When we in the local fourth estate tend to talk about goats in Waterford, we’re generally referencing both the Bilberry and Passage East varieties but some four legged colleagues of theirs are making front page news in this week’s Dungarvan Observer…
And Christy Parker brings us the story on both pages one and five of this week’s Observer under the headline ‘GORSE GOATS ENJOY DINING WITH A VIEW IN ARDMORE’.
The arrival of eight goats on the cliff are part of a month-long pilot scheme in which the City & County Council is, as Christy puts it, returning “to the tried and tested and traditional in its efforts to eradicate the scourge of invasive gorse on the cliff top trail”.
And that’s not all – should the goats do what’s expected of them, it’s hoped that their intervention which reveal some of the stone signage which was put in place over 80 years ago to signify Irish neutrality during World War II and thus ward off the Luftwaffe – which of course didn’t always work as we know from the bombings of both Campile in County Wexford and Dublin’s North Strand in 1940 and 1941 respectively.
For the record, the eight goats, which are split 6:2 in favour of males are called Medusa, Spike, Nibbles, Hercules, Hydra, Chimera, Buzz and Soona and they represent a mix of Saanan, Toug Berg and British Alpine breeds. And as shepherd William Walsh points out, these goats are said to be browsing as opposed to grazing, eating downwards, destroying the plants’ photosynthesis and thus stifling re-growth.
Now anyone familiar with Ardmore will be familiar with the stunning cliff walk, where a gravelled pathway was laid four years ago and here’s a fact that I suspect will have surprised many Observer readers this week. Since the pathway was installed, the number of different species of wildflower along the cliff trail has risen from 125 to 172 – that’s about a 35 per cent increase.
As Ardmore Tidy Towns PRO Billy Harty told Christy: “Contrary to fears it would stifle seeds and reduce the number of plants, it actually increased them as more was exposed on the banks.” So this has been very much a case of: if you build it, they will grow!
Both The Munster Express and Waterford News & Star carry coverage this week of a new wing of De La Salle College which was officially opened on Friday last in honour of the late Brother Tim O’Shea…
Both myself and Adam Doheny – a De La Salle alumnus - along with photographers Joe Evans and Mick Wall were at De La Salle last Friday as the college paid a fitting tribute to Brother Tim, the Kerry native who gave almost 70 years of service to the school in a variety of roles – as Bursar, Maths Teacher, archivist, Tuck Shop operator, supervisor of the construction of the new school hall in 1978 and overseeing the conversion of the dormitories on the school’s top floors into classrooms after the college’s boarding of students drew to a close.
The new wing, which is home to Woodwork, Computer Science and Home Economics classroons was designed by CJ Falconer & Associates Architects, while Suirside Engineering carried out the construction project.
Saluting his late colleague, Brother Ben O’Hanlon referenced that the only space in the school dedicated in name to anyone other than Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle (1651-1719) was the wing now named in Brother Tim’s honour, whom he described as “a humble servant”.
“By his nature, Br Tim was kind and gentle while he naturally reached out to people young and old, he also valued and appreciated and hugely matured in his own life, through the love that others gave him…the person, for Tim, was paramount.”
While former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was among the guests in Br Tim’s office, Br Ben mentioned those who called in more frequently: some of the men who lived rough on the streets of this town, including ‘Tawdy’ Morrissey and Tawdy got the same if not better treatment than Bertie might have got. Brother Ben said the college was “honoured and delighted that such a good man will be remembered through the Brother Tim O’Shea Wing.”
Relatives of Brother Tim’s travelled to Waterford last Friday and his sisters-in-law Peggy and Rose O' Shea cut the ribbon to official open the building named in honour of Tim, who died on December 6th last year…
Meanwhile, the main story in this week’s Dungarvan Leader, written by Jo Bell, reports on a fantastic local fundraising effort…
The Phelan family, as reported on this week's front page, have raised a fantastic sum for Children’s Health Ireland Hospital in Crumlin – a fantastic total of €43,000 on the back of a six-day challenge which saw David Phelan and four of his brothers – Brian, Kevin, Brendan and Mikey – successfully cycle 720 kilometres from Malin Head in Donegal to Mizen Head in West Cork. David, his wife Kate and son Daithi travelled to Naas last weekend to present the cheque to Louisa Kennedy, CHI Crumlin’s Community Engagement Executive.
Daithi was diagnosed with a congenital heart condition, which led him to Crumlin for treatment and which in turn led to this cycling fundraiser. The monies raised will go towards equipment, research programmes, ward renovations and other in-hospital upgrades while a portion of the funds will go to the Children’s Heart Centre at Kate and David’s request.
And if you’d like to find out more about Children’s Health Ireland and maybe make a donation, then please visit www.childrenshealth.ie.
I review Waterford's local newspapers every Wednesday morning on WLRfm's 'Big Breakfast Blaa with Ollie & Dymphna: https://www.wlrfm.com/shows/the-big-breakfast-blaa
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