liz Doherty, the Henry Girls and singer Moya Brennan, all which the competition and received a Silver Medal in the women’s bodyboarding are rooted in the traditions of Donegal. Plus special performances by individual rankings. Ceili band legend, Kathleen Fitzgerald and her four daughters, the Over 2000 spectators watched the opening Parade of Nations and Ceremony Screaming Orphans’. Festival goers were invited to explore the Derry of the Sands on Sat. 24th and thousands lined the cliffs at Rougey for the final and Donegal region as it exists today through interactive exhibits days of the competition. spread throughout the expansive 75-acre festival grounds. For further information visit www.eurosurfbundoran.com Milwaukee Irish Fest provided Donegal and Derry with a unique opportunity to promote our culture, sell our region and encourage visitors, trade