< Previous© January 2020 The Meath Coaster 40 S onairte, our Eco-shop & Cafe are open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays from 10:00am until 5:00pm. New Year, New You Its that time of year again, when we try to put our bad habits in the bin. But research has shown that by February, 80% have ditched that kind of resolution. A better idea is to take on a new hobby or a new focus. Here at Sonairte we are thinking of all the eco- friendly resolutions we can do. Why not try growing your own vegetables and fruit. Start thinking about planting a spring vegetable garden, this will drasti- cally help reduce our carbon footprint. (our raised beds, suitable for all living ar- eas are for sale in our Eco-shop) Yes, organic food can be more expensive, but if you can, try to eat organic. Organic foods cannot be grown with pesticides and other chemicals that end up poisoning groundwater and leaving the soil depleted of vital nutrients. (organic produce avail- able in the shop every weekend, and our vegetarian, vegan, fresh from the garden dishes in our Cafe) If one million women bought their next item of clothing secondhand instead of new, we would save 6 million kg of car- bon pollution from entering the atmos- phere. (our secondhand shop opens every weekend) Finally, just how safe are most store- bought cleaners? Cleaners that contain chemicals like ammonia, toluene and chlorine can be harmful when absorbed through the skin or breathed in, along with more countless plastic bottles and con- tainers clogging our bins. Try using more eco friendly products such as ECO clean and Ecover, here at sonairte we provide refill stations for both these products and hoping to evolve and have a larger section over the next few months. Sanctuary in Nature Before the Christmas break, 32 asylum seekers and refugees, many of them resi- dent in Mosney Direct Provision Centre, enjoyed an excursion with Irish friends to the Hide Sculpture Project, Rogerstown Park, Ardgillan Castle and Sonairte Ecol- ogy Centre. The trips are organised by Sanctuary in Nature and Culture, an organisation that welcomes new residents in Ireland, by in- troducing them to our landscapes, to our natural world, and to our heritage build- ings. Also, to learn about the landscapes, plants and animals in our visitors’ home countries, and their cultural heritage. The group had lunch at Sonairte, and en- joyed a walk through the heritage orchard and down the woodland walk. After lunch, many of the Syrians gave us a spontane- ous and exuberant display of their native dances in Sonairte courtyard. §© January 2020 The Meath Coaster 41 Planet Friendly Habits nicanutrition@gmail.com M y articles usually focus on how we can tweak our di- ets and lifestyles to improve our health. With increased awareness of global sustainability I would like to start 2020 by focusing on diet and lifestyle tweaks which may also improve the health of our planet. Walk/cycle as part of your daily commute Exercise benefits mental health, aids sleep, improves circulation, strength- ens the heart, lowers blood pressure, tones muscles and aids maintenance of a healthy BMI. However, most of us are not as active as we would like to be due to our busy lives. Including exercise as part of our daily commute is a great way to in- crease activity levels. Reducing the time we spend in the car is also good for our planet – each car pro- duces approximately 4.6tonnes CO2 per year. Buy Locally and in Season Where possible, try buy in-season pro- duce from local food producers/growers. In-season foods have a higher nutritional content as they are consumed at the peak of freshness. Reducing the journey our food takes from farm to fork reduces the carbon foot-print of our diet, thereby re- ducing the environmental impact. Eat more vegetables There’s barely a month which passes where I don’t offer this advice to improve overall health and well-being. Vegetables are great sources of fibre, vitamins, min- erals and phytonutrients. Green leafy veg- etables are particularly beneficial as they are great sources of vita- min C, iron, folic acid and the B- vitamins for energy. Eating a more plant-based diet can improve the health of our planet too. Modern farming methods affect the envi- ronment through a combination of defor- estation, increased greenhouse gas emis- sions (e.g. each cow can produce as much as 120kg of methane per year, compared with 0.12kg per person) and the presence of agricultural pollution (pesticides, fer- tilizers, etc). It is estimated that 14% of the total greenhouse gas emissions can be attributable to agriculture and that defor- estation contributes a further 18%. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) (the UN’s body for as- sessing the science related to climate change) estimates that the adoption of a more plant-based diet by populations in developed countries could free up several million km2 of land by 2050 and reduce global CO2 emissions by up to eight bil- lion tonnes/year. If you are considering a more plant-based diet, please be mindful to include foods which will support your body’s nutrition- al requirements (e.g. legumes, beans and pulses are great sources of protein if you decide to reduce your meat intake). Happy New Year to all the Meath Coaster readers! Anna Ryan, Dip. NT, DC, MNTOI, BAI, BA www.nicanutrition.ie nicanutrition@gmail.com© January 2020 The Meath Coaster 42 Multi-Claim Protection Cover M ulti-Claim Protection Cover has two main differentiators to some of the other protection products available on the market. Namely, it can pay out multiple times for different illnesses over the life- time of the policy and it can also trigger multiple claim components for one illness. The claims triggers are designed to be pro- portionate to the severity of the illness and its impact on the customer’s life. 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This means for less serious illnesses or treat- ments, it will pay out potentially less Life Assurance Pensions Income Protection Investments Financial Planning Drumgoole Financial Services is regulated by The Central Bank of Ireland Oran Drumgoole QFA Phone 087 668 6624 Office 041 981 2080 oran@drumgoolebrokerage.ie www.drumgoolebrokerage.ie than 100% of your cover, keeping the rest of your cover in place for any fu- ture, more severe illnesses. For illnesses or treatments that have a more serious impact, it pays out a higher amount. • After a claim, your monthly payments (premium) will not change. • Children's cover and premature birth cover included. • Helping Hand service - Available at no extra cost, this support service can help your family (your spouse/partner and children) through a difficult time if you're diagnosed with a serious illness or pass away. Example: Mary is 42 and has €100,000 cover. When diagnosed with invasive breast cancer Mary is referred for chemo- therapy, radiotherapy and a mastectomy (20% paid out for chemotherapy, 20% for radiotherapy, 20% for major surgery -mas- tectomy to remove an invasive tumour) MCPC paid out 60% of Mary’s cover (€60,000) which would leave Mary with €40,000 cover for any future illnesses or health setbacks covered under her policy. Have a question? Call Oran on 087 668 6624 or visit www.drumgoolebrokerage.ie. Wishing all the Meath Coaster readers a very happy and healthy 2020! §Tusla inspected • Part time places • Rural Setting Gormanston FREE ECCE PLACES from 2 years & 8 months Our staff are qualified, dedicated to providing kind, warm, tentative and a satisfying learning experience to each child 085 8619279 lamhabeagaanmhi@gmail.com Opening Times: 9am ·12pm Bettystown Alterations Wedding Alterations and Evening Wear Premises located behind the offices in McDonough Caravan Park on Triton Road (Opposite Tesco) Phone: 086 775 3 776 Tues - Sat 10am - 5pm Lunch 1:30pm - 2:30pm Close Tue 2pm Clothing Alterations •Wedding/Evening Wear • Leather/Suede Repairs •Curtains Same Day Service Relax, revive, renew with Reflexology Aromatherapy Massage Facials Phone Jess: 086 6010492 FB: @AromaWellnessHolisticTherapies Poor sleep, Digestive issues, Stress, Hormonal imbalances, Headaches, Sinus problems, Back pain, Sore, tired muscles Stamullen Virtual Assistant Online support for your business • Administration• PA Services • Customer Service• Credit Control • Expense Management• HR Support Services Include: Tailor made packages. 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The successful applicant should be compassionate, Garda-vetted and available for 3 hours twice per week. Duties include driving to hospital appointments, facilitating weekly shopping and social outings. The candidate should have full drivers licence and be prepared to assist the individual in and out of car and places she may choose to go. While the individual is mobile she is at risk of falling. Hourly rate of €13. For inquiry please contact Michelle Reade on 087 64451554© January 2020 The Meath Coaster 44 with aplomb under the direction of Mrs Brennan. Reált Na Mara BNS Christmas Concert D onacarney Boys school delighted family and friends recently with an amazing evening`s entertainment in their Christmas Concert. This played out to a crowd of almost seven hundred people in the magnificent school hall. Both Sixth Classes formed the choir for the evening. Under the direction of Ms Mullen, Ms McBride and Ms McWeeney, they were expertly accompanied by Ms Milne, Ms Gerard, Ms Cronin, Ms Smyth and Seán McWeeney. And they delighted with a broad range of songs in between the various staged productions. Third Class perform “Yo! Ho! Ho! A Pirate’s Christmas” Can you make out the word featured in the shadow dance? First up were Third Class boys with their stage production of “Yo! Ho! Ho! A Pi- rates Christmas”. Singing and dancing be- neath the Jolly Roger, the boys performed Sixth Class Choir Mr Culligan’s and Ms Colleran’s Fourth Classes delighted with their Shadow Dance. Their innovative choreography played out behind a specially constructed set to the Ms McWeeney’s rendition of “Fix You” by Coldplay. Ms Smyth’s Fourth Class had spent hours rehearsing for their Synchronized Swim- ming Skit. It was an hilarious dance and dive session to a waltz by Johann Strauss.© January 2020 The Meath Coaster 45 Ukelele Orchestra Fourth class swimming/dancing in the `pool`! Donacarney Parents’ Association’s recent gift of ukuleles to the school was well re- warded with Ms Gerrard’s Fifth Class de- lighting the audience with two wonderful songs all accompanied by the boys’ play- ing. This, after just one term of lessons was a pretty remarkable achievement! They rounded off their session with Amhrán na gCupán as Gaeilge.(The Cup Song). Ukelele Orchestra Mr Arthur’s Class preented a medley of pop songs and an original and very funny version of The Twelve Days of Christ- mas, referencing everything to do with their school lives from hurling, to tricky spellings, PE and Clare jerseys! Before the end of the evening, Ms Burke thanked the audience for their support on the night and throughout the term. She noted that the boys had achieved great success on the evening through all of their efforts and praised the sixth classes for venturing further with their singing with their upcoming visit to Moorehall Nurs- ing Home. © January 2020 The Meath Coaster 46 portunity to welcome parents, family and friends to the school. The most recent Cake Sale and Coffee morning was one such event. As always, the Mornington community along with school staff rallied around, providing an abundance of good- ies for sale. A core group of parents gathered to man the coffee dock, and provide refreshments With the teamwork, spirit and dedication on show on the night, it’s clear that these boys and their teachers can achieve any- thing they set their minds to. They certain- ly created a night to remember! The evening ended with a rousing “Merry Christmas Everyone”. Rock Stars! Christmas Cake Sale & Coffee Morning Donacarney Boys school enjoy every op-© January 2020 The Meath Coaster 47 for friends and neighbours who gathered in the school hall. Festive spirit abounded. And the commer- cial spirit did too as the Students Council proved very successful in off-loading li- tres of diluted orange to thirsty customers. Meanwhile, ticket sellers reported high demand for tickets in the hamper raffle. The school’s coffee morning and cake sale is an annual event, which raises much needed funds for the school and also, this year, for the local branch of St. Vincent de Paul Society. See more pictures of this and other events on the Principal’s Blog on www.donacarneyschool.ie §© January 2020 The Meath Coaster 48 Business Trade Fair The Drogheda Grammar School Trade fair took place on Friday 13 th . A perennial favourite of the school calendar, it offers business students a platform to put what they study in theory into practice. This years’ Trade Fair saw every student en- terprise putting in a lot of hard-work to ensure they were successful on the day. Among the myriad stalls on display were DIY Donuts, fruit mocktails, homemade bakes, milkshakes and handcrafted jewel- lery for the whole school community to enjoy. Drogheda Grammar School T hursday 12 th December marked a very special night for Drogheda Gram- mar School as we celebrated our annual Christmas Carol Service. With over 400 people in attendance at The Bevan Lamb Hall, the night comprised a memorable programme of music, (expertly led by music teacher Ms. Tamlyn Norris), carols and readings. First to Sixth-year students showcased their musical talent which was a joy for all to hear. We were honoured to have past principals and members of our Board of Management present to deliver readings. In celebrating the present and looking forward to the future, we are particularly grateful to those who have contributed to the success of the past 350 years. A special note of gratitude was offered to previous Board of Management Chairmen Charlie Allen and Robert Berney who played an influential role in the development of our school in our more recent history. As part of our celebration of 350 years of education, the night was made all the more special as a book on the history of the school was launched. Co-authored by Principal Hugh Baker and local historian, John McCullen, the book includes sto- ries and pictures documenting the school from its opening in 1669 to the present day. Anyone interested in purchasing the book can contact the school office on 041- 9838281. 350 year Historical book of school© January 2020 The Meath Coaster 49 Sport Results Our 1 st Year hockey players enjoyed great success recently as they went to Wesley College and won 3-0. Our 1 st girls trav- elled to St. Gerard's in Bray where our As won and our Bs lost. Well played all, es- pecially our first-time goalkeepers! While our U14s boys’ rugby team were victorious over Dundalk Grammar School, our senior rugby team were un- lucky to lose to a very talented Titans team, visiting from South Africa. Inclem- ent conditions certainly played a part on the day. Congratulations to all! TY School Bank TY launched the Bank of Ireland 'School Bank' programme recently, which aims to promote financial literacy. The bank, which pupils run themselves with on-site help and guidance from Bank of Ireland staff, offers a unique workplace experi- ence. Pictured below are Donal O’Byrne, Aoife Daly, Tanure Osowa and Benny Okoiron. DGS student poetry Our congratulations to 5 th Year student, Matthew Maloney, who won the Tommy Murray Award for most promising young writer award in the Francis Ledwidge writing competition for his poem, ‘Sing- ing Man of Dingle’. Pictured below is Matthew receiving his award. §Next >