3rd May, 2001
Notice
Board
PROTECTING YOUR INCOME
By Joe Harris ALIA (Dip)
There is only two ways to make money. One is your ability to work
and the other is having money at work for you!
Should you lose the ability to work say through ill health, then
you need to have money at work for you. That can be in the form
of a lump sum payment or a regular weekly income.
There are a few questions you should ask yourself when analysing
your income protection requirements:
How would you be fixed financially today if you suffered a
serious illness yesterday and were unable to work for a number of
years?
What benefits could you expect from your employment and how long
would these benefits be payable?
If you are self-employed what insurance plans have you in place?
What benefits would you receive from social welfare?
The ideal situation is that your current income should be fully
replaced. There is not such thing as total security but it is
possible to cover the most obvious risks.
Statistics show that our chances of developing a serious illness
such as Heart Attack, Cancer or Stroke between the age of 30 - 60
is 5 times greater than our chances of dying.
We insure our car or house without thinking. For some reason the
person who pays for all this often has little or no protection.
We forget that our ability to generate money makes it possible to
fund all the other stuff in your life like mortgage, car,
education, holidays, food, clothing etc.
Unless you are lucky enough to be in a job that pays your full
wages indefinitely, then taking steps to protect your income in
the event of ill health makes a lot of sense.
I will be discussing the options available and the pros and cons
over the next few weeks.
Joe Harris is a member of the Insurance Institute of Ireland and
the Life Assurance Association of Ireland.
THE HISTORY OF DOUGLAS
Part 38 - The Big House
Crofton Croker describes Douglas as "a village midway
between Passage and Cork surrounded by many fine seats. These
houses are generally judiciously placed as to prospect, but
seldom possess much ground." Another writer on the same
subject describes Douglas as almost being strictly suburban
because it is so sumptuously connected with the outskirts of the
city by a chain of villas. Referring to the scarcity of ground
around these mansions, Mr. Townsend has this to say: "this
will not be considered extraordinary, when it is considered that
anything of good demesne land in this quarter brings from eight
to ten pounds an acre. A price so far exceeding the actual value
of farm land arises from the great demand for villas amongst the
opulent inhabitants of Cork."
RONAYNE'S COURT
On the road between Douglas and Passage stood the well known
'Ronayne's Court' which, until it was demolished in 1969, boasted
of being the oldest house in the environs of Cork City. It was
easily recognised by its lofty chimneys and numerous gable-ends.
A large stone chimney piece in one of the rooms bore this
inscription in Gothic letters: "Morris Ronayne and
Margaret Could builded this house in the years of Our Lord 1627
and in the third yeare of King Charles. M R Love Cod IHM M C and
neighbours. This fireplace is now to be seen in the foyer of
Blackrock Castle.
The Ronaynes were connected by marriage with another old Irish
Family - the Sarsfields of Doughcloyne, on the Togher side of the
city. During the Cromwellian Rebel lion, James Ronayne was
dispossessed of his property. On the accession of Charles II, the
Merry Monarch, to the throne of England in 166O, he successfully
petitioned the King for the return of his property. Thomas
Ronayne, the last male representative, died in 1798. The estate
descended to his sister, Mrs. Sarsfield. The Ro naynes who were
wealthy wine merchants, were well connected with the Court of
Spain. Because of this, it is said that a princess of the Royal
Spanish House paid a visit to Ronayne's Court. In the grounds of
Ronayne's Court grew a famous walnut tree, and it is suggested
that this was the origin of the nursery rhyme."I had a
little nut tree
“Nothing did it bear
But a silver nutmeg
And a golden pear.
The King of Spain's daughter
Came to visit me
And all for the sake of
My little nut tree."
Dominick Sarsfield marred in 1712, Miss Catherine Ronayne and had
issue, among others, Dominick the eldest - who died without issue
in 1769, and Thomas, a physician, who married Miss Mary Ronayne,
heiress of Doughcloyne, descended from Maurice Ronan. By this
marriage, the estates of the Ronaynes, came to this family. The
eldest son, Dominick Sarsfield, Esq. was father of the present
1864) Thomas Ronayne Esq. Of Doughcloyne. The Ronaynes of
Rochestown were also connected by marriage with two prominent
families in Douglas, the Conrons of Grange and the O'Donovan's of
Montpelier.
PROPOSED INCINERATOR AT RINGASKIDDY
Before Cork County Council can even consider this
an Environmental impact Study must be completed by law.
Among the key questions to be answered are:
(1) It has been stated in the Media that the site will take up to
80 trucks six days a week. This equals 998,410 tonnes of
hazardous and other waste per annum Is this figure accurate?
How much hazardous waste is produced in Ireland? Where is the
extra waste going to come from?
(2) European law does not yet require Ireland to build a
hazardous waste incinerator. Currently the waste is being
transferred to Birkenhead. Why do Indaver need to build a
hazardous waste incinerator in Ireland and specifically in Cork?
Where are the plants who generate the waste situated?
(3) The Cork area suffers from winter temperature inversions With
smog becoming trapped on the valley floors. Has this been
considered in relation to the emissions from the plant? Where
will emissions end up?
The Planning authorities must consider the impact of the European
Union Seveso II directive to see if it applies to this plant. In
other words if there is an accident at the plant, what are the
consequences for the Greater Cork area? This question must be
answered before planning is given.
I propose that the following policy be adopted by this meeting:
O The community affected should only deal with the relevant
authority (Cork County Council) in relation to this matter. Cork
County Council are the people who will have to make the planning
decision in the end.
O While the community may discuss matters with the company
applying for planning permission in terms of a resolution, this
has no relevance in relation to solving the problem. Indaver are
only the applicants.
O Court action should only be initiated when all other avenues
are exhausted due to cost
implications.
O The community’s Steering Committee should employ the
services of engineers, chemists, solicitors and public relations
officials to assist it. If these can be provided on a voluntary
basis by local residents so much the better.
CHRIST THE KING CHURCH
During 1926 a young Irish American architect Barry Bryne was
touring Europe studying church architecture. Around the same time
Bishop Coughlan was in America and was impressed by Barry Bryne's
work. They got together and Bryne was commissioned to design a
modern church for an enthusiastic young community celebrating a
century of Catholic Emancipation, planning for the Eucharistic
Congress to take place in a few years and motivated by the
relative economic boom of the time.
The world of architecture was turning faster in the New World
than in the Old and Bryne, a partner in the famous Frank Lloyd
Wright firm of Chicago was at the heart of innovative design. The
Church of Christ The King was his first innovative work in Europe
Built in 1931 Christ The King Church was and still is the most
revolutionary church building in Ireland. Located in the suburb
of Turner's Cross it is not only a focus for the community but
also a highly significant addition to the architecture of Cork.
Constructed in concrete with steel roof, of novel shape and
unusually generous amount of light it was completely modernist in
design, departing radically from the traditional form of a
Catholic place of worship.
More attention was paid to the functional aspects of the building
rather than the architectural but both blend to give a church of
major significance. Designed to accommodate 1400 people the
interior (150 feet long and 100 feet wide) conveys a great sense
of space and assembly with no pillars to obstruct the view of the
magnificent sanctuary.
The elongated statue of Christ with arms out stretched on the 100-foot
high entrance tower is also in new modern art form and in total
harmony with the interior. Specially designed by Chicago born
sculptor John Storrs to fit the space between the front doors it
was sculpted by local mart John MaGuire of Mulgrave Road from
plaster casts shipped to Cork.
The original structure of the building was to be of brick, with a
wooden ceiling costing £30,000. The Irish architect, Boyd
Barren, appointed to oversee the construction, suggested that a
concrete structure would be more modern and cost only £20,000.
The design of the church received a cool reception from
contemporary Church leaders and Irish architects were equally
cautious and even ambiguous. The Society of Stone cutters and
Marble Masons were appalled at the use of concrete in a building
dedicated to the worship of God and directed that the foundation
stone "...shall not be worked, as the building of the said
Church is detrimental to our trade" and consequently the
building does not have the traditional foundation stone. However
all this did not prevent the huge crowds from attending the
dedication of the Church on Sunday Oct. 25th 1931.
The building was completed as planned but cost soared back to £30.OOO.
Parishioner James O'Brien donated the field for the site, John
Buckley from Gratten Street was the Builder and a most generous
donation of £10,000 from the Estate of the Geary Family
Foundation helped defray the cost of construction.
ART EXHIBITION IN DOUGLAS VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTRE
Thursday 10 May - 7.00 pm
An Art Exhibition by the Adult Education Department
of Douglas Community School will be held at Douglas Village
Shopping Centre. As an accompaniment the Douglas School of Music
will perform from 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm.
WASTE NOT - WANT NOT!
Conserve Energy - It Saves Money and Saving Money
Helps us all....
Throughout Ireland literally millions of pounds could be saved
each year if we all took a few simple steps to conserve energy.
With the spotlight on "energy" it is time to take long
bard look at our own homes, as this is where energy awareness
must start - and we all need our play our part.
To bring it down to basics, conservative estimates reckon that -each
and every Irish household would save around £1000 per year we
took the necessary steps to do so. But just what can we all do?
Turn down the heat.
Winter might be over but the weather can still be very cold, but
by turning down our thermostats by just one degree we can reduce
the energy used in heating our homes by up to I0%. Remember the
old adage of putting your jumper on instead of turning up the
beat? - Well it was never more true than it is now. However,
especially when dealing with those most vulnerable i.e. the very
young and
old and the infirm. But don't compromise you can turn down your
hot water thermostat to 60 degrees and still maintain very
comfortable levels of heat, there is no need to turn it down any
lower.
Open Fires
An open fire may be a joy to behold but it is also one of the
most wasteful uses of our natural resources when used
inefficiently. Between 70 and 85% of all energy (heat) goes
straight up the chimney, in opposition to central beating systems
which lose only between 10 ad 30% of energy. Think about it, it
doesn't really make sense does it?
Use Your Curtains
Unless you are on active neighbour hood watch duty then close the
curtains as soon night falls, particularly if your windows are
not double-glazed. Make sure that your curtains are lined and
fully fitted to get the true benefit. A curtain across a front
door, particularly if it is glass, is another simple and cost
effective idea to conserve energy.
Bath or Shower?
The comfort factor of a bath may be tremendous
but shower will use 75% less energy than full bath.
Maintenance Basics
Maintenance such as repairing leaking tapes - or even turning
them off - can save more than enough money to make it worth your
while to attend to such things promptly. Of course, it nearly
goes without saying that you must insulate your hot water
cylinder with a lagging jacket. This is a very low cost measure
and you can expect to recoup your investment within two years, or
sooner.
Washing Machine
When using your washing machine do not set it for a hotter
temperature wash than you actually need, as again this is a
needless use of energy. Also wash a full load rather than washing
half loads as the energy used for a full or half load is much the
same.
For further information on energy saving initiatives you can
contact the energy saving office at 022 43610 and they will give
you further advice on making the most of your money and our
natural resources.
MOTORING MOMENTS
The Ford factory and Foundry at Cork was Fords first outside
America. It was built to supply all of England and Russia with a
production run of 20,000 tractors per year.
On 1st April 1923 the Irish Government put a tax of 22.75% on all
its products so the "Gem Of Irish Industry" was reduced
by its owners to an assembly plant for Ireland only. Thus the tax
was turned against the Irish people and the huge earnings of
foreign capital was stopped and Edward Grace was sent to England
to start Dagenham. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.
Dan Dempsey's 24 hour rescue & Recovery , Kinsale
086-8217777
CROSSHAVEN SENIOR CITIZENS
Summer holiday for one week to Westport on June 23rd. The cost is £298. Bus from Carrigaline, will be going to Achill Island, Connemara, Ballintober Abbey, Knock Shrine, Castlebar, Kylemore Abbey, the film location of "The Field", and Foxford Woollen Mills. There are still some vacant seats, if you are interested, please contact Anne at 021-4831883. The £298 is based on people sharing, anyone wanting a private room may have same at an extra cost.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
Question
I am a wheelchair user and I have an adapted car. I am also
receiving a Mobility Allowance of £45.60 per month. Is it true
that from 1st April I am no longer entitled to Mobility Allowance
because I also avail of the Disabled Drivers’ and Disabled
Passengers’ (Tax Concessions) Scheme?
Answer
No, you do not lose your Mobility Allowance even if you continue
to avail of the tax exemption/refund scheme.
The Disabled Drivers’ and Disabled Passengers’ (Tax
Concessions) Scheme allows qualifying persons to purchase a new
car every two years free of vehicle registration tax (VRT) and
VAT to a maximum of £7,500 if the qualifying person is the
driver, and £12,500 if he/she is the passenger. It also provides
for the refund of excise duty on up to 600 gallons of fuel a year
and exemption from annual road tax.
Mobility Allowance is a means tested payment and is paid monthly
by the health board. It provides financial support to people with
severe disabilities who are unable to walk or use public
transport and would benefit from a change in surroundings. The
maximum payment was £45.60. On the 1st April the payment was
increased to £90.
It was intended that from that date persons who avail of the tax
concessions scheme would no longer be able to receive Mobility
Allowance as well. It was subsequently decided to allow those who
are eligible to avail of both if they wish. However, they will
only be paid Mobility Allowance at the old rate. Therefore you
will continue to receive your monthly payment of £45.60.
Further information is available from Cobh Citizens Information
Centre, Tel. 4814422 or visit The Parish Centre, Roches Row, Cobh
