Water Framework Directive- Draft River Basin Management Plan Engagement and Feedback on the ‘Recommended Priority Water Bodies for Action in County Offaly’ and the Public Consultations.

A public information meeting to facilitate  engagement on the ‘Recommended Priority Water Bodies for  Action in County Offaly’, and feedback on the River Basin  Management Plan Public Consultation meetings which were held  earlier in 2017, will take  place at 7pm on Monday 16th of October 2017  in the Bridge House Hotel, Tullamore, Co Offaly.

The EPA, local authorities and public authorities have  engaged in Catchment Assessment Workshops throughout the  country during 2016 and 2017 to characterise waterbodies and  assess pressures on river, lake, coastal, transitional and  groundwater water bodies.  In Offaly, there are 6 no. ‘Recommended Priority  Waterbodies for Action’ which were identified following the assessment of all available scientific and technical  data from the relevant agencies and also using local  knowledge. One of these areas may be in your area.

The draft River Basin Management Plan 2018 – 2021  was published in February 2017 and was on public  consultation until 31st August 2017. Presentations were made on the Draft Plan to the Council,  Strategic Policy Committee and a number of Public Meetings were held throughout the county as well as nationally to engage with communities and other  stakeholders.

To further facilitate public engagement, information and  mapping will be available to view at 7pm on Monday 16th  October with the briefing session for members of the public  also.  In conjunction with Offaly County Council and  LAWCO (Local Authority Water and Communities Office) the briefing session will consist of  short presentations on the “Recommended Priority Water  Bodies for Action in County Offaly”, and feedback from the  River Basin Management Plan public consultation  meetings.  There will be an opportunity for discussion and to review the information on view which  will include maps identifying each ‘Recommended Priority  Waterbodies for Action’ and the rationale used in their  selection.

Feedback will be recorded on the day and there will be an opportunity to provide further feedback until 1st November 2017.

Contact:

Basil Mannion |

Community Water Officer

Local Authority

Waters and Communities Office

086 85 99 514

bmannion@lawco.ie

During the summer composer Karen Power has been recording  pollinators in Offaly’s meadows and bogs and beehives!

She has composed the recordings into music which will be  performed with the Quiet Music Ensemble on Tuesday 17th  October in the Tullamore Arts Centre  building on High Street at 7.45pm. Followed by  refreshments. Book with creativeculture@offalycoco.ie for this truely unique Offaly experience commissioned by Offaly County Council with funding from Creative Ireland.

You can be part of a milestone in Irish recycling policy

Summer brings an increased number of people out and about, and with that, we all see the increase of litter strewn about our beaches and countryside. This litter comes predominantly in the form of plastic bottles and cans as well as disposable plastic packaging.

I am reaching out to you on behalf of VOICE, an Irish environmental charity, and we are asking Tidy Towns groups to support the new Waste bill introduced by the Green Party this past July.  This bill would:

Ban disposable plastic plates and cups and other tableware (including non-compostable disposable coffee cups, utensils and straws), which would encourage take-aways to use compostable packaging such as paper and cardboard.

Introduce a deposit/refund scheme for drinks containers (where the cost of drink containers includes a 10-cent deposit which is refundable upon the return of each container to shops or a reverse vending machine).

Call to Action:

We ask that you join us in supporting the Waste bill by:

Signing a letter to Minister Naughten asking that he move this bill for consideration in the Dail;  Asking your local TD to support this initiative; Using Social Media to create momentum behind this bill; and Speaking on traditional local media to support this bill.

If you are interested in joining us in this campaign, we will include you in all our social media and send you an information pack.

If you would like to be involved in this initiative please contact Mindy O’Brien at info@voiceireland.org or call us at (01) 642 5741.

Ulster Bank “Bank on Wheels” – The Mobile Bank Unit will be parked in The Heritage Centre Car Park on Tuesday 11.15am – 12.15pm and Thursday 2.30pm – 3.15pm

This Ballyclare landowner has provided a perfect example of how to aid bees and insects to flourish and pollinate in a natural wildlife meadow environment..  His patch of land has been allowed to grow wild and contains many native grasses and flora and fauna rich in nectar including sunflowers, poppies, wild daisies etc.

This wildlife corridor is alive and buzzing with activity during the Summer months.. It’s a simple and perfect example of how you too can help our native small animals, bees and insects to survive in these times of using intense industrial type agricultural machinery on our farmlands.

Please visit www.biodiversityireland.ie for more information and top tips on how you too can help.

Date: Tuesday October 10th

Time:10.00 am – 5.00 pm

Venue: Tullamore Court Hotel

This event is reaching out to the Over55’s in County Offaly.  We are looking to get the views of OlderPeople. We also want to hear from people who care for Older people, including representatives from support services,  members, workers and service users; including The Carer’sAssociation, Active Retirement groups, Men’s Sheds etc.

For groups interested in attending, we have agreed to fund  transport via Local Link who will have Buses in your area. 057  8692168.

For support services You are invited to have a stand in the  Tullamore Court on the day.

Please let us know if you would like a spot there.

2017 Ferbane tidy towns results

Creative Ireland   Community Art Project

“Ferbane’s Amazing World of Wonder”

Offaly County Council  with financial support from Creative Ireland have awarded two grants to communities working with artists to explore and present aspects of Offaly’s heritage through art.We are thrilled to announce that Ferbane is one of the successful projects.

While this is a free event, tickets should be booked at ferbaneworldofwonder@gmail.com

Creative Ireland is the Governments legacy programme for Ireland 2016, and in response Offaly has developed a Culture and Creativity Programme.

The Creative Ireland Programme has collaboration at its heart between central and local Government, between Culture, Heritage and Industry and between artists, communities and policy makers.

Artists Caroline Conway and Tina Claffey are working with members of High Street Drama Group and local musicians on a Community Art  Project that celebrates the work of Mary Ward and the beauty of the flora and fauna of Ferbane Bog.

This   project  takes its starting point from Mary Ward’s book ” A World of Wonders revealed by the  Microscope”. Written in 1858,in the form of letters to her cousin, this book was aimed at young students and conveyed Mary Ward’s excitement in the natural world. Born in Ferbane, she was a pioneering  scientist, and naturalist with a love of spectacle and the minute.

Each letter forms a chapter  with headings such as “The Wings of Insects”, “Seed Vessels of Ferns”, and these have been adapted to reflect more particularly the species of the local bog. We are creating a visual story with animated macro- photography to be projected  during a performance that will consist of  a reading of the adapted letters accompanied by specially composed music. The music is being composed by Claire Ann Kearns, a native of Ferbane and student at UCD. Claire Ann is heavily involved in Comhaltas and has multiple awards from  Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. The letters are being adapted by Brendan Ryan, Ferbane Historian and advocate for Mary Ward. He is also the director of the High Street Drama Group who will be performing the readings.

Tina is a renowned wildlife photographer with a particular focus on the bogs. Her book “A Tapestry of Light” is to be launched in October. Caroline has been working with Zoetrope animation for the past couple of years and has been awarded a number of Public Art Commissions. This is a great opportunity to collaborate as artists as well as with the local community.

The performance will take place in the Mary Ward Heritage Centre in Ferbane on October 6th , and will be preceded by a short presentation by The Living Bog Project,. Ferbane Bog is of international conservation importance because there are very few relatively intact raised bogs left in Europe or the world. For this reason, Ferbane Bog is formally designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

This project celebrates local history, science, ecology and wildlife habitats and combines visual art, photography, music and drama , as well as celebrating the lost art of letter writing.

SHORT VERSION

Funded through Creative Ireland, this is  an exciting community art project  performance with a visually stunning projection and specially commissioned music to take place in the Mary Ward Heritage Centre, Ferbane on October 6th,  . Visual artist Caroline Conway and photographer Tina Claffey have been working with members of High Street Drama Group and a local musician, Claire Ann Kearns, to produce a celebration of the unique natural environment around Ferbane, with reference to the pioneering work of the nineteenth century local scientist and naturalist Mary Ward