< PreviousCllr SHARON Fresh Thinking, Straight Talking, Hard Working Sharon TOLAN If I can be of any assistance to you or your family, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with me. Tel: 086 366 9852 Email: sharon.tolan@members.meathcoco.ie Representing Drogheda & East Meatht Talking, Hard Working aron to you esitate e. Meath© November 2020 The Meath Coaster 42 The View From The Kitchen Table, By Geraldine Hughes T he view from this kitchen table is look- ing very typical November -damp and a bit dreary. Without the Christmas party season to look forward to it’s a little more grim than usual. So, what can we do about that then? Well absolutely zilch, since Un- cle Tony has cancelled Christmas on us, and to be honest, who would want to party standing 2 metres away from each other, slathered in hand sanitiser? But before we try to reinvent Christmas we have to get through November. Find- ing myself unemployed or to use the term furloughed again which kind of sounds like we’ve been put into storage, I’m struggling to amuse myself. Like the rest of us who are considered expendable by the powers that be, my house is painted, cleaned out, and re-organised to a degree that Marie Kondo would be proud of from the last prolonged stint at home. Along with reorganising everything, I did a bit of self-improvement reading and a lot of it spoke about having a Growth mindset. I am a hairdresser so having a growth mind- set is nothing new to me or anyone who works in a fast-paced industry, and my job is all about changing it up, continual retraining, trying new products, dumping everything you know to embrace a new, and better way of doing things. Not all jobs are like this, some are formu- laic and need to be because that’s the way they work, but even then, a growth mind- set is always preferable to a fixed one. It seems to me that when faced with a new situation, that new thinking might be re- quired. I should state at this point that although I am a hairdresser, I should clearly be on the board of NPHET, along with a few thou- sand others on social media but sure look, I might as well throw my thoughts into the mix as well! I think the government did what they were meant to do when faced with a pandemic. They implemented their Pandemic plan and that was right and correct and probably saved thousands of lives. I have no medical training and all I have to go on is opinion, not mine but those of the 50 clients I put through my hands each week, and what I’m hearing is that on a human level, this continued lock- down approach is not working. I am seeing lonely, anxious, scared peo- ple. They are also angry, frustrated and confused and now they don’t even have us to vent to. I am feeling all of those things too, but mostly angry. I don’t pre- tend to have the answer, but I know there has to be a better way to tackle this than by putting retail, hair and beauty, gyms, hospitality and the travel industry on their knees. There must be a way forward to protect those that need it and let the rest of us get on with our lives. At the very least a debate with those who think there is an- other way, qualified people with a forward - thinking growth mindset. § Read and share the article online at www.meathcoaster.com/articles Please mention The Meath Coaster when replying to advertisementsBG PAINTING & DECORATING InterIor & exterIor 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE REFERENCES AVAILABLE FREE CONSULTATIONS & ESTIMATES WALLPAPER ALSO AVAILABLE Contact Brian 086 7308449 Noel Savage Electrical Services 20 Years Experience • Security Lighting Fuseboard Upgrades • Rewires, Extra Sockets • Lights, Fully Insured and Registered No Job Too Small Bettystown, Co. 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All Greenery chipped on site Driveway, Patio, Power-washed, Gutter cleaning Please mention The Meath Coaster when replying to advertisements ALAN KENNEDY ROOFING 0894483195 SLATING, TILING, FLAT ROOFS, RESTIRIX, LEAD WORK, CHIMNEY REPAIRS, UPVC FACSIA/GUTTERS, DRY VERGE/RIDGE SYSTEMS, VELUX WINDOWS, VENTS 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 11am - 4pm Closed for Lunch 1:30pm - 2:30pm Clothing Alterations •Wedding/Evening Wear • Leather/Suede Repairs •Curtains Same Day Service Mammy Day Care Crèche, Montessori & Afterschool Full and part-time care ECCE Free pre-school years Affordable childcare scheme After-school care Large outdoor play area 3 months to 12 years of age catered for Stamullen, Co. Meath E: info@mammydaycare.com T: 01 690 5333/086 8286927 Wishing all our chil - dren the best of luck going to primary school Laurence Shopping Centre Open for school books and toys Elite Gas Heating 089 4472863 elitegasheating@gmail.com www.elitegasheating.ie • gas boilers replaced • gas boilers serviced • cylinders replaced & full installation • gas hob installed© November 2020 The Meath Coaster 44 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 Did you know... D id you know... Multi-Claim Protec- tion can pay out multiple times for different illnesses over the lifetime of the policy and it can also trigger multiple claim components for one illness. Did you know... Life insurance pays out a lump sum if you die or suffer a critical ill- ness (depending on the type of cover you hold). Death in service is similar. Death in service may be offered by companies as part of an employee’s benefits pack- age. It’s paid out as a tax-free lump sum if you’re employed by the company (i.e. on the payroll) at the time of your death. Did you know... When you apply for life insurance, you may be asked to complete a medical exam and the life company will pay for this medical exam. It might be a good opportunity to avail of a complimen- tary check up! Did you know... Key Person Insurance is a business-specific life insurance (also known as Business Protection) which can compensate a company for the financial loss and other consequences of the death or serious illness diagnosis of a key mem- ber of the business. Did you know... Income Protection poli- cies and some Life Assurance policies al- low you to claim tax relief at either stand- ard tax rate (20% or 40%). This means if you are paying €100 monthly, you may get as much as much as €40 refunded on this premium Did you know... When structuring life as- surance for cohabiting clients and their family, it is important to remember that cohabitants have no automatic rights to their deceased partner’s assets under the Succession Act. By setting up an indi- vidual Life Assurance policy on the other person (i.e. Life of Another) with the pre- miums being paid from their individual bank accounts, this can help avoid a po- tential inheritance tax bill. Did you know... If you are self-employed, Shareholder/Directorship Protection is an arrangement between company directors, which allows for a deceased’s directors share of a company to be bought by the remaining Directors. Did you know... by reviewing your Mort- gage Protection policy, you may be able to obtain more cover and additional benefits for the same or reduced price than with your original policy. Did you know... the application process has become a much easier process these days with the availability of editable PDFs and Docusign …one pro to come out of the current situation! Did you know... For any change in life- style (e.g. New house, starting a family) it is a good practise to review your financial needs and check if you are fully covered or to see where you may require addition- al protection. Have a question? #justcallOran on 087 668 6624 or visit www.drumgoolebroker- age.ie for more articles and information. © November 2020 The Meath Coaster 45 Call Nicky - 041 9887128 087 7734344 A Local Business C o s m ic C l e a n www.cosmicclean.ie T&Cs & Minimum Charge applies MAJOR DISCOUNTS for Multiple Rooms Professional Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning SPECIAL OFFER! Stamullen Our Montessori staff are qualified, dedicated to providing kind, warm, tentative and a satisfying learning experience to each child 086 2162872 lamhabeagaanmhi@gmail.com Tusla inspected (part time place) Opening Times: 9am ·12pm We offer ECCE From 2 Years & 8 months, Ample Car Parking GAA Clubhouse Anam Cara Therapy Here for you. www.onlinetherapist.ie Mary “Em” Ryan Counsellor/Holistic Psychotherapist Shamanic Sound Healer anamcaratherapy@pm.me 083.859.9551 Sound Baths at Donacarney CC On Zoom now and In person from Jan. 2021. COMPUTER PROBLEM? Contact Oliver 041.988.7526 087.797.0740 iPhones Smartphones Repair Laptop/Desktop Repair & Upgrades Laytown & Bettystown Golf Club A photo of Lady Captain, Ann Bellew and Men's Captain, Gerry Wickham receiving their specially made club flags as a memento of their year as club captains at Laytown & Bettystown Golf Club. In these times of Covid restrictions, face masks were only briefly re- moved for the photo. These personalised flags are presented every year by Head Greenkeeper, Stephen Hoey.© November 2020 The Meath Coaster 46 Sonairte In Line With Government Level 5 Restric- tions, Sonairte is closed from Wednesday 21 October to 1 st December 2020 Like everyone in East Meath in Sonairte we are adjusting to the new normal of liv- ing with COVID. The Irish times recently reported on the wonderful way people in this area are flattening the curve, which is a credit to the wonderful community spirit we have in the locality. Of course we are blessed in many ways with the beach, the sea and even that cold east wind that wakes you up on a morning walk! In Sonairte we are using this time to catch up on many projects. If you visited during the summer, you will have noticed the cafe courtyard was closed for maintenance. We›ve been hard at work restoring this 18 th century courtyard. Walls have been fixed, flower beds have been removed, the invasive Ivy has been tackled, and windows have been painted. We have re- placed the hard concrete surface with soft grass, and plan to have more picnic tables available for when the café re-opens next year. We have included some photos of Jim, Jack, Simon and Mehrdad working on the courtyard last month. Our thanks to all our volunteers, CE and TUS workers who have worked tirelessly to help improve the centre over these past months. Jim & Larry helping do up the courtyard© November 2020 The Meath Coaster 47 All of us in East Meath have come through so many challenges already, and COVID is just another challenge. We look forward to re-opening as soon as we can. Take care and stay safe, from all of us in Sonairte. ( the «little bit of heaven on your doorstep» as one visitor once described the centre.). Remember you can still order online for our weekly delivery Please Note: All deliveries will be made following strict Covid guidelines. We hope to help make it easier for people who can›t leave their homes. When order- ing online, please make sure you are in the delivery radius. Our veg box contains a selection of certi- fied organic local seasonal produce grown in the Sonairte garden, delivered in plastic free packaging. At the moment we›ve got lots of lovely fresh leafy veg - great for salads or cooking. You can order a €10 (four item) bag, a €15 (six item) bag or a €20 (eight item) bag. You can also place orders from our eco shop online. The Sonairte Eco Shop has a strong fo- cus on organic, zero waste, plastic free, people and planet friendly, low carbon footprint living. Wherever possible our products are locally produced or are Fair Trade. Our aim is to be a community hub enabling people to live more sustainably to address the two interlinked crises the world currently faces – the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis. Visit our website to view our online bro- chure and to order your vegetable box § Jacko busy looking after Sonairte during the pandemic Jacko and Mehrdad levelling the courtyard` Simon helping do up Sonairte© November 2020 The Meath Coaster 48 Réalt Na Mara Girls’ School Halloween Fun In Donacarney GNS. W e are filled with a great sense of achievement after completing our first half term safely in school. A big thank you to the parents and children who took all our new rules and routines on board and persevered through difficult times to ensure the safe functioning of the school for the whole community. The BOM, teachers, special needs assistants, secretary and cleaning staff are to be com- mended for their tireless work in getting the school open again safely and main- taining very high standards throughout the half term. Go raibh mile maith agaibh go léir. We are blessed with a very commit- ted school community. Following a challenging and restricted eight weeks in school, the staff and pu- pils were delighted to get a break from the normal routine and dress up in their Hal- loween costumes on Friday. There was an air of excitement and joy as princesses, witches, skeletons and various scary and not so scary characters arrived in splendid colour through the school gates. There was an outdoor fashion parade for the senior classes with teachers making a super effort on the catwalk, lifting the spirits of the whole school as shouts of joy were heard from the yard in appreciation of all the outfits. The sun shone brightly and everyone made sure they kept their distance in their bubbles. Some classes played traditional games and some even managed “safe trick or treating”. Online Halloween games were a great success in many classes and there were treats “go leor!” The children and staff went home feeling happy and care- free. We look forward to another six weeks in school and we ask for God’s protection on staff, children and parents from all illness and harm. § Continued over....Next >