LABOUR Party councillor Joe Leddin has questioned what he considers “the unacceptable delay” in the reletting of Council-owned houses after a vacancy occurs.

Speaking at a meeting of the Council’s Home and Social Development SPC (Strategic Policy Committee), Cllr Leddin stated that to have perfectly good houses lying empty with thousands on the waiting lists was “madness”.

“I have met residents throughout the city who have shown me houses in their estates that have remained unoccupied for 12 months and longer with no activity or work taking place,” he claimed.

“It is extremely worrying that there appears to be no plan or model of assessment to determine how quickly new tenancies can be offered once a house becomes vacant. Even more concerning is the apparent lack of urgency to have empty houses, that in most cases require very little maintenance work to have work plans agreed and completed within specific time frames.”

The City West representative went on to deem it “bizarre” to have unoccupied homes that require minimal repairs at a time of severe housing pressure. These same homes, he claimed, are also a cause of concern for residents within housing estates as gardens become overgrown and the houses become a magnet for antisocial behaviour and in some cases illegal dumping.

“We need a new fast track reletting model of housing that is based on specific time frames,from the moment a vacancy occurs there is an assessment completed to determine works required if any. Once this assessment is done the house should be classified in terms of minor or remedial repairs or more long-term structural works. Each classification is then done again within defined timeframes.

“Without agreeing time frames and a new plan we will continue to have hundreds of houses lying empty across the city while families waiting to be housed suffer in unsuitable or overcrowded conditions elsewhere,” he said.

Cllr Leddin went on to call on Limerick City and County Council to re-evaluate the housing strategy for Ballinacurra Weston and Prospect so that clarity can be provided to residents in terms of housing upgrades, new builds, new roads and demolitions.

He also told members of the council executive that he would like to take them on a walkabout around Ballinacurra Weston to show them firsthand the boarded up houses in the area.

Sinn Féin councillor Séighin Ó Ceallaigh supported Cllr Leddin’s motion. He told council members that the Ballinacurra Weston area was the only regeneration area that has been divided into two different electoral areas — Limerick City West and Limerick City East.

“On one side of Hyde Road they are looking across at people who are getting everything done to their homes, while on the other side they can get no work done. This is causing huge resentment in the area. The whole community needs to be treated as one community,” Cllr Ó Ceallaigh commented.

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LIMERICK City and County Council is to undertake a survey of houses on Convent Street in the city’s medieval quarter to ascertain what renovation works are required for each property.

The first stage of the process, which gets under way this Thursday, will see the assessment of all Council properties in the area with renovation work to follow.

Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea and City North local election candidate Christy McInerney have had several meetings with local residents and highlighted their ongoing concerns with the council.

“Residents in the Convent Street area are paying their rent and are entitled to a good standard of accommodation. Convent Street is a prime tourist area situated alongside King John’s Castle and as such there is an extra incentive for the Council to have the houses in a good standard both on the inside and outside,” Deputy O’Dea told the Limerick Post.

“Thankfully, the Council have now agreed to send in a surveyor this Thursday to begin the process of eventually improving the living standards of the residents of Convent Street.”

Mr McInerney believes refurbishment work at Convent Street is well overdue.

“I am delighted to see that a process of surveying the properties will commence. The focus now is to improve the quality of life for tenants as soon as possible,” he said.

Sinn Fein councillor John Costelloe also raised the need for an urgent upgrade of Convent Street.

“At the most recent council meeting, I called for improvement works to be carried out on the facade of the housing on Convent Street which is in the heart of the city’s historic medieval quarter. While I welcome the improvements in infrastructure in the surrounding areas, it is time now for these works to continue on Convent Street.

“We have invested a lot in King John’s Castle and there have been impressive improvements to Nicholas Street. However, Convent Street has been neglected. Many tourists have commented to me on this and they wondered why no work has been done. If we are serious in attracting people to live in the city centre, we need to have our own properties in order,” he concluded.

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A UNIQUE study by a lecturer at the University of Limerick has revealed that classic arcade game Pac-Man can provide insights into human behaviour and psychology.

The research by Dr Jason Power, a lecturer at UL’s School of Education, examined the impact of a person’s belief about their own capabilities and how this influences their performance by using the classic 1980s video game to look at daily behaviour.

Dr Power explains, “Pac-Man’s difficulty slowly ramps up to allow even the most casual players to experience success. This builds a person’s belief that they can succeed and encourages them to try again.”

This belief is referred by psychologists as “self-efficacy” – one of the most popular motivation theories that exists today.

Self-efficacy is the belief in your ability to achieve a successful outcome in a given scenario.

Dr Power says, “You could say that self-efficacy is ultimately one of the driving forces of how you behave as a person.”

Those who exhibit high levels of self-efficacy are typically more successful in a wide range of fields, whether it is sport, health, business or education.

Dr Power says: “In the past, there have been studies that have noticed very high-difficulty tasks obviously have negative implications for self-efficacy and there has been other studies where they look at someone’s relative ability and how that can affect self-efficacy. Our study, however, uses a common task that everyone thinks is equal, to see if just difficulty alone influences someone’s self-efficacy.

“In order to do that, I got a whole heap of kids to play Pac-Man – that’s the long and short of it,” he adds.

The study took place between 2013 and 2014 and involved 240 first-year students in a secondary school who played Pac-Man on a personal USB version of the game which recorded date, time and scores.

Each participant first played a standard difficulty-level version of the game in order to gauge initial ability level, before replaying the game at the same level at the end of the week to measure improvement.

However, what participants didn’t know was the game had been manipulated in terms of difficulty level; students had been given either easy, medium or hard versions of the game to practice on between the first and final game.

The unique study showed that those with the highest difficulty level practiced the least amount of times, while those with the easy version of the task practiced more.

Dr Power says: “What we found was that the students with the low-difficulty version reported higher levels of self-efficacy and practiced the task way more than any other group and by consequence, improved their game-play an awful lot more.

“On the flipside, the people with the hard version of the task developed lower levels of self-efficacy, practised the task a lot less and disengaged completely after two or three days. Overall, their engagement with the task was so low that by the end, they really suffered – even though they were stepping down to an easier level at the final test.

“The reason we used Pac-Man is because it’s a task that generally people have very few previous hang-ups with,” Dr Power explains.

“For example, if we were to use maths, you probably have a strong opinion on how good or bad you are at it. Pac-Man is Pac-Man. It’s a game you might have played before, but chances are you have no strong emotion attachment with regard to your ability at the game.”

Dr Power’s research looks into how the findings of the study might be used in the classroom, specifically to improve teaching and learning in terms of curriculum planning, assessment for learning and teaching methods.

“There is plenty of evidence in education that those with high levels of self-efficacy are more likely to see a negative test or exam result as something they need to develop, as opposed to something they’re simply just not ‘good at’,” says Dr Power.

“Education isn’t about that – it’s all about developing, it’s about getting to where you want to go,” he adds.

Self-efficacy theory belongs to a larger group of theories collectively referred to as self- regulation theories, which focus on how an individual exerts control over their own behaviour.

In his paper ‘The Influence of Task Difficulty on Engagement, Performance and Self- Efficacy’, Dr Power outlines how promoting self-efficacy in the classroom can have profound impacts on the development of children.

As stated in the paper: “For example whether a person chooses to persevere or give up after failing at a task may seem like an insignificant act in isolation, but over time can have devastating impacts on a child’s educational experience.”

“This is why it is important to examine theories such as self-efficacy, not as abstract works created for their own sake, but as limited glimpses into an endlessly complex system that influences human behaviour.”

Hitting arcade systems in the 1980s, Pac-Man is one of the most played video games of all time.

Almost 40 years later, the pixelated maze-chase game remains a recognisable classic. In fact, in 2010 when Google Doodle became a version of the game, it was played more than one billion times in just three days.

Dr Power’s study has been accepted for publishing in The British Journal of Educational Technology and is available online here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjet.12755

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LIMERICK professional wrestler Rebecca Quin could have a former world champion in her corner when she makes wrestling history next week.

The 32-year-old, who is better known by her ring name Becky ‘The Man’ Lynch, will feature in the first ever female headline event at the Metlife Stadium in New Jersey on April 7.

Her bout with Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair will be the highlight of Wrestlemania  35 which will have a worldwide television audience of several millions. She will be the first non-North American to headline the WWE flagship event since Andre the Giant took on Hulk Hogan in 1987.

And the champion in her corner could be non other than fellow Irish combat professional Conor “The Notorious” McGregor.

McGregor, a two weight UFC world champion, has been a prominent supporter of the Limerick born WWE star and speculation that he would appear at Wrestlemania was heightened after he tweeted his retirement on Tuesday.

Irish WWE wrestler Finn Bálor (aka Fergal Devitt) responded to McGregor’s tweet posting “see you at mania brother”.

Last November, tweets shared between McGregor and Becky Lynch indicated that she had an ally in the controversial UFC fighter.

Lynch, who grew up in Dublin but now lives and fights in the US has emerged as the most popular Irish wrestler since starting her career at a school run by Finn Bálor in 2002.

During the early stages of her career, she moved to Canada before being forced to take a seven year break from the ring after sustaining a serious head injury. She returned to full fight status in 2013.

In 2018, the Limerick star was named wrestler of the year by Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports.

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FIANNA Fáil local election candidate for Limerick City East, Catherine Slattery is calling on the Government to bring in legislation to prevent the use of scrambler bikes on city estates.

Miss Slattery claims antisocial behaviour, relating to the use of scrambler bikes, is at a high level on Childers Road. She maintains there should be a legal requirement to register and licence scramblers and other mechanically-propelled vehicles.

“I have been advised by a number of residents from Rathbane, Hyde Road and Weston that youths are riding these scrambler bikes up and down Childers’ Road going in and out of traffic at high speed and into estates,” she said.

“I myself drive the Childers Road on a daily basis and have witnessed these scrambler bikes going in and out of traffic at speed. It is very intimidating and frightening for motorists and pedestrians alike. An accident is going to be caused and someone will be seriously injured if something is not done about this activity soon.”

The local elections hopeful told the Limerick Post that up to three scramblers at a time can be seen following each other at speed in and out of busy roads and into estates.

“This can go on for hours especially at weekends. There are new houses being built at Rathbane and there is a lot of young children in the area. Something needs to be done here and I am calling on the Government to draw up legislation to stop this activity in housing estates before someone is seriously hurt.”

Fianna Fáil has now begun preparing its own legislation to extend the powers of An Garda Síochána to effectively combat the scourge of scramblers and quads in residential areas and on public space.

“To date, Gardaí have experienced serious difficulties from an enforcement perspective when attempting to apprehend those that are causing danger in the area. There should be a legal requirement to register and licence these mechanically propelled vehicles in order for Gardaí to be able to trace their ownership.

“Equipping the Gardaí with the powers they require to prosecute offenders without having to engage in potentially dangerous interception exercises, is absolutely necessary,” she concluded.

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FORMER Mayor of Limerick Jim Long has entered the fray as a candidate for the upcoming local elections in City West.

Speaking to the Limerick Post this Wednesday, the former Fine Gael councillor revealed that he has been encouraged to come out of retirement and put himself forward as an Independent candidate on May 24.

“Over the past five years, I have always been available to people who needed advice on a broad number of issues and concerns. Also, I kept an eye and ear on the shenanigans at council,” the Ballinacurra Gardens man explained.

“My assessment is that delivery has been overshadowed by personal fulfilment of the majority of councillors who sit in council chambers. It is very obvious that the cosy done deal between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil at the behest of senior management within Limerick City and County Council has led to these councillors becoming yes men and women to the chief executive and his team.

“As a result, we have dictatorship at the cost of governance and democracy,” he claimed.

“This is evident in relation to a number of issues that have failed the people of Limerick over the years.

“To name but a few, the huge concerns from operations at the Irish Cement and Aughinish factories from toxic pollutants has now soared beyond health concerns, to an actual denial of our human rights by administrators and agencies.

“Our elected members have been extremely silent on the process. The mould must be broken between the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil coalition and senior management.

“They have to be ousted and replaced by trustworthy candidates who will deliver for the people, not for Council management, themselves or multinationals,” he concluded.

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LIMERICK’s year as Capital of Culture left a legacy that includes Troy Studios, a local authority cultural committee and a strategy to support artists and bring out Limerick’s talents.

That was the message from Council Arts Officer, Sheila Deegan in a presentation to the members of Limerick City and County Council this week.

Recalling the highlights of the four-month celebration, Ms Deegan pointed to the Giant Granny’s Journey through the city and events in the Culture Factory such the Fuerza Bruta performances.

“In 2014, we saw a confidence shift in our culture,” she said.

Some of the legacies of 2014 could be seen in a concrete way, with the Culture Factory becoming Troy Studios and  a €44 milion net benefit for the local economy.

“We are now recognising that culture and commerce are easy bedfellows.”

Most importantly,  Limerick has now developed a cultural strategy which provides a 15 year plan for development of events, festivals and attracting greater tourism spend.

City North councillor, John Costello (SF) said he would like to see more efforts to bring schools into the cultural arena and to find funding for their events.

“The Corpus Christi national school in Moyroos stages the most fantastic events and they have an amazing choir. They really deserve to be supported.”

Annacotty councillor Marian Hurley (FG) said that the bursaries being offered under the strategy are “encouraging people to come out and show their talent and she added that she would “like to see a lot more street entertainment at the weekends, and coming into the school holidays.”

Another city north councillor Mary Cahillane (Solidarity) said she was “very impressed with the Giant Granny – it was an event that was accessible and free, open to everybody.

“One thing could be improved is culture night. A lot of events are indoors”.

Cllr Richard O’Donoghue (Ind) suggested some funding be found to support the seven vintage car clubs in the county.

“We had a 1950’s fire engine in the St Patrick’s Day parade. Those clubs spent money restoring it and bringing it out for public events. They bring their vehicles to a lot of events and raise money for charity and they go to a lot of expense promoting that culture,” he explained.

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FOYNES Port could provide a big tourism spin-off for the Mid-West region if it can attract some of the cruise ship operators who are being diverted away from Dublin.

That’s according to Fianna Fáil TD Niall Collins who is calling for measures to be implemented so that the big ocean liners can continue dock at the County Limerick port in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

This follows confirmation that the Dublin Port authority is to allocate more space for post-Brexit customs checkpoints at the expense of tourist cruise ships.

“Three cruise ships docked in Foynes last year with hundreds of tourists spent time not only in Limerick but also across the wider Mid-West,” he said.

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LIMERICK has one of the lowest amounts of payment awards in excess of prevailing rent limits made in Ireland, according to figures released to Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea.

Deputy O’Dea asked the number of persons in receipt of rent supplement by county and the number that have had their payment increased over the prescribed limits.

Minister Regina Doherty said that at the end of February, there were 465 people in receipt of rent supplement in Limerick, with 18 granted a payment increase over the prescribed rent limits.

“This is very hard to understand particularly in light of the fact that Limerick showed the highest increase in rent of any city in the 12 months up to last November, with a year on year increase of 20.3 per cent in rents,” Deputy O’Dea responded.

There are only 108 recipients of rent allowance in Clare and 64 payment awards in excess of prevailing rent limits.

“I will be questioning the Minister further on the situation, as this is impacting people’s lives, their livelihoods and their future here in Limerick. We cannot continue with a situation where landlords can keep increasing rents to levels which people simply cannot afford and State schemes such as Rent Supplement are not sufficient to enable people to rent a property and still have enough disposable income left over to live a decent life,” he said.

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LIMERICK City and County Council is to enlist Garda support to remove wandering horses along the Knockalisheen Road outside Limerick City.

This follows a complaint from local councillor Cathal Crowe who called on the council to fast-track plans to remove roadside ditches at Knockalisheen, near Moyross, to discourage the practice of grazing horses by the side of the road.

Cllr Crowe said that this section of road has a series of bends on it with no street lighting. Horses and foals criss-cross the road searching for grass to graze.

“This is causing a huge road-safety problem  for motorists and pedestrians in the area,” he explained.

“Last week the carcass of a dead horse had to be removed from the roadside in this area. Nobody came forward to claim ownership of the animal. As these horses are not microchipped, they have no identifiable owners. There is virtually no recourse for an injured party” he added.

“A new fence was erected in the Moyross area to cordon off a portion of land that will be used for widening the Knockalisheen Road over the coming months. However some people have decided to use the set-aside area between the new fence and the existing ditch as a grazing paddock for their horses” he said.

Responding to Cllr Crowe’s complaint,  an official from the council’s Environmental Section said that the problem was being monitored closely since Tuesday, March 19.

“There were no horses along the “grazing strip” until Friday, March 22, when four horses were monitored on the area cordoned off.  The movement of horses tends to fluctuate and they are constantly moved along”.

The spokesperson said they would work with Gardaí to have the horses removed and the area will be monitored over the coming weeks.

“The council will also examine the options to remove the roadside ditch,” the spokesperson added.

by Miranda Leahy

news@limerickpost.ie

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A SENIOR LImerick consultant has appealed for people to carry an organ donor card so that someone else might benefit when they die.

With this being Organ Donor Week, Dr Catherine Motherway, Consultant Physician in the Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital Limerick is keen that as many people as possible carry a donor card.

Only a small proportion of patients who die in hospital will be suitable for donation, which makes it all the more important that people who wish to donate have had a full discussion with their families.

Last year there were 81 deceased donors with a further 40 living donors of kidneys in Irish hospitals resulting in a total of 274 organ transplants.

“Sometimes it is our job to approach families about organ donation. If you want to be a donor, you should talk to your family; let them know; sign a donor card; put it on your driving licence. Find a way of communicating that wish because these things happen suddenly,” Dr Motherway said.

“We do our utmost to help everybody who comes to the unit but for those people who we cannot save, if they would wish to be an organ donor, we would also like to honour that wish at the end of their life”.

To mark Organ Donor Week, An Post has issued a special national postage stamp to raise awareness of the gift of life that is organ donation and donor cards are also available in every Post Office.

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Limerick are Allianz Hurling League Division 1 champions for the first time in 22 years after a comprehensive 1-24 to 0-19 win over Waterford at Croke Park.

Aaron Gillane top scored for John Kiely’s men with a scoring total of 1-9, five of which came from play.

Limerick led by five points at the end of a pulsating first half and continued to dominate proceedings after the break with Peter Casey, Gillane and Gearoid Hegarty proving too much for the Waterford defence to handle.

Stephen Bennett was Waterford’s scorer in chief and proved a big danger in the opening 35 minutes, but was well marshalled by Sean Finn in the second half.

Limerick made a fast start to the game with Gillane helping his side into a 0-7 to 0-2 lead after just 13 minutes.

Bennett helped Waterford reduced that lead to two points by the 20 minute mark, but Gillane’s sensational flick from a Tom Morrissey delivery saw Limerick go in 1-12 to 0-10 ahead at the break.

Limerick’s dominance continued in the second half with Casey, Gillane and Declan Hannon all on target in the early stages.

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A GOAL of 10,000 participants has been set by members of Pieta House for this year’s Darkness Into Light walk, which will take place on May 11, 2019.

Speaking at the launch of the event in St Mary’s Cathedral, recently appointed Pieta House CEO, Elaine Austin asked “how amazing” would it be to have 10,000 participants in Limerick City for the 10th of the annual walks.

“Darkness Into Light is a really phenomenal movement, it’s so wonderful to see the support and the commitment,” Ms Austin told the Limerick Post, adding “And it’s the unity. The unity of the people coming together, in a way to make a stand, but also be together through their own life experiences, and to support Pieta House to do the work it does.”

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The charity CEO explained Darkness Into Light provides support to Pieta House, saying that fundraising is “the key enabler” which allows the organisation to provide their services.

“It allows us to provide the services, right across the three areas: intervention, bereavement, and also prevention. So it’s key.

“Ultimately what you want is that people, if they need some help, that they get the help, and they’re okay to ask for the help. You really want to be in a position where people are okay to talk about how they’re feeling. And most definitely that they feel that that’s okay,” she told the Post.

Darkness Into Light 2019 will take place on Saturday May 11, at 4.15 am, more information and registration available on https://www.darknessintolight.ie/

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FOURTEEN years after the sudden death of her son, Ann Boland has donated a defibrillator every year in his memory to various schools and clubs around Limerick.

Ann’s sole motivation is to commemorate her only child, David, who was just fourteen  years old when he died from a sudden severe asthma attack, by helping others avoid such a tragic outcome.

She said it is only in the last few years she has been able to speak about David’s death.

“I remember seeing him in the Regional Hospital. There were wires in him and he was very shy. His lips were a bit  blue and I was kissing him and saying, ‘they are all outside waiting for you’.

“He never regained consciousness”.

Abbey Sarsfield, St Mary’s and Thomond Rugby Clubs, St Gabriel’s School, Irish Search and Rescue, St Brigid’s School and Corpus Christi primary school in Moyross are some of the groups and organisations that have benefited from Ann’s gift of life.

“People have donated money to me in memory of my son for defibrillators and I have the place picked out where I’m donating the next one to,” she said.

Ann holds several events every year to raise funds for the purchase of defibrillators which can cost up to €2,000 and then she donates them across the city.

“It’s hard work. It keeps me going sometimes. You get your bad days but say to yourself, I’m here for a reason. It might be fourteen years, but it’s only like yesterday to me and my husband.

“He was our only child, they are precious. I can talk about it now. It’s something that never leaves you.

“I’m very grateful to everyone who has donated spot prizes and all who have helped me along the way.

“I would love to hear if someone had been saved with the defibrillator, it would mean a lot knowing that it saved someone’s life.

“I hope they are never used, but they are needed to be everywhere now,” added Ann.

Eleonor Goodisson, who received the latest defibrillators on behalf of  Abbey Rovers football club, told the Limerick Post that “Ann is doing a great job, quietly going around donating this life saving equipment”.

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ADAPT Domestic Abuse Service have partnered with Limerick Court Services to provide a free and confidential information and referral service to help women experiencing domestic abuse plug in to the legal protections available to them.

This service is currently available every Monday in Limerick Courthouse in Merchant’s Quay and women need only ask at recepetion or one of the court clerks to avail of it.

It is also available on Tuesday mornings from 10am to 11am in the Criminal Court on Mulgrave Street.

This new service offers support women who are seeking protection through the courts. It is based on a model that has been successfully running in Dolphin House Family Law Court in Dublin for a number of years.

A support worker from ADAPT meets the woman in a confidential meeting room and supports them throughout the process of applying for relevant court orders.

“The thought of going to court can be daunting but a woman doesn’t have to do this on her own. ADAPT can provide emotional and practical support throughout the process,” a spokeswoman said.

The organisation believes the new service is particularly important given the changes that have come in under the Domestic Violence Act 2018 in January.

The Act brought in important changes to domestic violence orders (Protection Orders, Safety Orders, Barring Orders and Interim Barring Orders) which will give victims of domestic abuse greater access to legal protection through the courts. Emergency Barring Orders, were also introduced under the new Act.

A new offence of Coercive Control has also been introduced, to deal with situations where someone knowingly and persistently engages in behaviour that is controlling or coercive, and it has a serious effect on the person’s spouse/civil partner, or someone with whom the person has an intimate relationship.

The offence of coercive control is an arrestable offence, liable on conviction to a fine or a term of imprisonment of up to 5 years.

Director of ADAPT Domestic Abuse Services, Monica McElvaney welcomes the new Acr. “As well as the changes to existing orders and the new offence of Coercive Control, a number of additional measures have been included in the Act to offer greater protection and ease of access to legal protection for victims’,” she said.

An Garda Síochána have been informed of the service and are working in collaboration with ADAPT to further respond to the needs of people experiencing domestic violence.

For further information on the Court and Information Service please contact Denise Dunne on 061-412354. Anyone needing support around domestic abuse can contact ADAT’s 24 Confidential Freephone Helpline on 1800 200 504.

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FROM asylum seeker to multi-award winning chef has been quite a journey for a Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) Culinary Arts student.

Bangaly Doumbouya, who won the prestigious Chef Ireland Competition, is a second-year student who first came to Ireland as an asylum seeker in 2007.

From Guinea, West Africa, Bangaly spent five years in Knockalisheen Direct Provision Centre, Meelick, Co. Clare before he was granted refugee status.

The talented student has this month been awarded the highest possible prize in the Asian Cuisine Competition by the World Association of Chefs Societies and the Panel of Chefs of Ireland.

Last month Bangaly also won third place at the Knorr Student Chef of the Year 2019.

LIT Culinary Arts Lecturer Jim O’ Meara said, “Bangaly is an outstanding student and to win this competition is a testament to his hard work and dedication here at LIT”.

Bangaly first worked as a kitchen porter in the Castletroy Park Hotel in 2013. After that he worked at Hampton’s restaurant for two years and then joined the team at the Shannon Springs Hotel, where Executive Chef Anthony Walsh gave Bangaly the opportunity to be a Commis Chef and immediately identified the new employee’s huge potential.

Bangaly applied as a mature student to the Culinary Arts programme at LIT, “Studying culinary arts at LIT and becoming a chef was all I ever dreamed of doing. I am so happy that I can study what I love at LIT, which has also given me the opportunity to complete a three month work placement at Dromoland Castle Hotel.

“I am very excited about the future for myself and my family as I look forward to hopefully graduating in 2020 and beginning a career in a job I am passionate about”.

Section Head Culinary and Hospitality at LIT’s Sports, Leisure and Tourism Department Joe Mulcahy said, “We are very proud of Bangaly at LIT. I am also pleased that Bangaly had the opportunity to complete his work placement at Dromoland Castle Hotel, which has been a fantastic training ground for many LIT students over the years.

“LIT is a higher education institution that holds inclusivity and access to education among its core values. By opening up education and training to everyone we ensure talents are nurtured, sustainable careers developed, and in many cases dreams realised. This, in turn, benefits both the individual and society as a whole”.

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Local Enterprise Offices from around the country have joined forces to create a brand new ‘Meet the Buyer’ event.

The event, which is intended to raise the profile of the country’s finest food producers, will take place at the Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) on Thursday, May 23.

It is estimated that up to 90 food producers will have the chance to pitch their businesses to the top buyers from Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK who are expected to attend.

The trade only event is open to buyers from across the food industry such as supermarket groups, food wholesalers, retailers, independent fine food shops, food service, development and restaurant chefs, and many more.

The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) network is providing training to the participating producers in branding, layout and presenting their products in advance of the event. There will also be break-out sessions during the day, focusing on a variety of topics such as the different purchasing strategies, major issues facing the food industry, and the preparation for the impact of Brexit.

Attendees at the LIT event will also have to opportunity for free entry into this year’s Irish Quality Food Awards 2019.

Eamon Ryan, Head of LEO Limerick: said “that this event provides an opportunity for producers to meet influential buyers. The event will assist food and drink start-ups to secure orders as well as learning from buyers about what products are likely to be successful in the marketplace of the future”.

LIT Vice-President Dr Liam Brown said the event is a valuable extension of the colleges work in helping to develop a robust and sustainable food industry into the future.”

The Meet the Buyer event follows the success of last year’s Local Producer Showcase, which brought together the best of the Mid-West Irish food and drink.

Buyers who are interested in attending this event should register at qualityfoodawards.com

by Miranda Leahy

news@limerickpost.ie

The post Meet the buyers at Limerick food event appeared first on Limerick Post Newspaper.

THE University of Limerick is this week celebrating Sanctuary Week and the Sabbatical Officers at UL Student Life are attempting to live on €38.80 for the week in solidarity with those living in Direct Provision in Ireland.

“The challenge is an opportunity to cast a spotlight on just one aspect of what living in Direct Provision is like. Obviously we’re speaking from a very privileged standpoint and if we go over the €38.80 it really isn’t the end of the world for us as individuals,” says Lorcan O’Donnell, UL Student Life Welfare Officer.

Ciara Jo Hanlon, UL Student Life President said, “It’s going to give us perspective and it comes back to what we take for granted. I can’t go and get a coffee that I want because I have to really think about things that I need which is what our Sanctuary students have to do on a constant daily basis.”

the UL Student Life President said students are used to living on tight budgets “but it’s usually to get things that we want”.

“Whereas those in Direct Provision constantly have to think about what they need. They cannot work, they simply don’t have the same luxuries that we do,” she added.

UL and UL Student Life say they want the week to further open up the discussion on life in Direct Provision and the role people can play in the integration of those living in Direct Provision in society.

UL, which is a University of Sanctuary for asylum seekers and refugees, celebrates Sanctuary Week this week from April 1-7.

A number of events and initiatives are also taking place around campus all week for staff and students, including a Sanctuary run, a photographic exhibit, a concert and film screening.

Lorcan O’Donnell, along with Ciara Jo Hanlon, took part in a Sanctuary Run on Monday evening around the university campus with the Sanctuary Runners Limerick, a group of asylum seekers, refugees and Irish citizens running as one in solidarity, friendship and respect.

“There’s such emotional and mental distress coming from the trauma of their fleeing from their home country but also from coming to another country that is institutionalising them in a camp, for lack of a better word, that is separated from the main town which is a symbolic way of saying ‘they’re out there somewhere, just forget about them’,” adds Lorcan.

Since 2017, UL has offered fifteen Sanctuary scholarships every year to those from refugee and asylum-seeking communities, offering support towards the costs of higher education.

The post UL Student Life Officers attempt to live on €38.80 per week like those in Direct Provision appeared first on Limerick Post Newspaper.

Limerick Racing News

Billy Lee got off the mark for the new Flat season when teaming up with
Curragh trainer Willie McCreery to win the opening 5f fillies’ maiden with
Ickworth at Dundalk on Friday night. She carried the colours of Godolphin to
success at odds of 5/1. Lee made all the running on the two-year-old to win by
three parts of a length from the Jim Bolger-trained Moments Linger. Chris Hayes
landed his second winner of the new term when partnering the Nigel
Slevin-trained Takeachancejimmy to win the 7f handicap. The 10/1 chance did
well to score as he was drawn out widest of all in stall 14.

It got better for Hayes at Navan the following afternoon where he shared
two winners with Dermot Weld. The pair won both divisions of the 8f maiden with
horses for the Aga Khan, 100/30 chance Sherkali taking the opening leg from the
gambled-on 13/8 favourite California Daddy while 9/2 shot Shelir got up in the
final stride to win the second heat by a short-head from the Ken Condon-trained
Piano Solo. Weld has the Tetrarch Stakes in mind for his second winner. Lee was
also back among the winners at the County Meath venue where Trump Card, owned
by the Trump Syndicate, won the 1m5f handicap by half a length from the Jim
Bolger-trained Teologia.

Donie McInerney was a local winner at Limerick on Sunday where he partnered Goulane Chosen to win the 2m1f handicap chase. Conna trainer Seamus Spillane supplied the winner, with the 3/1 chance just holding off the late surge of the Davy Russell-ridden Tycoon Prince by a nose.

Other Racing News

Jockey Fran Berry announces his retirement

Group 1-winning jockey Fran Berry announced his retirement from the
saddle early on Monday morning. The 38-year-old has been forced to retire on
medical advice after sustaining serious injuries in a fall at Wolverhampton in
January. His hugely successful career spanned 23 years. He has ridden in
Britain since 2016 but enjoyed his finest hour when riding champion
two-year-old Pathfork to victory in the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh
in 2010 for Jessica Harrington. Berry rode a Cheltenham Festival winner at 18
on the Christy Roche-trained Khayrawani in the 1999 Coral Cup – owned by JP
McManus, for whom his father Frank is racing manager but was best known as a
hugely respected Flat jockey. He served as second rider, behind Michael Kinane
at John Oxx’s powerful Curragh stable from 2002 until the end of 2009, when
Kinane retired and Berry was promoted to the number one spot. But following the
appointment of Johnny Murtagh in 2011, he relinquished that role to become a
freelance.

In 2016, he made the move across the Irish Sea to become stable jockey
to Ralph Beckett. The arrangement ended in in June, 2017, but Berry continues
to be based in Britain. He rode four Royal Ascot winners and has also enjoyed
notable success in Japan during his career.

“While this news is heart-breaking on one level, I am fully aware
how lucky I am. Riding has been a fantastic adventure for me, and I am very
grateful for the way it allowed my family and me to experience the world and
gain many friends over that time,” Berry told sportinglife.com.
He will now pursue other ventures – including media work.

Upcoming Fixtures

Leopardstown – Wednesday, April 3 (First Race 3.30)

Dundalk – Friday, April 5 (First Race 5.30)

Wexford – Friday, April 5 (First Race 4.10)

Leopardstown – Saturday, April 6 (First Race 1.40)

Cork – Sunday, April 7 (First Race 2.05)

Fairyhouse – Sunday, April 7 (First Race 1.50)

The post Weekly Racing News- Big week for Chris Hayes appeared first on Sporting Limerick.

The post Weekly Racing News- Big week for Chris Hayes appeared first on Limerick Post Newspaper.