< PreviousMarch 2017 The Meath Coaster ©30Know Your Rights CAO late applicationQuestion: The closing date for applying to college was 1 February. Can I still apply?Answer : You apply for almost all full-time undergraduate courses through the Central Applications Office (CAO). This includes, for example, university and institute of technology undergradu-ate courses such as Higher Certificates at Level 6 and degrees at Levels 7 and 8. The closing date for 2017 CAO applica-tions was 1 February 2017. However, late applications are allowed up to 5.15pm on 1 May 2017. There is an increased €50 fee to apply late for courses through the CAO.You may change the courses you picked or the order of courses on your applica-tion. This Change of Mind facility is free. It opens on 5 May and closes on 1 July 2017 at 5:15pm. If you are a mature applicant, or if you want to be considered for the HEAR and/or DARE schemes, most colleges will re-quire you to have applied to the CAO by 1 February 2017. There are also some re-stricted courses which cannot be applied for after 1 February 2017. Decisions on offers of places are normally made in August and September, after the results of the Leaving Certificate have come out. A detailed schedule of the offer rounds is in the CAO handbook. It is important to note that there is no cen-tral applications body for Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses. Students must apply directly to the individual colleges. You should check the closing date for PLC courses with the college where the PLC course is taking place.Importing a car into Rep. of IrelandQuestion: What are the rules about buying a car in the UK and bringing it back to the Rep. of Ireland?Answer: If you have imported a vehi-cle, you must pay VRT and receive the vehicle’s registration certificate show-ing that you have paid VRT. If you live abroad and are moving to live in Ireland, you may be eligible for a VRT exemption. Even if you are not required to pay VRT, you must still register your ve-hicle when you move to Ireland. In certain cases, foreign-registered vehicles may be imported into Ireland temporarily by a non-resident without the requirement to pay VRT or register the vehicle. You register the car and pay VRT at a Na-tional Car Testing Service (NCTS) centre. You can get an estimate of VRT due from the Revenue Vehicle Registration Online Enquiry System. When you register and pay VRT, a registration number will be as-signed to your car. You can obtain vehicle registration plates from the NCTS centre or from any motor factor.If you are importing a new car from an-other EU state, you have to pay VAT (Val-ue Added Tax), usually when registering the car. If you are importing a new or sec-ond- hand car from outside the EU, VAT (and customs duty) is payable.If your vehicle is 4 years old or more, it will have to go through the National Car Test (NCT) immediately.Further information is available from the Ashbourne Citizens Information Serv-ice Ltd, Tel: 0761 07 6110, Email : ash-bourne@citinfo.ie, www.citizensinforma-tion.ie §March 2017 The Meath Coaster31Scoil an Spioraid NaoimhHere are some photos from Kindness Week award winners. The school also passed on a message during a visit of some former pupils, prior to their appear-ance in the All Ireland Final in Croke Park with St. Colmcilles. §March 2017 The Meath Coaster ©32COMPUTER PROBLEM?Contact Oliver 041.988.7526 087.797.0740iPhones Smartphones RepairLaptop/Desktop Repair & UpgradesPitfalls with New TechnologyThis month I will outline some of the more common pitfalls around with the increased use of newer technology. The items listed in this article are by no means the full list but they represent some of the more common pitfalls. Smart Phone ScammingThe promise of the Android and Iphone operating systems was that they would be impervious to virus attack from installing themselves onto the device. Unfortunate-ly, while that may have been true when first they were introduced the scammers and virus writers have adapted the way they target you so that it is no longer nec-essary to actually get the virus on the de-vice to achieve their goals. As there are few anti-virus/anti-scam products available for smart phones you are wide open to being scammed in a va-riety of ways when internet browsing or using mail from your phone or tablet. Even worse the device may be used to get you to share one or more of your pass-words and from there the scammer can access your cloud storage, email, and also other devices you use. It is not uncom-mon for myself and other technicians in my group to find that the original breach of security in companies and personal computers originated from a smart phone or tablet. Exercise extreme caution when brows-ing from phones and working with your email.Scammers are smart and if you drop your guard will get you. Remember the scammers are always two steps ahead of Microsoft and Google so do not rely on the safeguards promised by these companies. Browser HijackingThis is increasingly one of the methods used to hijack smart devices. The user is fooled into believing they must download or install an app and the hacker gains vir-tual control of the device. This type of hack is being used by the ransomware writers to target smartphone users.Rooting AndroidThis involves disabling the built-in se-curity on android smart phones and it is increasingly becoming common for users to do this. The reason is usually because some app or other that enables illegal viewing of media requires or suggests it. Once you root your smart phone or allow someone else to do it you have opened the door to the scammers. Don’t do it!Oliver Reidy is a computer technician and has been in the industry since 1981.You can contact him via email at help.desk@reidyonline.com or at the telephone num-bers listed on this page. This article, and all previous articles, are available to view online at http://reidyonline.blogspot.ie/ or www.reidyonline.com/blogspot.htm Jill’s Kitchen Valentines Heart CookiesWith apologies, here is the recipe that was meant to have been printed in the February issue. Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be about celebrating just romantic love between couples. It can be a lovely time to spend time with the kids and help them bake something to share with those they love and are grateful for in their lives.Ingredients: Cookie Dough 300g/10oz plain flour150g/5oz castor sugar250g/8oz, soft butter, diced1 large egg yolk2 tsp vanilla extract½ tsp saltFood colouring – your choice of colour, or leave without colour or even leave without but dip the tops of the hearts in melted chocolate!To serve: Baguette, olive oil, garlic powder or granulesMethod1. Beat the butter and sugar together.2. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until combined, either using a wooden spoon or electric mixer.3. Sieve the flour into the mixture and add the salt.4. It will start to come together and form a smooth dough.5. Split the dough into as many pieces as you want for the different colours.6. Put each piece in a different bowl and add the food colouring of your choice to each one TIP: using a pair of disposable gloves is great when mixing food colouring7. When dough is the desired colour, roll it out on an icing sugar floured surface to about ½” thick. Now using a heart cookie cutter cut out the heart shapes and repeat this on each colour dough. *TIP: if you don’t have a heart-shaped cookie cutter you can use a stencil cut out of cereal box cardboard8. Place on a greaseproof lined baking tray and place this in the fridge for a mini-mum of 30 mins, preferably an hour. 9. Pre-heat oven to 180⁰C/350⁰F/Gas Mark 4 and bake for 10/12 minutes. Leave to cool on the tray for 10 minutes, if you can wait that long, and serve!These will last for up to 3 days in an airtight container.Enjoy, Jill. You can contact me with any queries, questions or even to show us how your family got on with their Cookies – Jill@jillskitchen.ie. Check out our new cooking kits www.cookitkids.com. Join us on Facebook for tips and tricks for cooking with kids www.facebook.com/cookitkids March 2017 The Meath Coaster ©34Please mention The Meath Coaster when replying to advertisementsTHE VIEW FROM THE KITCHEN TABLE, By Geraldine HughesI do a lot of living in my car. Two busy active teenagers and a busy me means we spend a lot of time in it. It suffers from neglect in so far as it rarely gets a car wash and even more rarely gets hoovered inside. I did both recently – put it through a car wash and cleaned the inside. The discoveries were interesting – a half-eaten apple, 2 bottles of water, a couple of out of date car tax discs, a couple of sweatshirts, and in the boot tidy, 2 bottles of forgot-ten white wine, which is nothing short of a miracle, but a nice find all the same. Fast forward a few days later. I’m on my way to work and about 10 to 15 minutes into my journey, I became aware of a nasty smell. I had a quick look around, as much as you can in a car travelling on a motor-way, but couldn’t find anything. Maybe it was football gear or damp football boots or sweaty workout gear? I spent a few minutes fish-ing around behind me blindly searching but came up with nothing. I opened the windows wide and the smell abated, until I closed them again. It was over-whelmingly bad by now. I vowed that if was from football socks, then I was going to have the child in question’s feet surgi-cally removed. Gagging at this stage, I parked up for work, flung the door open and spotted the culprit. A perfectly formed dog poo ! Oasis Childcare Centre Mornington Co. Meath Full Daycare ECCE CETS Montessori Playgroup After School 9888135 > Purpose Built > Fully Insured > HSE Inspected > Fire Certified > Intercom Entry > Large Safety Tiled Playground > Large Car Park > Easy Drop Off & Collection > Small Groups > Dedicated Staff > 7:30am to 6:30pm ONE CHILD! ONE LIFE! ONE PRE-SCHOOL EXPERIENCE Limited places remain for our ECCE and PLAYSCHOOL classes for SEPTEMBER 2017. Book now to ensure that your precious child gets the highest quality & happiest pre-school experience possible! East Meath’s Leading Childcare Provider since 2005 sitting happily in the foot well of the car. Well, to be fair I have no idea if it was happy or not but to my mind it certainly looked smug and self- satisfied, having successfully stunk up my car. I checked my boots and spotted the small-est trace of poo on the side of one of them. Awful I know, but small enough to be washed away in a nearby puddle. I can only assume, judging from the small mark on my boot and the unsquished shape of the poo, that I must’ve chipped it into the foot well in a move that any footballer would’ve been proud of. I removed the car mat (with the poo attached) and binned it, and came back after work armed with a bottle of Milton and disposable gloves, and drove home now gagging on the smell of disinfectant. Now here’s the thing, I know animals have to poo (apologies for the stomach churn-ing content this month), and any dog owner has my utmost sympathies having to scoop poop, particularly while it’s still warm but it has to be done. This is why I bought a cat instead. They very neatly dig a little hole, bury it all and cover it up. Admittedly this can be in other people’s gardens, but you have my permission to give him a se-vere talking to should you ever catch him in the act, but like the dog that pooped be-side my car, I think he’ll just walk away with his tail in the air.. §HOUSEHOLD SERVICESPlease mention The Meath Coaster when replying to dvertisementsBG PAINTING & DECORATINGInterIor & exterIor25 YEARS EXPERIENCE REFERENCES AVAILABLEFREE CONSULTATIONS & ESTIMATESWALLPAPER ALSO AVAILABLEContact Brian 086 7308449GAS BOILER SERVICESANNUAL SERVICINGREPAIRS & BREAKDOWNSBOILER REPLACEMENTSSAFETY INSPECTIONSBORD GÁIS AUTHORISED SERVICE PROVIDERPhone Terry 041 9827870 - 087 2941224 6th class team6th classPB - CleanbrightRoof Moss Removal SpecialistWe also clean: DrivewaysPatio’sGuttersFasciaPVC WindowsMob: 083 191 0238Mob: 083 1992 085Office: 041 9883792Email: pbcleanbright@gmail.com*Fully InsuredRoof is treated by AlgoClear to prevent moss re-occurrenceCall Nicky - 041 9887128 087 7734344 A Local BusinessCosmic Cleanwww.cosmicclean.ieT&Cs & Minimum Charge appliesMAJOR DISCOUNTS for Multiple RoomsProfessional Carpet & Upholstery CleaningSPECIAL OFFER!Noel SavageElectrical Services20 Years Experience • Security LightingFuseboard Upgrades • Rewires, Extra Sockets • Lights, Fully Insured and RegisteredNo Job Too SmallBettystown, Co. MeathMobile: 086 2518898HEDGE TRIMMING & TREE SURGERYTrimmed or Removed incl. root destruction and removal. Stump GrindingPLANTING, WEEDING, FENCING, TREE & HEDGE CUTTING & SHAPING.All green waste removedDriveway, Patio, Power-washed Gutter cleaningSpecial OAP RatesFree Estimates, Fully Insured, Long Experience4 SEASONS GARDEN SERVICESContact Jim 085 1163631-042 6822585No Job Too Big or Too SmallMoloney Boiler MaintenanceBarry Moloney - Heating Engineer• Oil Boilers Services and Repairs• Aga Cookers• Central Heating Power Flush• Installation of Central Heating Filters• All Aspects of Heating & Plumbing - Commercial / ResidentialFree Quotations, All Work GuaranteedMobile: 087 3337488barry@moloneyboilermaintenance.ie Grant Electrical96 Betaghstown Wood, BettystownPhone: 041 988 6908Mobile: 087 275 4057• Electrical Installation and Maintenance• Extra Sockets & Lighting• Electrical Shower Installed & Repairs• Immersion Heater Installed & Fitted• Free Estimates NO JOB TOO SMALL!March 2017 The Meath Coaster ©36The future of financial advice in IrelandSo this is where we take out our crys-tal ball! Consumers sometimes are not clear about the value of financial advice, a situation that we are trying very hard to change. We know the value that is offered every day by Financial Brokers the length and breadth of the country, so here are a few thoughts on what you can expect to gain from seeking financial advice from a professional Financial Broker. The good news is that this future has now pretty much arrived! A good Financial Broker will deliver on these today.Consumers don’t want conflicted adviceThis is probably the key point. Consum-ers want advice and financial solutions that are based on their specific goals and objec-tives, and not those of the person giving the advice. The independence of the advice giver is critical here, they need to be able to seek out and provide the very best solution in the market for the client. The days of “force fitting” clients to the single product solution that is the only one available to a product seller are long gone. The solution must start and end with the client – their specific goals, their requirements and their specific circumstances.Financial Brokers are not aligned to any one organisation and can advice upon the products of many organisations. Their ad-vice starts and ends with the client, not the products available to them.Consumers want clear and transparent chargingSimilar to any other product or service bought by consumers, they rightly want to know what it is costing them. The provid-ers of financial advice need to be able to clearly demonstrate the value that they are bringing through their advice, and what this advice costs. The adviser needs to be Drumgoole Financial Services is regulated by The Central Bank of Irelandable to set out clearly how they will make a difference to the financial future of the cli-ent, and charge accordingly for this. Con-sumers can choose to pay for this through commission taken by the adviser from products, or by separate fees – however the adviser needs to be able to communicate clearly the value that will be gained from their advice.Financial advice is about lifetime relationshipsThis might sound like a lofty statement, but it is so true! Financial advice is not a point in time transaction, it is a journey. It starts with the adviser identifying the de-sired financial outcomes of a client (the destination) and understanding the client’s current circumstances (the starting point). The adviser then puts in place the financial solutions (the vehicle) to help you achieve your objectives.But as with any journey, the minute that you set off, everything changes! Finan-cial markets change, your circumstances change, maybe your objectives change. So your financial adviser needs to travel on your financial journey with you.Unlike in your bank branch, your Financial Broker will be a consistent figure through-out this journey. Continuing to guide you and redirect you as needed. Financial ad-vice was never more valuable. Can you af-ford not to get it from a Financial Broker? Toccata House Music School, Drogheda.Lessons Based In Drogheda Grammar School, Mornington Road, Drogheda.Lessons InPiano, Keyboard, Violin, Viola, CelloGuitar - Classical, Acoustic, Bass And ElectricFlute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Recorder, Drums, Speech And Drama, Voice Coaching, Junior And Leaving Cert Music.Private Classes On A One To One BasisTel Olive On 087 2603079 For DetailsEstablished Since 1990.Stamullen, Co. Meathwww.mammydaycare.comCrèche, Montessori & After schoolPhone:01 6905333 Purpose Built Fully Insured Experienced staff Fire Certified Intercom Entry Enclosed safety tiled play area Private car park Nutritious meals cooked in houseCelebrating 10 Happy Years in businesswww.crumbs.eu.com CrumbsCakesForOccasions Call Lee between 9am & 6pm, 087 918 6854STAMULLENDON’T MISS OUT - BOOK EARLY!CBTCounsellingDrogheda19FairSt.,LowcostcounsellingDrogheda0868759816CounsellorPatriciaGavinpatriciagavin@eircom.netLow Cost Counselling19 Fair St.DroghedaFor when you need a helping hand to changePatricia GavinCounsellorpatriciagavin@eircom.net086 8759816041 98 444 98 041 98 111 98086 838 4444www.eastcoastcabs.comEAST COAST CABS(FORMERLY SULLIVAN CABS)EAST COAST CABS SERVICING MEATH COAST & DROGHEDA REGIONS CABS - 4, 6 & 8 SEATERSMINIBUSES AND COACHES - 16, 24, 36 & 54 SEATERS AVAILABLEKatie Blackwell, Laytown, Co. MeathYour local Herbalist for all your Natural Health needs!Phone 087 142 1245Herbal Medicine, Nutrition, Iridology, Reiki, Shamanic Healing and Counsellingwww.katieblackwell.ie Bettystown AlterationsWedding Alterations and Evening WearPremises located behind the offices in McDonough Caravan Park on Triton Road (Opposite Tesco) Phone: 086 775 3 776Tues - Sat 10am - 5pm Lunch 1:30pm - 2:30pm Close Tue 2pmClothing Alterations•Wedding/Evening Wear • Leather/Suede Repairs •CurtainsSame Day ServiceMarch 2017 The Meath Coaster ©38Laytown Tidy TownsOn Saturday 18th February while we were doing our weekly cleanup of Laytown Village and beach we were met with this sight at the recycle bank. Some-one had taken the trouble to bag clothes and bring them as far as the clothing re-cycle bins but did not bother to put them in even though there was plenty of room. This changes recycling into dumping.This week we were met with an even worse sight.....7 bags of household rub-bish which had been brought as far as the recycle bins and dumped there. All this was done despite the fact that there is CCTV operational in the car park. We are told that these offenders can be traced using CCTV footage of the regis-tration plates of the cars used. When the offenders are found be assured that action will be taken....To quote the litter pollu-tion act:“A person guilty of an offence under this Act shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £1,500.”This particular site is being carefully mon-itored because of the new trend of dump-ing which seems to have developed there. Hardly a week passes where this does not happen. OFFENDERS BEWARE!On a lighter note, it’s almost National Spring Clean time again! As you prob-ably know this annual event takes place in April with Tidy Towns groups, Residents Associations and other groups join in to make a difference locally. If you would like to join in with our event it takes place on Saturday 22nd April. Alternatively if you would like to concen-trate on your own area you could regis-ter for Spring Clean on National Spring Clean web page. We plan for our one to extent the area we normally cover so could use all the help we can get! Hopefully we will see you on 22nd April! §March 2017 The Meath Coaster ©39Sleeping…With A Psycho-therapist...Insomnia Help Many experience difficulties with sleep at some point in life. For many this will be transitory. However, approximately 1 in 3 struggle with insomnia persistently. Peo-ple who suffer feel unrested and chroni-cally tired, finding it very difficult to function normally. Over time, impacting on your physical, mental, and emotional health. Affecting your work, family and your life. Insomnia is defined as a prob-lem with falling asleep, staying asleep or getting restful sleep, or adequate sleep, and persists for more than 6 months dura-tion. Affecting your quality of life Types of insomnia: • Psychophysiological (Sleep-preventing associations and habits) • Paradoxical insomnia –(Poor sleep and low actual sleep duration) • Idiopathic insomnia – Non restorative sleep typical onset in childhood • Sleep hygiene – Lifestyle and daily ac-tivities attribute to this • Insomnia as a result of other issues like men-tal illness (Depression) and chronic pain • Common symptoms and impacts of in-somnia include: • Fatigue or daytime sleepiness • Cognitive difficulties including problems with attention, concentration or memory • Impact on functioning including social problems, work-related problems, or poor school performance • Mood disturbance or irritability • Reduced motivation, energy, or initiative • Proneness for errors or accidents • Tension, headaches, Concerns or worries Treatments for insomnia Traditionally treated with the use of medi-cations, many doctors now refer Clients to me for a Combination of Mind Therapies, of Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with Mindfulness. creating an effective insomnia treatment for chronic sleep problems. Your personalized pro-gram aims to improve sleep habits by re-moving unhelpful thoughts and behaviours that maintain insomnia. Key components include some or all of the following • Stimulus control – removing YOUR blocks associated with poor sleep • Sleep restriction –Decreasing your time spent in bed resulting in increased sleep efficiency• Relaxation /Imagery training – Develops your ability to calm your mind and body, • Cognitive restructuring – Challenging your unhelpful patterns and creating ef-fective ones that help you sleep . • Paradoxical intention – Training to relax rather than trying to get to sleep, Releas-ing anxiety about trying to sleep • Cognitive control – Mental Rehearsal and Planning Clearing Stress and Anxi-ety from your mind . • Sleep hygiene –Helping you change ba-sic lifestyle habits that influence sleep as part on an integrated intervention Unlike medication, your underlying causes of insomnia are addressed rather than just relieving symptoms. To arrange YOUR free consultation, on issues you have, simply email me today at bernicem-ckenna@hotmail.com Bernice Mc Kenna ( MICHP ) ( Psycho-therapist, CBT. Adv.Pscyh. Adv.Hyp) §DOCTORS RECOMMEND BERNICE MC KENNA Psychotherapist, Hypnotherapist, Cognitive Behavioural TherapistINSOMNIA 3 TREATMENT THERAPY THAT WORKSCHRONIC PAIN RELIEF 3 TREATMENTSDRINK LESS MINDSTOP SMOKING IN ONE HOURVIRTUAL GASTRIC BAND. For FREE Information including FREE on line Consultation right now simply Email bernicemckenna@hotmail.com today or Text your Address for information to be posted at 085 8126677. Next >