MAY 2001

EDITORIAL
Seeing as recycling is such a contentious issue all over the country at the moment, it is time for us all to do our part. Councillor Noel Grealish is spearheading recycling and for this I commend him. He is a strong believer in recycling and does not agree with incinceration. Why incinerate when we can recycle? The following article is very informative and should not be read/taken lightly. We are all part of the universe and each must play a part. I am a firm believer in recycling and cannot wait to dispose of my “wheelie bin”! Josette.

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DON'T "WASTE" ANOTHER PRECIOUS MINUTE!
On the 11th of April, 2001, a very successful meeting was held at the Carnmore Community Centre. The objective of the meeting was to notify The Claregalway Parish about the advertised Green Area Pilot Project.  People from the two main areas, Claregalway and Carnmore, were invited.  Rosaleen Fox chaired the meeting and Noel Grealish our local P.D. Councillor was in attendance outlining the requirements of the Green Area Pilot Project and how very important this project is for the future, not only in our Parish, but, for the future of Galway.  Landfill should be a thing of the past and incineration would be a disaster if it were to come to Galway.  If an incinerator was placed in Galway, it would have to service all of Connacht.  The incinerator would need to be fed 150,000 tons of waste a year just to keep the incinerator fed.  Is this what we want?  I don't think so.  The time to act is now.  People from both Carnmore and Claregalway were at the meeting and they were very enthusiastic about tackling the waste problem in the area.

Noel and Rosaleen invited Ollie Ryan of Ryan Recycling to the meeting.  Ollie had some of the colour coded recycling bags he uses (shown on the front page of this weeks Connacht Tribune) with him, and everyone at the end of the meeting eagerly purchased the recycling bags on their way home. 
We have appointed a committee in order to facilitate the Carnmore and Claregalway areas.  These areas combined would include well over 900 houses, and two highly populated schools. 

Since our meeting we have teamed up with Ollie Ryan of Ryan Recycling.  We are delighted to say our local shops have been very cooperative in selling the colour coded bags.(eg. CENTRA-Glynns-Carnmore, GLYNNS Garden, Fruit & Veg.-Lydican, HUGHES-Claregalway, DAY TODAY-Grealishs-Carnmore, & CENTRA-Rafterys-Claregalway, Dunleavys-Claregalway).  Now that the bags are on sale, a notice will be placed in every childs school bag both in Carnmore, and Claregalway, so that everyone is aware that this project is underway.  A special day has been selected so that when the bags are full, they will be picked up, from right outside each individual house, on the first Thursday of every month. 

We are also working on making bottle banks more readily available to the area in a suitable location.
The Parents Association of Claregalway will be organizing a visit to their school from Sinead Ni Mhainnin who is the Galway County Council Environmental Officer and she has been booked to visit The Carnmore National School, but, has unfortunately been delayed due to the foot and mouth crisis.  We feel very strongly that you may not be able to change some people, but, if you educate the youth of tomorrow, that you have tackled a major part of the problem.  If anyone has any questions about the above mentioned project, please feel free to ring either myself or Noel Grealish, our numbers are listed below.
Rosaleen Fox   091-794047  0876360153
Noel Grealish    091-794991  0872648607
Noel will be available, by appointment, on Wednesday evenings, in his home, between the hours of 7:00pm -9:00pm.
Thank you in advance for your help.

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Mortuary Update on Mortuary Chapel/Meeting Room/Car Parking Project

The amount contributed in the monthly envelopes during the month of April was £11,145 bringing the total amount contributed in the six months since fund raising began last November to £60,915.

The April total includes very generous unsolicited donations amounting to £1,090 from businesses and individuals within the parish and outside the parish.

The members of the fund raising committee are delighted with the fantastic level of support for the project and want to say a very sincere Thank You to all concerned.
The work continues to progress well ahead of schedule. We should be in a position to announce an opening date in our next monthly update on the first Sunday of June.

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GALWAY A.D.H.D. SUPPORT GROUP
Tel: (091)798266

I felt a cleaving in my mind,
As if my brain had split
I tried to match it—seam by seam
But could not make them fit

The thought behind I strove to join
Onto the thought before
But sequence revelled out of sound
Like balls—upon a floor
Emily Dickenson 1864

AIMS:
A.D.D./A.D.H.D. among the general public and provide support for sufferers and their families.

MEETINGS: Last Thursday of each month 8:30 p.m. GALWAY CITY PARTNERSHIP, TOWN PARK CENTRE, TUAM ROAD, GALWAY.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (A.D.H.D.) more commonly known as Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.) is a neurobiological condition estimated to affect between 3% and 5% of the population, the majority being male. One reason for the increased interest in A.D.H.D. is the realisation that if the condition goes undetected and untreated, children are at greater risk of school failure, substance abuse, and criminal behaviour. In children, the symptons include:

• Short attention span
• Impulsive behaviour
• Inability to concentrate
• Shifting from one uncompleted task to another
• Difficulty sitting still/taking turns in games
• Doing things that are dangerous without thinking about the consequences
• Learning difficulties
  
• High pain threshold
  
• Abnormal thirst

Sufferers rarely have all traits of the condition—and depending on personality, severity will display them differently. When undiagnosed and untreated, it can lead to major problems both at home and in school, with families and society suffering the consequences.

Adults with ADD display a different range of symptoms but would suffer depression and lack of self-esteem due to a lifetime of “getting it wrong”. When ADD is diagnosed early in a child’s life and treated appropriately, the outcome is very positive. In Ireland, many who suffer from ADD remain untreated.

Further information, contact Rose Kavanagh, “Iniscarraig”, Cloon, Claregalway.

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People living in England long ago called this month Thrimilce. This means “to milk three times.” At this time of year, there was much new grass. Cows had more to eat and gave more milk. So they could be milked three times a day, instead of twice.

In years gone by, there were many traditions relating to the month of May. In the Catholic Church, May is dedicated to The Virgin Mary. Most households marked this special month by setting up what was known as “The May Altar”, in honour of Mary. Vases of flowers would be arranged around the Statue of Mary, and usually a night light or candles would burn throughout the days of May. This Altar held a prominent position in the home , and classrooms in schools always set up altars in the same manner. The seasonal flowers were carried to school by the children, and I have a particular memory of masses of bluebells.

In Galway City and the outlying areas, people made visits to local grottos dedicated to Our Lady. Castlegar and Menlo were two places of great devotion, and many people walked or cycled to these grottos and said their prayers before going to work or school in the mornings.
It was a very common remark to hear that someone was “doing the Grotto”. I wonder are there many people still carrying out this tradition?

People also participated in processions in honour of Our Lady, these took place within the Church or within the Church grounds. Every Sunday in May, in the Augustinian Church in Middle Street, the Statue of Our Lady was carried in procession, followed by the local children dressed in their First Holy Communion clothes. The service consisted of Rosary and Benediction, followed by the procession during which hymns in honour of our Lady were sung by the congregation. It was a lovely tradition and such a pity to see all of this dying out.

Perhaps the above will stir up some memories among the older people of the Parish and it may be of interest to some of the younger generation.

IMPORTANT BIRTHDAYS IN MAY
Is your birthday in May? If so, perhaps you share your birthday with someone important.

2nd May Catherine the Great (1729)
German princess who became empress of Russia
Bing Crosby (1904)
American Singer

5th May Karl Marx (1818)
German philosopher, revolutionary and writer

8th May Harry S. Truman (1884)
23rd President of the United States

10th May Fred Astaire (1899)
American entertainer

12th May Florence Nightingale (1820)
English nurse, founded modern professional nursing

22nd May Richard Wagner (1813)
German musical composer

24th May Victoria (1819)
British queen who ruled for 63 years

26th May John Wayne (1907)
American movie actor

29th May John F. Kennedy (1917)
35th President of the United States.

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Congratulations also to Marie Lohan, Cregboy who wed John Garry on the 21st April.

Congratulations to Richard Donovan, Cahergowan, who wed Paula Butler, The Neale, Co. Mayo on the 4th May. Welcome also to your new home in Lydican Wood—make sure he carries you over the threshold Paula!!

Best wishes and congratulations to Assumpta Duggan, Montiagh who wed Padraig Walsh, Castlebar on the 5th May.
We wish all you newly weds health and happiness.

Belated 21st birthday wishes to Annette Noone, Cahergowan on the 27th April. Hope you had a great time Annette.

Birthday wishes to Chloe Davin, Cregboy, who will be 2 years on the 8th May.

NEW ARRIVALS SINCE JANUARY 2001............
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW ARRIVALS!!!
IT'S THREE BOYS AND THREE GIRLS.
Ann & Martin Feeney; Gerard, Adrian, and Henry, welcome their new baby brother, David, born on the 22nd of January, 2001.

Bernie & Kevin Grealish; Ciaran, and Karan, welcome their new baby sister, Caoimhe, born on the 17th of February, 2001.

Sheila & Michael Fox; Aaron and Keegan, welcome their new baby sister, Aoibhinn, born on the 20th of February, 2001.

Audrey & David Conneely; Ciara and Laura, welcome their new baby brother, Joshua, born on the 9th of March, 2001.

Siobhan & Noel Greaney; Cian welcomes his new little sister, Leah, born on the 2nd of April, 2001.

Ann & Sean Grealish; Gary, Eoin, and Aaron, welcome their new baby brother, Ronan, born on the 23rd of April, 2001.

CONGRATULATIONS, GOD BLESS AND MAY THEY SLEEP AT NIGHT!

Best wishes to all those making their Confirmation the 12th May and also to those who are making their First Holy Communion on the 26th of May.

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Choosing a Career - Nursing
The Work of a Nurse
There is a great variety of work in the field of nursing and interested persons have a wide choice. The Nurse's primary function is the care of the sick, the aged and the infirm, either in general or specialised hospitals, or in their homes under the Public Health Service, bringing them the comforts they need and helping them to recover to good health. Nurses in the Public Health Service are also concerned with the prevention of illness and the maintenance of good health standards.
General hospital nursing is mainly concerned with surgical and medical cases while the specialised hospitals cover orthopaedics, psychiatry, midwifery, mental handicap, children's and other particular illnesses. Irish nursing qualifications are in great demand throughout Europe.

There are three basic types of nursing, each leading to a registered qualification they are as follows:
General Nursing course leading to the qualification Registered General Nurse (RGN)
Psychiatric nursing course leading to the qualification Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN)
Mental handicap nursing course leading to the qualification Registered Mentally Handicapped Nurse (RMHN)

Age Requirements
Applicants must not be less than 17 years of age on the 1st of June in the year of application. Applicants, aged 24 years or over on the 15th October in the year of application, who do not possess the educational requirements specified above will also be eligible for consideration. How to become a Nurse
Since the formation of the Nursing applications Centre an advertisement is placed once a year in the National newspapers, inviting applications for Registration for the three programmes.

This advertisement is placed around April/May each year, however these arrangements are currently being reviewed and details of any changes will be available later this year. Interested applicants should then forward a completed application form to the Nursing Applications Centre, all applicants who meet the age and educational requirements will be invited to undergo a written assessment exercise of 2-3 hours duration. The assessment will be held at a number of venues throughout the country, usually around the end of June. The assessment will require no special preparation; there is no syllabus and past papers are not available. Interviews are held in late July/early August. The number called for interview will be determined having regard to the number of training places available. Those placed highest, based on the results of the assessment, will be called for an interview. Applicants who fail to obtain the required Leaving Certificate will be eliminated from the competition.

Successful, qualified applicants will be offered a place in their school of highest preference, depending on place availability and their ranking after the completion of the interview process.

Applicants must opt to:
accept the offer;
accept the offer but ask to be considered for a higher preference should one become available;
reject the offer outright;
reject the offer but ask to be considered for a higher preference should one become available.Prompt reply to the offer is essential and failure to reply within a specified time limit is regarded as an outright rejection. Acceptances must be accompanied by a booking deposit of IR £50 which is refunded three weeks after the applicant commences the course. Offers are subject to the applicant passing a medical examination.
An annual non-means-tested maintenance grant of IR £2,500 will be paid by the health board/hospital to students on the Programme. This will be paid monthly in advance with the exception of the first payment which will be made at the end of the first month.

Where to go for Further Information
An Bord Altranais (Nursing Board)
31/32 Fitzwilliam Square
Dublin 2
Tel: 01 - 6760226
Fax: 01 - 6763348

Note: the address of the Nursing Applications Centre may
change, details will be published in the National newspapers.
or
Your local FÁS Employment Services Office

Information supplied by FÁS.

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Decorating Small Places
With the price of property increasing each day and accommodation becoming scarcer, people have to adjust to living in small spaces. With a little imagination and careful planning there is no reason why a small room or house cannot be made attractive and comfortable to live in as a large one.
Before you make any great changes, access your needs and re-examine your present arrangements. Look at what activities are carried on in a room e.g. is there a hobby, which needs its own space, so that equipment doesn’t need to be cleared away on an on-going basis etc. Be prepared to get rid of items you don’t need, they only take up precious space.

When you know your needs and what you’ve got, you can take some action. There are three main things you could do. Your could organise the existing space and make better use of it, use decorating techniques e.g. colour, pattern, lighting etc. to give the impression of space or you could go further and alter the structure of the house e.g. removing an internal wall.

Reorganising the existing rooms:
Reorganising the existing rooms in your home could use under-used space or let you combine different functions in the same room. For example if the biggest and brightest room in the house is an upstairs bedroom, turn this into your living room and the smaller down-stairs room into a bedroom. With this arrangement you also get a great view if you are lucky enough to live in a scenic area. Or just swap bedrooms, let the children have the big one with the result they also have a play area in the room and also freeing some space in the living room.

Decorating Technique:
One way to create a feeling of space and harmony is to cover all the floor with the same material or the same colour. For example the same carpets in the living room, bedroom and hall with vinyl or quarry tiles of a matching tone in the kitchen and bathroom. Carpet can look ugly when two different designs are joined at each threshold. Heavy patterned one will close the space. Choose simple pieces of furniture rather than those with fussy details and a lot of texture. Furniture that is on legs rather than on a solid base looks better in a small space, because the eye can follow the line of the floor. Avoid large pieces of furniture that can make the space camped and congested. For example if you have a large piece of furniture such as a bookcase, tone it in with the wall colour rather than contrast with it. That way it will be less dominant and more part of the room. If you need shelves, fit them floor-to-ceiling rather than in twos and threes in the middle of the wall. For storing modern items such as CDs and magazines etc. look for neat storage items that are now available.

You can use colour to alter the perceived size and brightness of a room; it will also effect the way you feel in it. Light colours make spaces look larger, while darker ones have the opposite effect. Using light colours on walls and even on floors will help light reflect around a room. You can use strong colours if they have a lot of white in them. You could use a strong or bright colour on one wall to add interest. Dark colours in recesses, such as either side of a fireplace, give a greater sense of depth. If you use a neutral, all-over background, you can have different coloured accessories and you can change accent colours for a fresh look.

Pattern and texture can be used to add excitement to a small room. Although rooms look bigger decorated in plain colours, patterns and prints can also contribute. They can be used in two ways - as the main decorative feature or add colour and accent to a simple scheme. Use a small-scale pattern rather than a large one. A striped wall covering hung horizontally or vertically will emphasise the width or height of a room. The same design used for curtain fabric can make a window look higher or wider. You can reduce he size of a large sofa by placing it in front of a window and covering it in the same print as the curtains.

If you are using a one-colour scheme to create a sense of light and space and you don’t want it to end up flat and boring, introduce a mixture of textures into the scheme e.g. crispy lace, linen, course tweed, glossy plastic etc. Smooth light reflecting paint will exaggerate the sense of space. Have contrast in texture e.g. crocheted cushion on a polished wooden seat.

The window treatment you use in a small room is very important. As well as effecting the apparent size of the room, it will also effect the amount of light that it will get. Try to avoid fussy treatment that involves swags and tails, bows, heavy curtains, frilly blinds etc. If you must have swagged curtains, choose a plain fabric that neutralised any fussy effect. Go for unadorned curtains, blinds or shutters in a colour or pattern that doesn’t contrast too much with the walls. If a wall has two separate windows, particularly if different sizes, it may be better to treat as one i.e. a single pair of curtains. To get the maximum light from the window, extend the rail or track on each side of the frame, so they clear the glass completely when they are not in use.

Mirrors are great decorating tools for those decorating small rooms. They extend space and reflect light. Mirrors come in sheets, tiles and in frames of varying sizes, so they can be used in all sorts of situations. Used on a centre wall, it will seem to double the room it reflects. At the end of a hall or passage it makes the space appear endless. Also can be used in alcoves and behind shelves. Mirrors are particularly effective positioned near or around a window. In a small room with only a single window, hang a mirror next to it, of the same size and with a similar frame, so they look like a pair.

Lighting (See December ’00 issue) is another great friend when one is trying to create a sense of space in a small room. As well as illuminating areas of activity and traffic paths, it will also create mood; define space and highlight or disguise features in a room. Try to avoid a single pendant in the middle of the ceiling, instead go for a combination of wall, table and free standing lights.

Structural Change:
If reorganising the existing rooms or decorating will not meet your space requirement, maybe some structural change would. Before undertaking any such work, get some advice. Make sure any changes you make, such as reducing the number of bedrooms by knocking the two together, will not limit flexibility and appearance of the house; maybe making it difficult to sell or change the character of the house. Removing an internal wall will give a feeling of light and space and make a home feel less cramped and poky. You may want to combine the living and dining rooms or if the dining room is attached to a tiny kitchen, you could make the two rooms into a single, larger one instead. You could get rid of a long, narrow (and often wasted) entrance hall by taking down the wall or part of it to integrate the hall with e.g. living room. A house can be opened up vertically as well as horizontally by e.g. knocking out part of the attic floor in a bungalow or section of the upper floor in other type houses. It could give you a cathedral-like ceiling in the living room.

Also look at smaller structural changes such as switching the position of door and windows e.g. open up a window to make a new back or side door. Or removing an internal door e.g. between a kitchen and living room that is continually open. Simply enlarging a small window could make an enormous improvement.

Remember you don’t have to live in a castle to have a beautiful home, it is what you do with what you have that’s important. Being small has its advantages – less heating bills and time spent cleaning and will also cost less to decorate. Remember “small is beautiful”.

Mary D. Kelly
Decorating Options
(091) 798224.

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GARDENING WITH BOSCO

May is a month where temperatures rises and day length moves towards maximum, with this comes a great burst
of growth which is relatively late this year. A word of warning for this month on two fronts—one is to be wary of late frosts, so cover or bring in all the annuals/summer bedding that have been planted. Secondly, it can also be a very dry month, so don’t let plants or pot dry out, in particular newly planted goods. Finally, with the great burst of growth comes our foes in garden weeds and pests so keep your eye on them and keep them in check.

Lawns can be laid now, so prepare the ground seed with a No. 2 lawn seed mix at rate of 1½ Oz to the square yard or 35 gms per M2. Rake in the seed lightly and if the soil is dry lightly roll it, if not, roll when it is up in a couple of weeks.

It is important to mow your established lawn on a regular basis. To have a good lawn, always collect your grass clippings, never cut too low (1 inch) and feed it at least once a year. Feeding with a 3:1 lawn, weed and feed is preferable. This has all the general fertilisers to feed the lawn, two weedkillers to kill any weeds in the lawn and sulphate of iron that has a dual function of being a moss killer and giving the lawn an emerald green colour. Golden Vale 3:1 or Gouldings 3:1 are two good brands.

The greenhouse should be emptied of all old plants and leaf debis. Bedding plants seed could be started in the greenhouse now. As space becomes available plant greenhouse crops such as peppers, parsley, lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs such as basil and dill and grape vines. Spray country grape vines against mildew. You can also use a smoke bomb to clear green houses of overwintering pests. Furnite is a good brand for this.

The vegetable garden comes into its own now at this time of year. May is a good time to sow seeds of most herbs including parsley which requires high soil temperatures to germinate. Young herb plants are available now and will establish very quickly. Apple trees will need spraying for apple scab disease if they are not resistant varieties. Plant strawberry runners now in pots or in the ground. The rapid growth at this time of year brings lots of weed growth which germinate along with the seedlings, so get out with the hoe and keep control of them. Pruning of plums and cherries usually done in this month. It is pruned now as the sap is rising and cuts heal quickly so as to reduce the chance of infection setting in. As soon as a new shoot has made six leaves in the spring pinch out the tip. Then after you have picked the fruit take out any dead or overcrowded shoots and shorten by half any of those you pinched back earlier. That’s all that’s to it. You can plant out maincrop potatoes now, varieties such as records, Kerr pinks, roosters and Golden wonders. Mould up early varieties with soil to protect the tubers from frost. Plants available for planting out now in boxes are brocolli, cauliflower, cabbage such as greyhound, duncan and stonehead, lettuce (iceberg, butterhead and lollo rosso), onions, sweet corn, courgettes, leeks, celery, etc. I am glad to say that there has been a big uptake on these and more people are planting small vegetable gardens at home. Seeds of parsnips, carrotts, swedes, can be sown out now. There are two new varieties of carrot seed available now for those of you who suffer from carrot fly—they have good disease resistance, carrot parano and flyaway. Another unusual variety is ’pamex’ a small globe shaped carrot. Lastly, in the vegetable garden is a tip, an organic tip I gave a few years ago. It regards chimney soot which contains nitrogen, sulphur and other minerals. Both nitrogen and sulphur are used in the production of green growth. Traditionally soot was applied to the ground to be used for onions. It can be applied by spreading over the surface or digging it in. Onions benefit from nitrogen and sulphur directly but also from increased soil temperatures. Being black in colour soot radiates back the sunshine that falls on the soil surface which raises the temperature and this aids the onions development. It can be used on all vegetables, particularly leafy vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce and spinach. Another organic tip is to use ashes from the fire to prevent slugs as they don’t like trailing over it, scatter it on the soil surface.

On the decorative side of the garden watch the roses for greenfly and blackspot and spray accordingly. Now is a good time for planting all trees and shrubs so get cracking. Feeding of all trees and shrubs can still be done so feed with any brand of tree and shrub fertiliser or with 7:6:17 at a rate of 1 fistful to the soil around the base of each plant. The organically minded of you can use fish, blood and bone (in a box) or chicken manure, pellets, both very effective. You can feed plants later on in conjunction with watering with any liquid feed.

Bedding plants can be planted out now but be wary of frosts, so harden them off to the weather and protect them from frost. Below is a guide for planting a hanging basket step by step -
Line the basket with moss or basket liner. Place a circle of plastic polythene (bin bag) in the bottom of the lined basket to help retain moisture.
Fill with compost to the top of the moss. Insert the first layer of plants, firming them in. You can add osmocote (a slow release fertiliser) and swellgel (water retaining crystals –prevents drying out) to the compost if you wish. Use shamrock potting compost.
Make a small hole in the moss and gently guide the roots of the plants through from outside the basket. Remove a little of the rootball if too large to get through the wire mesh. Ideal for this is trailing lobelia.
Insert the next layer of plants with upright plants from the centre out to the trailing plants on the outside, alternating the colours and positioning them to achieve maximum coverage of the basket. Water the basket thoroughly after and don’t let it dry out during the summer.

The following are a selection of plants suitable for baskets—bidens, geraniums (trailing and upright), trailing lobelia, fushias (bush and trailing), nemesia, diascna, petunias, surfina petunias (trailing), pansy, helichrysum, etc.

That’s it for now, happy gardening.
Bosco McDermott Jnr., Glynns Garden Centre, Lydican. Tel: 091-799135

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Indian Head Massage
Indian Head Massage is a safe, simple and highly beneficial therapy. This therapy has been popular in India for over a thousand years. They believe that massaging their heads with natural oils kept their hair healthy and delayed the stage of greying. The technique includes massage of the scalp, face, neck and shoulders.

During an Indian Head Massage the tension is gently, yet firmly and rhythmically massaged until the tension begins to float away. It encourages the muscle covering the scalp to relax, therefore increasing blood flow, thus supplying nutrients to the scalp. Indian Head Massage is very good for migraine sufferers and it reduces puffiness around the eyes.

For further information contact: Evelyn Kitt (091) 798485 or (087) 6783733

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Junior Badminton

Our Community games team is through to the Connacht Finals on July 21st to be held in Roscommon.
The Team members are:

Congratulations to our 8 club members who completed first level coaching course on Sunday 29th April. Hope everyone enjoyed the day and good luck to all in your future coaching.

Thank you to all the members of the club who gave time to fundraising in Supervalu packing groceries recently.

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Claregalway Leisure Centre

The Centre has been in constant use during the indoor season, now drawing to a close. Activities sited in the Centre include basketball and badminton, both underage and adult. It is widely used for indoor soccer. It is also the location for the highly successful Annual Claregalway Drama Festival, which unfortunately had to be cancelled this year, due to the foot and mouth crisis. It has played host to several feises and local events, such as the show staged by the speech and drama classes. It is also available for use by the local national school during school hours. All in all, it is a vital part of our growing and dynamic community, and Claregalway would not be the same without it.

It is run and maintained by a committee, currently consisting of twelve members. This committee hope to refurbish the toilet and shower area in the coming year. Two fundraising events have been held recently—a table quiz in Terry Brennan’s Central Tavern in Loughgeorge on the 5th April and a grocery bagging fundraiser in Supervalu in the Eyre Square Shopping Centre, over the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of April. Thanks to Supervalu for letting the Centre avail of this opportunity, and to all who helped organise and run it. A special thanks to those youngsters who gave up their time to bag groceries. There is still a long way to go to fund the necessary refurbishment. There will be other fundraisers in the coming months. The support of all the community is vital if the Centre is to continue to thrive. If you feel you can help in any way, or that you have something to contribute, please contact any member of the committee.

Committee members: Carol Steven (Chairperson), Siobhán Lynskey (Secretary), Ita O’Reilly (Treasurer), Patricia Carton, Tony Clarke, Hugh Farrell, Mary Forde, Maura Harte, Margaret Kearney, Ger Mooney, Hubert Newell, Mary Reidy.

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