Today, 2nd March 2023, is World Book Day and schools, libraries and bookshops across Ireland are hosting many exciting events and activities to celebrate reading.
In addition, every child in Ireland will be gifted a World Book Day Token through their school, which they can exchange for one of over ten free World Book Day Books by authors such as Joe Wicks, Lenny Henry, Peppa Goodhart and Nick Sharratt.
Alternatively, in many bookshops, boys and girls can use their World Book Day tokens to get €1.50 off a non-World Book Day title.
Thurles bookshops are participating so be sure to pick up your free gift / discount by March 26th when the offer ends.
For more information on World Book Day visit HERE.
Independent Clare TD Mr Michael McNamara has called for a new Veterinary School to be developed on a similar model to the School of Medicine at University of Limerick (UL), in order to address a growing shortage of vets, particularly in large animal practices within Munster; due to the current retiring of veterinary practitioners.
In October 2022, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) sought expressions of interest from higher education colleges about creating more spaces for veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing. University College Dublin (UCD), currently, is the only third level institute, on the island of Ireland, where students can study to become a veterinarian.
Deputy McNamara said the development of a second veterinary school in Ireland is critical, as there are currently more Irish veterinary students studying in Hungary (40) and Poland (70) than there are in Ireland.
“Some 581 students had veterinary medicine as their first choice, on their CAO form in 2022, but options for progressing to a veterinary school in Ireland are extremely limited with only 85 course places available at UCD each year,” he explained. “The proposed new school must, at its heart, be centred on delivering more graduates into large animal veterinary practices. It is important the HEA’s target of a new school being opened by September 2024 is met.” he concluded.
He continued, “Currently, students at UCD primarily receive their experience at the Veterinary Hospital in Belfield, which inevitably is attracting more students to pursue a career in similar institutes and in research after they have qualified. A new Veterinary School should instead help to steer students towards replacing the veterinary practitioners specialising in large animals, with an acute shortage arising in Munster in particular.”
Deputy McNamara, who will be raising the matter with the Minister For Agriculture, during Topical Issues in Dáil Éireann tonight, said, “The School of Medicine at UL was established in 2007, when Ireland was experiencing a chronic shortage of general practitioners. The model developed by the School whereby students primarily received experience in GP practices, meant that they were more openly disposed to pursuing a career as general GPs, which helped to maintain the overall number of GPs across the country.”
Dare any of you lovers out there, forget that St. Valentine’s Day, is on Tuesday next, February 14th.
Talking of people in recent history, who fell in love, let’s not forget the sadly unrequited* love story of that great Irish poet, Patrick Kavanagh (1904-1967), and Ms Hilda Moriarty in 1944.
* Unrequited love occurs when one person yearns for unconditional love, from another individual who doesn’t always feel the same way.
It was sometime in the Autumn of 1944, while living on Raglan Road, in Ballsbridge, Co. Dublin, that the poet Kavanagh spotted Ms Hilda Moriarty, herself a native of Co. Kerry, as she wended her way to attend Dublin City University, where she was studying to become a medical doctor.
Ms Moriarty was then 22yrs old, while Kavanagh was some 20 years her senior. For Kavanagh, it was love at first sight, and though she would regarded him as a close friend, her true feelings toward him were never of a romantic nature.
In 1947 Hilda would marry the handsome Mr Donogh O’Malley, a rugby union player, who later served as Parliamentary Secretary to the then Minister for Finance (1961 to 1965); Fianna Fáil Minister for Health (1965 to 1966), and Minister for Education (1966 to 1968). It was the same O’Malley who first announced the notion of free education for Irish students, on September 10th, 1966, unknown to his cabinet colleagues; thus updating Ireland’s antiquated educational system, same unchanged since Irish independence.
Sometime later, Kavanagh was inspired to write the poem, that we refer to, today, as, “On Raglan Road”, published in the Irish Press in 1946, under the title, “Dark Haired Miriam Ran Away”. Kavanagh’s poem was later set to the melody of an old Irish song called, “Fainne Gael an Lae”; (Irish loose translated, “The Dawning of the Day”).
ON
OnRaglan Road.
Lyrics: Irish Poet and Novelist, Patrick Kavanagh(1904-1967). Vocals: Singer, Folk Musician, Banjoist and Actor, the great Luke Kelly(1940 – 1984).
On ‘Raglan Road’ of an Autumn day, I saw her first and knew, That her dark hair would weave a snare, That I might one-day rue. I saw the danger and I passed, Along the enchanted way, And I said, “Let grief be a fallen leaf, At the dawning of the day.” On Grafton Street in November, We tripped lightly along the ledge, Of a deep ravine where can be seen, The worth of passion play. The Queen of Hearts still making tarts, And I not making hay. Oh, I loved too much and by such, by such, Is happiness thrown away. I gave her gifts of the mind, I gave her the secret sign, That’s known to the artists, who have known, The true gods of sound and stone. And word and tint, (I did not) without stint. (For) I gave her poems to say, With her own name there and her own dark hair, Like clouds over fields of May. On a quiet street, where old ghosts meet, I see her walking now, Away from me so hurriedly, My reason must allow, That I had loved, not as I should, A creature made of clay, When the angel woos the clay, he’d lose, His wings at the dawn of day.
Today, February 7th, 2023, is Safer Internet Day. School’s across Tipperary and Ireland will be marking the day with various activities.
The theme of this year’s EU-wide initiative is promoting respect and empathy online. 2023 marks the 20th year of Safer Internet Day and its goal to ensure that everyone experiences positive and safe learning, interaction and collaboration online.
For more information on Safer Internet Day and staying safe and respectful online, please visit: HERE — HERE — HERE and finally HERE.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today announced €10.7 million of research funding for 42 research projects addressing climate change and other emerging, complex environmental problems. This funding will contribute to the delivery of high-quality research, evidence-based policy development and further build Irish environmental research capacity. The funding is an important element of the EPA 2030 Research Strategy which delivers essential scientific support for environmental policy development, implementation and broader decision making across four thematic areas:-
Addressing climate change evidence needs,
Facilitating a green and circular economy,
Delivering a healthy environment,
Protecting and restoring our natural environment.
This funding will support more than 200 researchers across the higher education sector. University of Galway had the highest success rate and was awarded more than €2.3 million of funding for projects related to greenhouse gas emissions, ozone levels, radon, human bio-monitoring and earth observation. University College Dublin followed with €1.9 million of funding in the areas of Strategic Environmental Assessment, extreme climatic events, peatlands, DNA-based assessment, and soil quality.
Announcing the awards, Ms Laura Burke, EPA Director General said: “EPA-funded research delivers trusted scientific evidence to address key knowledge gaps and support environmental policy development and implementation. Environmental challenges such as climate change are complex and require an integrated, cross-sectoral approach and we are delighted to be working in partnership with a number of organisations, including the Geological Survey Ireland; the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Met Éireann, to co-fund environmental research.”
The EPA places a high priority on promoting the uptake of funded research to inform policy development and implementation and to maximise the impact of research and innovation. To this end, the EPA supports and fosters linkages between the public research system and policymakers to address key environmental challenges.
Professor Jim Livesey, Vice-President Research and Innovation at University of Galway, said: “This investment by the EPA is a testament to the success of research across higher education in Ireland. It is a huge bonus to see such a high level of achievement for our researchers in University of Galway, where we lead eight of the EPA-backed projects and partner on another four. The focus of this funding on environmental research further demonstrates the drive among our researchers to collaborate for the public good and the ambition to respond to the challenges facing humanity and society, now and in the years ahead.”
The EPA Research Programme is a Government of Ireland initiative funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. The EPA has been funding research in Ireland since 1994 and is currently funding more than 200 on-going research projects. EPA Research Calls are designed to support the development and implementation of environmental policies in Ireland. The EPA’s 2023 Research Call will open in April 2023. Details will be made available on the EPA website. Further information: Emily Williamson, EPA Media Relations Office Tel. No. 053-9170770(24 hours) or media@epa.ie
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