14th October, 1999
The Noticeboard

GARDENING: SHRUB PROPAGATION

The best time to take hardwood cuttings is in autumn and winter and take them from the past seasons growth. Rooting is most successful with cuttings taken in early autumn after leaf fall when the soil is still warm.
The time for semi-ripe (or semi-hardwood) is just as the this season’s shoots start to harden at the base at the base. Test shoots by bending them - if they spring back rather than break they are ready. Take semi-ripe cuttings from deciduous shrubs between mid-June and August, and from evergreens in September and October.
For softwood cuttings wait until May or June and take them from young shoots before they become woody. Keep them moist and warm. These cuttings work best for easy-to-root plants such as fuchsias, hebes and potentillas.
Size Matters; most gardening books recommend that shrub cuttings should be 5 to 12cm long. However recent research has found that, for some shrubs, longer cuttings (30cm and more) taken in autumn rooted more easily. Why not take a gamble and experiment with a few different sized October cuttings. Whatever size cuttings you take, remove the lower leaves to reduce water loss and remove the tips (growing tips) to prevent leggy bare plants.

CORK FARM CENTRE

Mr. Michael Cahill, Chairman of the Southern Health Board, recently announced the £3,650,000 purchase of the Cork Farm Centre by the SHB. Up until now the Farm Centre has been leased by the SHB and used as it’s headquarters. The annual rent of £300,000 will now be used to pay the mortgage. According to Mr. Cahill this represents a good commercial deal for the taxpayer, and no doubt it is. But shouldn’t the headquarters of the Southern Health Board be called something other than the Cork Farm Centre? Or is somebody trying to tell us something?

SCA by GER FITZGIBBON

Inspired by Sheridan’s School of Scandal, Sca is an acerbic, sophisticated but very witty comment on modem day Cork society in which the private lives of Cork’s upwardly mobile and wannabes are minutely traced and observed by both characters and audience.
This production draws from a large portion of Ramparts membership, 16 people in cast, all on stage together in parts of this production. A host of new performers and of course some of the old reliables for example Mr. Finbarr Hurley who writes a lot of material for the Christmas Panto and who also plays the definitive dame. David Peare is another long-standing member of the group who has recently turned professional but is donating his time to this production for love of his alma mater.

Director Cal Duggan
Producer Orla Hurley
Design David brown (Asst. Dir. Ballykissangel)
Tickets £6/£4(conc)
Box Office 021-904275

Granary Theatre 12th - 16th October @ 8pm

TABLE QUIZ @ NEMO

Soroptimist International will be holding a quiz night in Nemo Rangers Club on Thursday, 21st October, 1999 at 8 p.m. Teams of four: £12.
Please support this worthy fund raising event. All are welcome and there are some great prizes.

SENIOR CITIZENS HELP-LINE

Due to be launched nationwide at the end of the month, this 7 day service is all about older people helping older people. Already eleven members of the Ballincollig Senior Citizens Club have been presented with certificates for completing a twelve week programme with the Health Promotion Department of the Southern Health Board. This is a great opportunity for any of our local Senior Citizens who would like to be involved. So if you have the stamina and enthusiasm for a bit of good humoured participation, why not ring (021) 923733 for further information.

ORTHODONTIC WAITING LIST

Local T.D. Deirde Clune has called on the Minister of Health to do something about the 8,079 children awaiting Orthodontic treatment by the Southern Health Board. This begs the question about the priorities of the Celtic Tiger. A building without good infrastructure will collapse during crisis. In 1847 wealthy landlords exported farm produce while a million people starved to death. They had their priorities wrong in those days too. Perhaps helpless children don’t count, or maybe Deputy Clune has got it wrong.

DUNDANION CASTLE by Micheal Lenihan

Most castle names are derived from Irish origin, ie. Dun meaning fort. Dundanion castle or Dun Daingean meaning strong fortress. Dundanion castle is situated in the grounds of Dundanion house in Blackrock. The Castle was built by the Galwey family in the 16th century and was then known as Galwey’s Castle. It is clearly shown on the Pacata Hibernia map circa 1600. During this period it was becoming commonplace for the rich merchants i.e, the Skiddys, Meades and Terrys to move outside the City. The Galweys were a very influential family in Cork during the 15th and 16th centuries. The Galwey family have the distinction of being Mayors of Cork eighteen times in the 15th century, eight times in the 16th century and three times in the 17th century.
The family held extensive property in Kinsale, Limerick and Waterford as well as in Cork, but Dundanion was to be their stronghold. A rent roll circa 1563, a manuscript measuring 6’ 6” long by 4” wide was needed to list their extensive holdings. It is believed that John More Galwey may have been the last member of that family to reside in the Castle. ln 1603 he was involved in the famous incident which gave Cork it’s name the Rebel City, when the citizens refused to proclaim James I as successor to Queen Elizabeth. Some of the Galwey family were supporters of Jamesland had their estates confiscated and sold for their disloyalty. In 1698 a certificate signed by several prominent Protestants in the City commended John Galwey for his kindness and services in protecting them. Dundanion was then purchased by Patrick and William Roche who mortgaged it to David Nagle, a Catholic Lawyer, Fit that time Catholics were not allowed to hold land over a certain value. Thus with the aid of sympathetic Protestant friends this problem was overcome. H case was brought against him by George Foott in 1729, but fortunately, he triumphed and held onto his land. Nano Nagle was his niece and his wealth helped her in establishing Catholic schools within the City. Many famous names are associated with Dundanion. It is believed that William Penn the Quaker and founder of the state of Pennsylvania sailed from Dundanion to America in 1682. At that time the tide flowed beneath the Castle. It is also said that Sir Walter Raleigh stayed there for a short time while his vessel lay in the River Lee between Dundanion and Tivoli from which he sailed on his last unfortunate expedition to the West Indies on the 2nd of August 1617. This may have been the occasion when Raleigh planted the Cedars at Tivoli, mentioned by the Rev Gibson in his History of Cork, printed 1861. In 1914 it was owned by Mrs. McNamara when it was then stated to have happily escaped complete destruction by “ignorant or mischievously disposed people.”
Unfortunately today very few people know of its existence and it should be cherished as a beautiful Cork castle with a unique and charming history.

DEFEAT SMOKING

Because I’ve had a number of people ask me to write some more on the subject of enjoyment or luxury of smoking or indeed lack of it; I’ll expaund still further. To recap; our friend is out on a beautiful summers day. It’s a clear blue sky, the bluest sky that he has ever seen. The air is filled with the perfume of sweet smelling flowers. He can hear the waves gently lapping against the sandy beach. There’s a gentle breeze in the air, that’s cooling him and he’s so calm and so relaxed. All his cares all his worries have disappeared. He thinks by having a cigarette that he will enhance the moment still further. Then he reaches for his cigarettes and goes into a panic because he thinks he has left them at home. When he finds his cigarettes and lights up he goes through all the reasons why he shouldn’t smoke. He thinks of all the terrible things that cigarettes are doing to him. He knows that cigarettes arc not a luxury nor does he enjoy them and he wishes he could give them up. The cigarette is actually spoiling his enjoyment of this precious moment in time. The non-smoker would have simply enjoyed this beautiful moment. Smokers come up with all different reasons in order to persuade themselves that they should stay smoking. I call this “SMOKER’S EXCUSITIS.” Look, if we truly believed that smoking was a luxury and that we enjoy them, then surely as we all want what’s best for our children and that would include the best luxuries that life will afford them, then by the same logic we would encourage our children to smoke. We would even look forward to the day with hope and optimism as to when little tiger and little princess will grow up get jobs. The best of jobs nice homes and above all with the help of God and all the angles and saints in heaven they will reach that ever elusive higher plateau and get to smoke sixty or better again seventy per day. Smoking must be the only luxury that we all don’t want for our children. In fact the very thought of our children smoking would send shivers down the spines of smokers and non-smokers alike. Anyone who still harbours doubts about what I am saying then I would suggest that you light up and ask yourself where is the luxury? Where is the enjoyment? If you are a non-smoker and you doubt what I say then I suggest that you borrow a cigarette and you ask yourself the same question. DEFEAT SMOKING NOW!