Gardaí in Galway have advised householders, farmers, contractors and businesses to put extra security measures in place to protect their fuel tanks as oil prices continue to soar this week.
Over the past week, two thefts of home-heating oil from tanks in the Moycullen area were reported to Gardaí – with fuel to a total value of over €1,000 stolen.
Locations such as schools which are closed at weekends are also ‘hot targets’ for the oil thieves – some of them using trailers with small tankers on board.
With the price of 500 litres home-heating oil reaching up to €930 in Galway on Wednesday of this week, Gardai have warned that such a hike in the value of fuel will encourage thieves to target household tanks. Just six weeks ago, a similar amount of oil would have cost €460.
Many oil suppliers have also put a 300-litre limit on deliveries of kerosene.
Galway Crime Prevention Officer, Sergeant Michael Walsh, told the Connacht Tribune that whenever any product significantly increased in value, it would always be a target for thieves.
He recommended that where possible, householders, farmers, school managers, contractors and business should consider the erection of a solid fence around their fuel supply tanks.
“At the end of the day a secure fence around the oil tank is the best protection. This can be a palisade fence, a block wall or a fuel tank cage – as long as it’s solid and difficult to breach, it will deter most thieves,” said Michael Walsh.
This is a shortened preview version of this article. For more on this story, see this week’s Connacht Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.
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Hard work and home-produced food are the secrets to Winifred McDonough’s hale and hearty health on her centenary.
The native of Swinford, Co Mayo ‘emigrated’ to Galway when she was just 17 to work but she has never forgotten her roots, being an avid supporter of the Mayo football team.
Winifred continues to do her own housework and is rarely without a knitting needle when she sits down.
She didn’t even take a day off on her 100th birthday, making sure all “the jobs” were done before family and neighbours descended on Frenchville house in Moycullen on Ash Wednesday for the celebrations.
Nobody has ever come out of Frenchville without having a cup of tea and maybe a slice of cake. Her hospitality is legendary.
Indeed, when she ran a Bed and Breakfast she would get the same American visitors returning again and again, bowled over by her award-winning brown bread and tarts, which were the stars of the show at country markets across the county.
An entrepreneur and a businesswoman, Winifred would travel to the weekly fair on Market Street in Galway to sell her eggs, butter and baked goods. She would also sell hand-knitted Aran jumpers to B&B guests, which were in such a demand she would have to draft in local knitters to fill orders.
This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read more on Winifred’s story, see this week’s Connacht Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.
The winners of the Cúirt New Writing Prize for 2022 are Welcome to the World by Shane Murphy (short fiction) and I’m Trying to Write a Poem About an Angel by Siobhán Flynn (poetry). Both writers will take part in this year’s Cúirt festival which runs from April 4-10.
The judges for 2022 were novelist Lisa McInerney (short fiction), poet Gail McConnell (poetry), and Siobhán Ní Dhomhnaill (Irish Language).
Lisa McInerney described Shane’s entry as: “A character study that’s compassionate and raw, and a reflection on yearning and identity that was moving and surprising. This isn’t the most polished work on the longlist, but to me it was the most promising.”
Of Siobhán Flynn’s winning poem, the judge Gail McConnell reflected on its appeal. “I liked this poem when I read it first, but I noticed that I kept re-reading it, and each time I did, I noticed something new. It’s a poem that knows what it’s about – and it’s about a state of unknowing. . . . .There’s a lot about it to enjoy – humour, clear diction, good line-endings and a se.”’.
Notable mentions/Shortlisted submissions for fiction include Electric Ink by Paula Dias, Fallow by Serena Lawless and Tine Leatromach by Annemarie Nugent
Notable mentions/Shortlisted submissions for poetry include Samhain by Molly Twomey and Fásra by Liam Mac Peaircín
Shane Murphy and Siobhán Flynn will receive €500 and both will read at the New Writing Showcase on April 5 at 11am in Druid’s Mick Lally Theatre. The New Writing Prize is sponsored by Tigh Neachtain in memory of Lena McGuire.
More information on the programme and all events at https://www.cuirt.ie.
Lifestyle – Portumna practitioner Ellen Baggs tells ELIZABETH GARNER and JIM HYNES how she combines her twin passions of yoga and farming, both of which she only fully embraced after moving to Ireland nearly two decades ago.
A Portumna-based yoga teacher found her love of all things agricultural when she moved to live in Ireland – and she now combines her twin passions in a most unique way.
Those who follow Ellen Baggs (@ellenbaggs) on Instagram will already be familiar with her fun photos featuring yoga poses and cows.
Ellen, who is of Dutch, Scottish and English descent, is an Iyengar yoga instructor at Portumna’s Muscle Mill gym who is passionate about fitness, flexibility and farming.
After studying Fashion & Costume Design in the UK, she worked as a costumier for cruise liners – something she admits was great fun and “allowed me to travel around the world twice, both forwards and backward, missing and gaining a day!”
However, 17 years ago, she moved to Ireland and never looked back, even acquiring Irish citizenship.
Once in Ireland, Ellen became interested in farming and Iyengar (pronounced I-eng-guh) yoga. This may seem like an unusual combination, but it happened largely by accident.
“I am so grateful to have a friend with a farm! When I first come to Ireland, I wouldn’t get in a field of cows in case they stampeded me. Now there is nothing better than going into a field of my weanlings and brushing them on a Spring or Summer day,” she says.
“Cows are the sweetest of animals. They all have such personalities and can be very affectionate. They are like big-hoofed dogs.”
Ellen is impressed with the hard work – both physical and mental – which goes into farming.
“It also really makes you appreciate nature and the seasons, and makes you think about what you have in life,” she says.
And that’s very similar to how Ellen feels about yoga.
Iyengar Yoga was developed by an Indian yoga teacher named B. K. S. Iyengar. More than other forms of yoga, it has a particular emphasis on detail, precision and alignment. That makes it particularly popular with professional sports people and dancers.
Because of this, instructors must receive in-depth and ongoing training. They also require a detailed understanding of physiology similar to physiotherapists.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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