Designed
and Maintained by Niall Farrell
© Nuacht Chláir
March is
the month when soil temperatures climb back up and with it growth begins
in earnest. The old saying that March comes in like a lion and goes out
like a lamb is very true. The end of February and early March has been
in marked contrast to the fine mild weather we had previous to this. So
we must temper our enthusiasm practically and do only the jobs that are
necessary and can be done.
For those of you who ask about transplanting and moving shrubs you have
about another two weeks in which to do so, before the plants burst into
growth. If you wish to do any bareroot planting, it must be done now,
you can plant any of the bareroot trees, conifers and hedging plants,
which are always a little cheaper than the potted plants.
Many people ask about feeding plants in the garden. In general this is
best left until growth starts and the weather is a little better. You
can feed all established trees and shrubs with any tree and shrub fertiliser
or with 7:6:17, at a rate of 2 ozs to each plant. Scatter this on the
bare soil around the plant.
Lawn mowing usually starts during March, if not earlier. The main factor
involved is the state of the ground. If the ground is dry enough to walk
on, mowing can begin. Start mowing at a high cut and work your way down
during the season. Always have an inch of grass cover. Lawns will be very
pale after winter rain due to the lack of nutrients and moss will also
need treatment after thriving during the dampness of winter. The grass
will recover quickly if it is given some treatment. Something such as
the Golden Vale 3:1 Lawn Weed and Feed would be ideal. This has two different
weed killers in it to kill any weeds in the lawn, all the general fertilisers
needed and sulphate of iron which kills any moss and gives a nice dark
green colour.It is put out at a rate of 2 ozs per square yard. Most places
will give you a spreader for the duration of putting it out, free of charge.
In the vegetable garden, if soil conditions are right, the seeds of many vegetables can be put in before the end of March. In particular, onions, parsnips, and brussel sprouts benefit from the early sowing. Onion sets and shallots can also be put in now. Seed potatoes are also available and the early varieties such as Homeguard, Sharps Express, Duke of York and British Queens (2nd early's) can be sprouted now for planting out at the end of this month. Before planting, dig in some organic matter into the soil. Space early varieties 12 inches apart in the row and 2 feet apart between rows and at a depth of 5 inches. Most people can grow early varieties as they will avoid blight mostly. You can get a good return from even a 1 stone bag. Worth a try!
In the fruit
garden you can plant all the varieties now. A tip for use in the vegetable
garden or elsewhere is if you save the ashes from the fire it can be used
as an excellent slug repellent. It is also far kinder to birds as it eliminates
the danger of using slug pellets.
Tidying up of flower beds can be carried out during this month. It is
not strictly necessary though, to remove every bit of dead plant material.
Leaving the less messy bits on the ground encourages beneficial insects.
Herbaceous border plants can be lifted and divided to rejuvenate old congested
clumps. All summer bulbs are available now in most centres such as begonias,
gladioli, lilies, dahlias, etc. with lots of different varieties and colours.
A lot of people buy seeds for planting out in the summer with images of
beautiful colours as on the front of the packets. Some succeed and some
don't.
The following are seven steps to success with seeds:
1. Using a standard seed compost such as the Shamrock seed and potting
compost, fill a clean pot or seed tray with the moist compost. Level and
firm the surface using a presser board or a piece of wood to 1 cm below
the rim.
2. Water the compost lightly before sowing.
3. Sow the seed from the packet or hand as thinly and evenly as possible.
Large seed can be placed by hand but seed such as Lobelia, Begonias and
Petunias are small and difficult. You can help the broadcast of fine seed
by mixing it with a small spoonful of fine sand and broadcasting evenly.
4. Lightly cover the seeds to a depth equal to their diameter with sieved
compost or fine
vermiculite. Do not cover lobelia, begonias, petunias or busy lizzies.
5. Label each pot or container with the name and the sowing date.
6. Cover the tray with a sheet of clear polythene or glass to maintain
even humidity and conserve moisture. This sheet should be turned daily.
Some seeds particularly pansy, germinate more rapidly in the dark and
so are best covered with black polythene until they germinate.
7. Place the container in a heated propagator or in a green house bench
or window sill, ideally in a temperature of 16 - 20 degree centigrade.
A few seeds such as begonias and busy lizzy prefer a constant temperature
of 21 degrees while others such as primulas are actually inhibited by
high temperatures. Shade the container with newspaper if it receives direct
sunlight and do not allow the compost to dry out.
DID YOU
KNOW?
There are living stones - a plant that grows in arid regions of southern
Africa where they grow amidst gravel . They are disguised as the stones
around them push up to the level of surrounding stones but the entire
plant rests below the grazing line and funnels the sunlight down. To see
them, you could not tell the difference.
That's it for now, happy gardening,
Bosco McDermott, Glynn's Garden Centre, Lydican.
Congratulations
to Kevin and Helen McGourty, Carnmore Cross on the arrival of their baby
son Conor Thomas.
Best Wishes
also to Gus and Mary McCarthy, Lydican on the birth of their baby daughter,
Ellen Bridget in February.
Congratulations
to Seán and Phil Noone, Lydican Hill, on the birth of their baby
daughter Alice May.
Welcome to
Brión Micheál O'Rourke, baby son for Fidelma and Breffni,
Kiltulla.
Best wishes
to Tom and Liz Coyle, Rockwood, on the birth of their son Thomas
Happy birthday
to Cyril Duggan, Summerfield on the 24th March.
Birthday
wishes also to Rachel Farrell, Cregboy on the 24th March, from Mom, Dad
and all the family.
Congratulations to our Senior Div. III Team who have reached the Semi-Finals of the League. Both games will be played in Loughrea Temperance Hall on Wednesday 11th March at 8.00 p.m. Claregalway meet Cortoon in their match. Everyone is welcome to come along to support the team and see some good badminton.
Team Members.
Paul Casserly Paula Shaughnessy
Liam Moran Helena Coyne
Liam Hyland Mairead Glynn
Niall Hartigan Carmel Joyce
Senior
County Championships
Well done to Paul and Cathy Casserly on winning the Division III Mixed
Doubles in G.L.T.C recently.
Junior
Leagues
All our Teams are doing well so far. U13 A Team have already reached the
final.
Team Members Paul Loughlin Maria Moran
Michael O'Connor Grainne Noonan
Thomas Walshe Katie O'Connor
Steven Keane Kathryn Day
Our U13
B Team have played all their games. They didn't reach the final but all
have to be congratulated on their progress and dedication during the season.
Team Members Niall Farrell Emer O'Conell
Padraic Quinn Lorna Dillon
Ronan Mangan Fiona Dillon
Rory Dillon Mary Kelly
Gerard Moran
Gerard Kirrane
Community Games
The County Badminton Competition will be held in Claregalway Hall on Saturday,
25th April at 11.00 a.m.
Claregalway
Team Members Cathy Casserly, Ross Forde, Sandra Walshe, Christopher
Keane, Maria Moran, Joseph Garrett, Grainne Noonan, Donal Cahalan
Irish
U13 Championships
This competition was held in the G.L.T.C. on the weekend of Sat.28th March.
Congratulations to all our players who took part in the Championships
and thank you to the parents who hosted the children from Lisburn. Everyone
was very grateful for the hospitality they received.
Juvenile
Co. Championships (Singles)
U11 Boys Damian Hehir W
Ryan Gately R/up
U13 Boys Michaell O'Connor W
Paul loughlin R/up
U13 Girls Grainne Noonan W
U15 Boys Christopher Keane W
Ross Forde R/up
U15 Girls Cathy Casserly W
U17 Boys Christopher Keane W
Brian Casserly R/up
Connacht Closed Championships U11 and U15
These competitions were held recently in the Galway Lawn Tennis Club and took place over two weekends. The children from Claregalway featured strongly in all age-groups and the following are the results.
U11 Results
Boys Singles Damian Hehir W
Boys Doubles Damian Hehir/Ian Steven W
Ryan Gately/Kenneth Joyce R/up
Mixed Doubles Damian Hehir/C. Rattigan (Cortoon) W
U13 Results
Boys Singles Michael O'Connor W
Girls Singles Grainne Noonan R/up
Boys Doubles Michael O'Connnor/Paul Loughlin W
Girls Doubles Katie O'Connor/Aisling Burke (Sligo)W
Maria Moran/Grainne Noonan R/up
Mixed Doubles Paul Loughlin/Maria Moran W
U15 Results
Girls Singles Cathy Casserly W
Boys Singles Christopher KeaneW
Ross Forde R/up
Girls Doubles Cathy Casserly/Suzanne McGrath (Maree) R/up
Boys Doubles Christopher Keane/Alan Flaherty W
Ross Forde/Peter Moran R/up
Mixed Doubles Christopher Keane/Emer Higgins W
Ross Forde/Paula McDonagh R/up
U17 Results
Girls Singles Cathy Casserly W
Boys Singles Christopher Keane W
Ross Forde R/up
Girls Doubles Cathy Casserly/Lisa Flaherty (Tuam) W
Boys Doubles Christopher Keane/Robert Lennon W
Brian Casserly/Ross Forde R/up
Mixed Doubles Christopher Keane/Lisa Flaherty W
Ross Forde/Paula McDonagh R/up
The Annual General Meeting of the Leisure Centre was held on Wednesday, 4th March. There was a small attendance, but nevertheless, a satisfactory meeting took place. The out-going Officers were re-elected to their positions, which are as follows: Tony Clarke, Chairman, Mary Reidy, Secretary, Hubert Newell, Treasurer.
There was a general feeling of having completed a very satisfactory year with regard to the work carried out in the Centre. However, fund-raising suggestions were considered and discussed, as there is still quite an amount of essential maintenance and improvements which must be carried out. The shortage of ordinary committee members adds to the difficulty in fund-raising, and we are still hoping our numbers will increase.
A Basketball Marathon will take place, as a fund-raising venture, in the Centre on Sunday, 19th April. There are a large number of children playing Basketball, and they are looking forward to taking part. Please support them when they approach you for sponsorship.
It was agreed
that the Summer Camp held at the Centre last year was a tremendous success,
and we would like to offer it locally again this coming Summer.
However, its success was largely due to a huge amount of voluntary help.
If we are to repeat this Camp, we need to look for volunteers from the
Community . We would like to run the Camp during the week commencing 13th
July - 17th July.
A meeting will be held in the Centre on Monday 23rd March at 8.30 to which we are inviting anyone interested in helping out. We need to be sure of a force of 14 people/day so whatever time you could spare would be very important. The future of the Summer Camp depends on the outcome of this meeting. Please come along.
Mary Casserly
P.R.O.
The year
has started with an air of confidence and determination within the club.
Training has resumed on Tuesday & Thursday evenings. Based on the
number of players attending the training season, competition for places
on the team is very high.
The Senior team had it's first game of the year under new team manager
Johnny Duggan. Selectors, Jimmy Hughes & Brian Fox, Trainer Patsy
Durnin in the Senior League against Mullagh and won on a result of- Carnmore
2-8 Mullagh 1-8
The 1998 Championship draw has taken place & Carnmore find themselves in group B along with Portumna, Ballinderreen, Ardrahan & Abbey-Duniry. This is a very open and tough group but Carnmore will be challenging strongly in the quarter finals.
Juvenile Hurling
The U-14s have recommenced training under the tutelage of Tomas Grealish
on Sunday last with the co-operation of the Claregalway Juvenile Football
Club and a very useful & worthwhile Hurling / Football training session
took place. During this session the budding hurling / football stars of
tomorrow tried their skills at both codes. This proved a very worthwhile
exercise where many dual stars were unearthed. Pat Coleman from the Football
Club & Tomas Grealish, Manager of U-14 Hurling Team and all others
who attended were delighted with this event.
U-10 & U-12 will soon be commencing their training schedule
towards the end of the month. A training programme is presently being
planned to this end. As part of the under age training programme it is
hoped to arrange a number of weekends away, where the local team will
be given the chance to pit their skills against clubs from outside the
county. All players will be notified of developments in this regard in
the near future.
The Club
held it's Annual Social in the Oranmore Lodge on Staurdays 21th of February.
Special guests included Fr. Ian O' Neill & Micheal Ryan, Chairman
of the Hurling Board. Ronnie Walsh was presented with Hurler of the Year
and Tomas Grealish was presented with Clubperson of the Year. Micheal
Ryan presented medals for Senior City League Winners, Runners Up of Senior
Open Draw and Runners Up of the Junior City League. The Club would like
to thank all those who supported and attended the function and express's
its sincere graditude to all those who sponsored prizes for the night.
Sarsfields Hurling Club and Corofin Football Club are wished every success
on St. Patrick's Day in their bid to win the All Ireland Club Hurling
& Football Finals respectively.
Lotto
News
The lotto was held in Kynes Central Tavern on Sunday 1/3/98 with no outright
winner. There were 5 match 3's. The jackpot is now at £3700.00 and
will be held in Dunleavy's Bar on 8/3/98.
Congratulations to Sean Keenan (Gortatleva) and Stephen O'Riordan (Oranbeg, Oranmore) who won Formula 2 racing and were 15th overall in Galway Tarmac Rally. Well done lads!
Last October
saw the re-opening of the Claregalway Basketball Club, but this time it
had a few differences. This year, a new U-16 boys and girls team was added
to the club and with the new timber floor, the club was training on one
of the best hall surfaces in Galway. The club grew rapidly gaining new
members each week, and was supported by the Claregalway Community Centre
all through its development.
So far the club has had a successful run in challenge matches against
Maree/Oranmore in both age groups. The U-13 boys and the girls defeated
the Maree side playing exceptionally throughout the games. The U-16's
also played very well and the boys won their game while the girls unfortunatley
after a tough game failed to match the skill of the Maree team. The next
two games were for the U-13 teams. Another well played game unfortunately
saw the boys team lose to Beagh but the girls team after a superb performance
defeated the Beagh girls in a great game.
The success has come with the development of the club and we have recently
purchased a whole new kit for all the age groups. This kit was financed
by the following: - NZI Life, Pucan Bar, Claregalway Videa Club, Glynn's
Fruit and Veg., Dunleavey's Shop and Summerfield Service Station. We would
like to extend our thanks to all of the above sponsors.
Four teams have been entered for the Community games and all are training
very hard and we wish them all the best of luck.
P.R.O. E.H.
and K.M.
CLAREGALWAY
SKIN CARE AND AROMATHERAPY CLINIC, KINISKA
Self Tanners - the easy deceivers. These products used to come in
two types - orange and very orange and they used to have a very strong
pong. Now there has been a dramatic improvement to the colour and smell
although most still contain an active ingredient called dhydroxyacetone
(DHA - the smelly stuff). This is the substance which is absorbed by the
surface skin cells and turns brown in the presence of oxygen to create
the "tan". This process takes approximately 3 hours and the
effects last until the cells are naturally shed.
How to apply: - 1. Exfoliate first - to remove flaking skin that could
cause patchy results, use a body scrub or an exfoliating glove.
2. Apply body lotion to provide a smooth surface on which to apply the
colour. Be careful over dry areas such as the knees and ankles.
3. Smooth on the flake tan using your fingers. Apply a few thin layers
rather than plastering it on in one go.
N.B. Wash hands immediately afterwards.
For further
information please contact Evelyn Kitt, (091) 798485.
CUMANN PEIL BAILE CHLÁIR NA GAILLIMHE
Mionúir: Training started on Sunday March 1. A number of players are participating in both football and hurling trials for the county minor teams. As a result our First Round league match at home to Salthill on March 8 was postponed.
Fé-16: Training started on Sunday February 22 and continues on Sundays at 11 am. The County A league starts on Tuesday March 31 and games at home and away will be played on Tuesdays. We are grouped with Carraroe, Oranmore/Maree, St.Michaels, Salthill, Ml.Breathnach, Barna.
Fé 16 Inter-county Ted Webb Cup fixtures:
Friday July
3 Galway City v Clare (Home venue)
Friday July 10 Roscommon v Galway City (Away venue)
Friday July 17 Galway City v Mayo (Home venue)
Trials for the Galway City panel will commence shortly.
Fé 14: Training started on Sunday March 1. The County A league starts in mid April and games will be played on Friday evenings home and away. We are grouped with the city teams, details to be confirmed. This year there is a new county championship starting on June 12 when we play Caherlistrane in the Rirst Round at Claregalway.
Féile Peil na nÓg: 16 Clubs from throughout the county will play the Group games on Saturday May 2 and the Final is on Sunday May 3. The venues are not yet decided. rlistrane
Annual General Meetings were well attended
Claregalway
G.A.A Club held its AGM at the Club Centre on Friday, February 13. Chairman
P.J.McGovern welcomed the attendance and in his address reflected on a
very active year in terms of team participation in all the competitions,
fund raising and the completion of the club facilities. Team performances
were characterised by mixed fortunes, the highlights being the West Board
successes for our minors and U-21's, the latter going on to contest the
county final. At Junior level there are important aspects of turnout for
training, fitness and teamwork which need to be corrected in order to
make progress. Our aim must be to continue to progress and fulfil the
potential that is emerging. He thanked his fellow officers for all their
work, the sponsors for generous financial assistance, Dr.B.Day for his
highly valued service, the FAS team and Peter Greally for maintaining
the pitches. He said that the Club was greatly indebted to the Juvenile
Committee and their work as a platform for the future. He thanked the
Carnmore and Turloughmore hurling clubs for their assistance. Hon. Secretary
Fergus Madden presented a detailed report on club activities during the
year, the County Development draw, for which a total of 200 tickets were
sold, and the weekly Lotto with special thanks conveyed to Carnmore hurling
club, Chairman Johnny Duggan, Martina Casserly and all who helped with
this important funding to meet the club's financial commitments. Paul
Concannon reported on his development project. Team reports were presented
by Fergus Madden (Minor), P.J.McGovern (U-21), Gerry Starken (Junior A)
and P.J.O'Hagan (Junior 2). With the new facilities now in place, under-age
successes and in line with the local expectations
the committee's first task must be to achieve renewed commitment and team
performance for lifting us out of junior ranks.
Officers elected for 1998: President Tom Lenihan, Vice-Presidents Patsy O'Hagan, Mattie Boyle, Canon N. Mullins; Chairman Gerry Starken, Vice-Chairman Kevin McNamara, Hon.Secretary Gerry Higgins, Assistant Sec. Tom Flaherty, Hon.Treasurer Tom Newell, Assistant Treasurer John Murray, P.R.O. Sean Flanagan, Team Managers: Junior A Paul Concannon, Junior 2 to be confirmed, U-21 P.J.McGovern.
The Juvenile Football Committee held its AGM on Monday February 9th. The attendance was welcomed by Chairman Padraig O'Malley who thanked all his fellow officers, committee members and sponsors for their wonderful support during the year. He made special reference to the success of the ticket sales for the county development draw which provided a good source of funds for the Club. Hon. Secretary Tony Stephens reported on a busy year's activities and team managers Fergus Madden, Mick O'Connell, Sean Flanagan, Pat Coen, Gerry Starken, John Feeney and Gerry Moran presented reports on the Minor, U-17, U-16, U-15, U-14, U-13, U-12, U-10 panels respectively. Hon. Treasurer Pat Coen presented a comprehensive set of accounts, showing a healthy financial balance. Club Chairman P.J.McGovern paid special tributes to the work of the committee and he wished the committee every success in its endeavours. A number of speakers said that more parents should come out and see their boys playing for the club teams in the various county competitions.
Officers
elected for 1998: Chairman: Padraig O'Malley, Vice-Chairman: Mick
O'Connell, Hon-secretary: Adrian Moran, Hon.treasurer: Pat Coen; Delegates
to Coiste Peil na nÓg: Tony Clarke, Padraig O'Malley.
Team managers: Minors Mick O'Connell, Jarlath Brennan; U-16 Sean
Flanagan; U-14 Pat Coen; U-12 Gerry Starken; U-10's John Feeney.
Note:
Sunday May 24 Cluiche Sínsear Craobh Peile Chonnachta
Mayo v Galway at McHale Park, Castlebar
We intend to be there in numbers!
Sean Ó
Flannagáin
CLAREGALWAY
FESTIVAL OF DRAMA
Claregalway 17th Annual Festival of Drama continues until the 20th of
March. The highlight of the Festival for the young people of the Parish
will be the Puppet Show "The Emperor and the Nightingale" by
Hans Christian Andersen on the 13th. This will be performed by Galway
Puppet Co. Admission £2.00.
The plays for the remainder of the Festival are as follows:
Sat. 14th Doonbeg Drama Group (Confined) "The Gentle Island" (Brian Friel)
Sun. 15th The Corn Mill Theatre Co. (Open) "Belfry" (Billy Roache)
Mon. 16th
Ischaras Players (Open) "I do not like thee Dr. Fell" (Bernard
Farrell)
Tues. 17th
Glenamaddy Players (Confined) "The Power of Darkness" (John
McGahern)
Wed. 18th
Coolera Dramatic Society "The Steward of Christendom" (Sebastian
Barry)
Thurs. 19th
Nenagh Players (Confined) "Flight to Grosse Île (Jim Minogue)
Fri. 20th Boystown Players (Confined) "Sharon's Grave" (John B. Keane)
Admission:
£4.00. Doors open at 8.00 p.m. Curtain rises at 8.30 p.m. and 8.00
p.m. on Closing Night.
Claregalway Community Action Group
Galway County Council have recently been allocated £70,000 by the National Roads Authority for the completion of the Traffic calming measures in Claregalway.
The money will be used to complete the work started 2 years ago. The footpaths will be tarmacademed, additional surface water gullies have to be put in various parts of the village so that when the road is re-surfaced, we will no longer have a problem with surface water. The council are also installing a traffic island at the pedestrian lights. It is also planned to extend the continuous white line over the bridge.
The council have committed that they will not leave Claregalway until the work is finished. They have also asked that the people of Claregalway be patient while the work is going on, as it is difficult for them to work in the village with the high volume of traffic passing through the village.
We also succeeded in getting the street lighting extended as far as Dunleavey's. The N.R.A. have also allocated £350,000 this year for the N18 at Lydican/Kiltulla.
Vincent Lyons
(Secretary)
Designed
and Maintained by Niall Farrell
© Nuacht Chláir