Community Matters 5nov2024

Community Matters, sponsored by Connemara Credit Union, discussed various topics. They talked about the Marconi Men's Shed in Clifton, which is being renovated with support from Forum. They also mentioned the Sunflower Spaces initiative, which aims to provide parking spaces for people with hidden disabilities. The spaces have a sunflower emblem and are meant for those who may have anxiety or other invisible conditions. The show also featured information on voter registration deadlines and tertiary degrees for students in Galway. Finally, they discussed Christmas in Clifton and the upcoming festivities in 2024. Community Matters is kindly sponsored by Connemara Credit Union Ltd, incorporating Clifton, Tully Cross and Carnda branches. Connemara Credit Union is here to serve the people of the Connemara area. Main office, Clifton and Tully Cross branch, 195 21101. Good evening and you're very welcome to Community Matters this Tuesday evening, November 5th. Just to give you a general idea of the lineup for tonight, shortly we're going to be talking to Karen Mannion, CEO with Forum, and Karen's going to be giving us a general update on Sunflower Spaces and the Newman's Shed and different issues like that. After the ads, we're going to be talking to Brian Dawson, Head of Communications and Public Engagement with the Electoral Commission, and Brian is going to be telling us about the deadlines to register for postal and in-person voting and also advice and resources available to new voters. So that's going to be happening in or around 20 past seven. At half seven then, we'll have Maria Doherty, Programme Manager for the West and Northwest of the National Tertiary Office, telling us about groundbreaking tertiary degrees, unlocking dream careers for students in Galway. And last but not least, at 7.45, Sive O'Gorman, Spokesperson with the Christmas in Clifton Committee is going to be putting us all in the Christmas spirit and telling us about the highlights of Christmas in Clifton for 2024. But before all that, I'm going to go with Karen and Karen Mannion, CEO with Forum. Karen, you're very, very welcome to Kilmarnock Community Radio. Good evening. Thanks very much, Mary. And you're no stranger to Kilmarnock Community Radio. So, I believe you have a few topics to talk to us about tonight because you're going to be talking about the doula, is it doula right to pronounce, doula programme? That's doula, yeah, that's right. Sunflower Spaces and Men's Shed in Clifton. So, will we start with the Men's Shed? It's Marconi Men's Shed, isn't it? Yeah. So, I suppose, you know, through our delivery now of the SCICAP programme, the Social Inclusion programme that we initiated there earlier on in the summer, we were able, and I suppose Men's Shed, you know, that concept has been around a number of years, but there was a lot of different, you know, a lot of different, you know, I suppose, work done through the years on trying to get, it seemed to be the most difficult thing was that there was, you know, there was always the will there, but to actually find a premises. So, what's happening is, is that, I suppose, you know, Forum now is based out of the Air Building in Clifton, and we have sheds available. So, I suppose, we were able to kind of create, you know, we had the infrastructure there to say to people, you know, if there was an interest in, you know, in predominantly the Clifton area, you know, that we would have a premises available. So, Air for Bladestone have made a number of sheds available, two of another small sheds, but we've, you know, we've worked on it to amalgamate some of them. And about three or four weeks ago, there was a big meeting in Clifton and Station House, and there was a number of representatives from the HSE, from Goway County Council, obviously for ourselves and Forum, we led on it, and some community representatives, and Tom Whelan from the Irish Men's Shed Association. And there was groups from all over Connemara Mary. There was Ross Mock, Invern, Val Cannealy, Clifton, of course, Ryn Vyle, all over, you know, who came to hear more about the Men's Shed concept. And I suppose Tom, he represents, you know, Shed and Affair in Curnamona, and they've done fantastic work. So, yeah, so I suppose from that then, there was, you know, the will in Clifton to come together to, you know, to utilise the space as both a forum and an area offering. And a couple of weeks ago there, a group of men met, and it was 21 of them met, and a few apologies, which was great. So, we know that there's definitely an appetite for a Men's Shed. So, they decided to call themselves the Marconi Men's Shed. Oh, very good. And the idea behind that was that they didn't want to, like, it wasn't just people from Clifton, it was people from Val Cannealy, and Recess, and Clegg and Clutterduff, and all over. So, they decided, like, Marconi has been, I suppose, been an iconic, you know, the station and all that. You know, it's about communication, and they felt that that was a good, you know, a good name for it. So, it's a Marconi Men's Shed, and it just happens to be, you know, in Clifton. So, the renovations are underway at the moment, led by our wonderful Joe Ribbon, who's supervisor here in Forum, and his merry band of men who work on the scheme. And they're just absolutely brilliant, and the talent that they have, carpenters, and plasterers, and builders, and all that. So, they're refurbishing the Men's Shed. So, I suppose the thing about it is that, you know, Forum are here to support, you know, and kind of help, you know, help, as we say, build capacity. But it's up to themselves. You know, they'll lead on it, and they'll get, of course, some direction and help from the Irish Men's Shed Association. And Karen, pardon my ignorance now, but when you were saying about the air office and that, is that around the back of the Garda station? That's correct, yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. It's a two-story building at the back of Garda station, and you come through the double gates, and the, you know, the big yard there, and Clifton's Life Centre are, you know, in some of it, and then we're in the majority of it. So, as I say, there's a number of sheds there, so we have a few available, and we also have a number of polytunnels as well that are, you know, able to secure funding for them as well. So, we will have a community garden here as well, you know. But you know yourself, Mary, all these things take time. Absolutely. You know, and you know yourself, budget, we have to, you know, mind the budget, you know. And how frequently are they hoping to meet? Well, that all has to be discussed. We're having a meeting tomorrow evening here in the Ayer building in Clifton at 7 o'clock. Okay. And anybody who's interested, you know, please come along, and that'll all be, I suppose, fleshed out. The chairperson of the, that was appointed of the committee is Tom McWilliam from Ballycamele, and there is, you know, a number of other officers as well, you know. So, they will have structures and, you know, setting up bank accounts, and they'll have to decide then themselves when, you know, do they want to meet during the day or evening time, or is it a mix of both, you know. So, that all has to be worked out. Okay. That's brilliant. That's fantastic, and it's really important for this area. Now, the next thing I kind of want to get onto that intrigues me is sunflower spaces. Oh, yes. Yes. Now, can you tell us how they came about? Yeah. So, for the listeners, sunflower parking spaces, you might have noticed a couple of them in Clifton. One is outside Paddy Powers, outside Clifton Boutique Apartments, and the other one is just outside the Super Value store. So, how that came about was, as your listeners are probably aware, we run a program here. Well, it was called Ability, and then it was called Want to Work, and now it's called Workability. It depends on how the funding streams go. So, we've been working. The ethos of that is to help people with disability to progress towards employment. So, here in Forum, through many years, we would have worked with people to help either parents or people with disability to improve and have purpose in their lives and to have a good quality of life and avail of all the services, particularly when we live in such a really isolated area. So, we would have worked a lot through the years and supported the likes of Connemara Therapeutic Riding, et cetera. So, it's a very good relationship, you know, with a lot of the service users and their parents and families and, you know, people that are in that space, advocates for people with disability. So, the idea of the Sunflower Spaces, well, you say, well, what's the difference between, say, a disabled parking space where you see, you know, the blue and the emblem for the wheelchair? So, the idea is that, you know, the kind of the legal disability spots there are for people with physical disability. So, you'll notice that they're, you know, that bit wider and, you know, they facilitate they're on a flat, you know, kind of a flat trajectory or whatever. And then the Sunflower Spaces are for people with a hidden disability. And it's a recognized emblem now of hidden disability. So, a lot of people have said to me that they've seen it in airports, you know, that they, you know, particular areas within, you know, maybe quieter places within an airport or, you know, maybe some of the toilets, you know, spaces have this sunflower. So, it came about through a wonderful advocate in Connemara, Nicola Hainew, and she came, you know, she came up or she must have, you know, came across it or researched it or whatever. And we worked with Gowai County Council and particular Councillor Jennery King and Liam Tierney there and TJ Redmond in Gowai County Council with the idea of having these spaces. And, you know, it came about recently and we're trying to spread the word, I suppose, that hidden disability, it's not just what you can see, it's what you can't see. So, there could be people, you know, with anxiety, there could be people with, you know, physical, you know, maybe disability that you can't see. So, people maybe with stoma bags that have to, you know, go to a toilet quickly and can't explain that, you know, they can't park a long way away. And there's lots of different reasons that people have hidden disability. So, we're supposed to, I suppose, we're trying to recognize and try and do our best to support people within the town. And how does that work then? Like, do they still have to display a badge on the car or if they don't, what's to deter anyone parking there? There actually isn't. There's no legal standing for it. Okay. It's a goodwill, you know, it's a goodwill thing. A goodwill, yeah. Yeah, yeah, it is, yeah. Yeah. Well, again, well, hopefully, hopefully they respect it because it's such a lovely idea. Yes, it is. And so important because, I mean, it's very, very easy, you know, for the disabilities that you can't see, but so, so many people have, are dealing with issues that you can't. Yes, exactly. Exactly. So, I suppose, you know, look, it's one initiative to try and see, can we, you know, improve the lives of people with hidden disability. Yeah. And are you hoping maybe for more if these ones prove to be successful? Yeah, I suppose that's something that we can discuss, you know, with the county council. I suppose at the moment, it's very much, you know, just to kind of get, you know, get those spaces up and running and see how it goes. But we'd love to, I suppose, you know, that brings me on to, like, you know, the new program that we have here, the SCICAP program. So, we'll be trying to work with people, you know, with advocates for people with disability, you know, with other initiatives, you know, to try and, you know, to try and make Clifton as disability friendly as possible. Very good. Now, I know I'm flopping from subject to subject at a great rate, but I'm just conscious of time. The Doula project. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Can you talk a little bit about that? Yeah. So, the Doula program, I suppose, we started on the journey with rhododendron control way back in 2019, I think it was, through the Connemara EIP. And that was a program, it was a pilot program, which eventually led to these EIPs, you know, that were national programs, that were pilot programs that, you know, the likes of ourselves applied for. And, which you've probably heard of farmers talking about the acres program. So, a lot of the learnings in the EIP actually came in through, you know, to the acres program. But anyway, one of the initiatives was invasive species control. And, of course, rhododendron is a huge problem in a lot of Connemara. So, it started there, I suppose, then. We've a great working relationship with the Lian An Development Association, who were simultaneously, while we were doing that, they were also working on a program called the Bunduraka project, which was, you know, again, the same as ourselves, community led, you know, and there was, you know, operatives actually, you know, treating and controlling rhododendron. So, then, I suppose, roll on, 2000 and 23, where we got annual funding from Wild Slanted Nature, and it's funding through the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Fund. And, we were able to employ 10 operatives to work in, you know, in South Mayo, and kind of Northwest Connemara. And, that was, as we call it, Doula One, and it's working really, really well. And, we've, you know, we've project staff, you know, support staff there, project facilitator, and then a project ecologist, you know, on contract. And, I suppose, again, you know, the admin handled through here, you know, through forum. And, then, we went for another iteration of funding, and we call it Doula Two, and we now, would you believe, have recruited a team for South Connemara. We now have 20 operatives, 10 in South, working full time, working very hard. There's no other way of saying it, it's a difficult, difficult job. You know, PPE, a lot of equipment, you're dealing with chainsaws, you're dealing with pesticides, you know, long journeys into, you know, boggy lands, you know, or mountainous, you know, kind of areas to treat the rhododendron. So, it's very hard work, but they're highly trained operatives, and very, very skilled. And, you know, we're also looking, they're doing other, you know, training as well, in terms of, we'll say, like tree planting, and fencing, and, you know, lots of different chainsaw courses, and, you know, even fire training, and lots, lots of extra, you know, to try and, I suppose, create pathways for a career, what we would call landscape management. So, as I say, Doula is a great success, and Doula Two brought on board a project manager, and also financial, you know, administration. So, the program is growing and growing every year, and we work very closely, you know, with the likes of, obviously, the farmers in the area, but, you know, Quillsha, and, you know, National Parks and Wildlife, and, you know, all the people, basically, who own, you know, who own land in Connemara, you know. So, we're doing our best, but I'm told that it doesn't matter if we kept doing it for years, there'd still be rhododendron growing, you know. So, it's a big, it's a big undertaking. I always think it's such a pity that it is so invasive, because it's so beautiful. Like, I remember years ago, when the road to Kylemore would be lined with all the pink everywhere, and it's just, it's unfortunate that it is so damaging and so invasive, but there you go. But, yeah, but Karen, I am very, very sorry for the way I swung around from topic to topic there, but I was very, very conscious of the time, and I'm getting all kinds of signals here that I'm out of it. So, I'm going to have to let you go, but thank you so much for taking the time. Not at all, and we'll be back on Connemara Radio again, I suppose. You know, we've had so many people to recruit, and we've a lot going on in Forum. We've over, I think it's 40, sorry, 54 on the payroll now in Forum, and we're really busy recruiting people, lots of programs going on, you know, so we're delighted now. So, we'll be back on to you again to tell you more about what's going on in Forum. Well, thank you, and thank you all for helping to make Connemara such a lovely place to live in. Thank you all. Thanks very much, Mary. Take care, Karen. Okay, that was Karen Mannion there. We're going to go with the ads now. When we come back, we're going to be talking to Brian Dawson, Head of Communications with the Electoral Commission. Wildlands Winter Wonderland is back, and it's bigger than ever. Take the drama out of Christmas with one-hour play, sustainable gifts, printed family photos, hot drinks, and treats all included. Meet Santa, Mrs. Claus, and his merry team of elves. Tickets now on sale at wildlands.ie. It's a double whammy at Brodericks Electrical for the month of November. Not alone can you get Black Friday deals every day for the whole month, but you can also get cashback offers on two of our biggest brands, AEG and Electrolux. 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Call Joices on 095-246-58 for more information. Well, you're very welcome back. And on the phone now, I have Brian Dawson, Head of Communications and Public Engagement with the Electoral Commission. Brian, you're very welcome to Connemara Community Radio. Thanks very much for having me on. Well, it's great to get away from the American election for a while. I know. And to focus on, our troubles are a little early in comparison, aren't they? And to focus on an Irish perspective. So, there's no date as of yet, but they are looming, no doubt. So, I suppose first and foremost, why was the moratorium lifted? You know, the 24-hour election broadcast moratorium. And is it a good thing? Yeah, well, certainly, ourselves in our role on Commission Tawaghan, which is Ireland's new independent electoral commission, we made a recommendation in July this year to Commission the Man, the media commission, that the moratorium should be lifted. And I'll tell you, our logic for recommending that was, we've done surveys with voters after the referendum votes earlier this year. And we found out that, say, for those votes and actually for the European elections, up to almost a third of voters, 28% of voters, only made their mind up in the last 24 hours. And actually, giving them the opportunity to get the information that they need to off-broadcast, we thought it's really important so that everyone can turn on their radio, turn on their television and engage with the election. So, all in all, we think it's a very positive step and one that we're welcoming. Okay. All right. Well, moving on then, postal voting, is that predominantly overseas? No. We have, obviously, people have heard a lot about postal voting and various different forms of voting, particularly with the US elections and the recent British elections. But we have postal voting here in Ireland, but it's in kind of limited enough circumstances that you can apply for a postal vote. So, say, for example, if you're someone with an illness or a disability and you're unable to attend your polling station on polling day, you can apply for a postal vote. Or maybe because of your work or if you're studying full-time in the States but you're unable to get to your normal polling station on polling day, you'll be able to apply for a postal vote. But, and this is why I'm delighted to have the chance to chat to you, we're saying to people, both in terms of postal voting and just in-person voting, don't wait for an election to be called. You can actually go online now onto a website which is checktheregister.ie and you can sort out your registration before an election is called and you'll have it done then for whenever the polls come around. Because when the thesis does get around to calling an election, at that point, deadlines kick in for voter registration. So, say, for example, if the election is later this month, which is what media are suggesting, the registration deadline could be as short as four days for people to get their registration in order. So, either if you're a new voter, maybe if you've turned 18 or if you haven't registered before, you might have a very short window of time to get your registration sorted. So, what we're saying is don't wait for an election to be called. Take a few minutes, and literally it's only a few minutes, to go on to checktheregister.ie and sort out your registration details or maybe just check that your existing registration is correctly listed. The good people in Galway County Council work very hard to keep the registrations up to date, but it's always good to just double-check. So, for first-time voters then, if they register now, they'll be in time before this year's elections? Yeah. So, as I say, if you register now, you're guaranteed, as long as you're eligible to vote, to get your vote on the day the general election happens. So, go on to checkregister.ie and do that. And should I maybe talk you through who is eligible to vote in the general election? Because it's slightly different from the recent local or European elections. So, if you're an Irish or British citizen, you're resident in Ireland, and you're aged 18 or over on the day of the election, and, crucially, you have to be registered to vote, then you'll be entitled to vote whenever the general election comes along. And what we're saying to people across Connemara is that your vote is your voice, and you wouldn't let people decide other life decisions for you, where you go on holidays, what you have for dinner, but this is an opportunity to make sure that you have your say on really important issues of who's going to represent you in the 34th Dáil and how the decisions will be made in that Dáil around how taxpayers' money is spent. So, it's a small amount of time to get registered and on polling day to go in and make your mark on the ballot paper, but we're really encouraging people to use that time and to do it. OK, and then, for existing voters, if anybody who wants, we'll say, to update their registration details or their changed address, etc., how do they go about that? Well, it's a very similar process, so, literally, go on to checktheregister.ie, you'll be able to put in your details and check how you're listed on the register, you can check that your address is right, as I say, you might have moved house, it's been a while since the last general election in 2020, so you can check that your details are correct, that you're listed properly, and that way you know and you can be sure that you're ready to go come election day. And, another question, what happens if you don't get a polling card in the post? Yeah, well, it's no problem, first of all, again, you can just check that you're on the register, and to vote on the day, it's preferable if you bring your polling card with you, because it speeds up the process, but you don't need to have your polling card. So, you can still go down to your local polling station, bring a form of ID, whether it's a passport or a driver's license, or there's a whole list of IDs that you can bring with you, which are listed on our own website electoralcommissions.ie, and then you'll be ready to go. And, can I just say as well, particularly for first-time voters, it can sometimes be assumed that everyone knows how to vote, but we've produced very clear videos on our website that show you exactly how to vote from the moment you walk into the polling station to the moment you walk out, that you know what to expect. And, as I say, that's strictly targeted at first-time voters, but there may be others who just might want a refresher, that you start with your number one, then you work down the ballot paper for as many or as few candidates as you want, and then you make sure your ballot paper has been stamped by the staff in the polling station, and then that's job done, you put it in the box and wait for the results. Okay, and then going back to the postal voting, if there is somebody who feels that they won't be able to travel on the day, is it a straightforward process to organise that postal vote? What you have to do, so say if it's related to an illness or disability, which would be preventing you to go to your polling station, you have to get a form which is available for download on our website, electoralcommission.ie, or the checktoregister.ie, and so you can download that form, you have to get it signed by a medical practitioner, for example maybe your GP, and then you have to get that into your local authority, so that's more of a paper-based process, and as I say, obviously you have to go and see your GP, so it can take a few days longer, so we really encourage people, if you think you're going to need a postal vote, please start that process early. Okay, well that's fantastic Brian, before I let you go, is there anything else that you'd like to bring to people's attention? Well, I suppose it's just to say that here in Ireland, we've had one of the longest continuous democracies globally, and it's something we can all be very proud of, but democracy is based on participation, and people having their say, as we say in our advertising, your vote is your voice, so I just really encourage people across Connemara to take the time, study who your candidates are, some of them are neighbours, some of them are friends, and use your vote, and please take the time to do that on polling day. Brian, thanks so much for coming on and talking to us, we really, really appreciate it. Thank you so much. Okay, we are going to go with a piece of music now, and when we come back we're going to be talking to Maria Doherty, Programme Manager for the West and North West National Tertiary Office. You're listening to Connemara Community Radio on 87.8 and 106.1 FM. If you have family or friends living away from Connemara, you can tell them to check out our website on www.connemarafm.com. Updated weekly. Well, that was a very short piece of music indeed, and you're very, very welcome back, and on the phone with me now I have Maria Doherty, Programme Manager for the National Tertiary Office. Maria, you're very, very welcome to Connemara Community Radio. Thank you very much, delighted to be on the programme. Now, you've come on to talk to us about tertiary degrees, so firstly, can you explain what is meant by a tertiary degree, and how would it differ from other degrees? I can. This is a new partnership, a new development, initiated by the Department of Further and Higher Education, and what it is, it's a collaboration between further education and higher education. What I mean by that is with the education and training boards and with the university sector. So, in this instance, this means that you start your degree in a further education institution, in an ETB, then you transfer into the university in your second year. You will be a joint student between the further education institution and the university, and in our case, in our region, it's Atlantic Technological University. So, you have the benefits of both supports of the university and the further education institution, and you have the benefits of having smaller class sizes, more supports, and you begin your degree there. So, when you transfer in, in your second year of your tertiary degree, and you transfer into the larger college or whatever, at what stage are you in that college? Are you starting in there as a first year, or are you continuing on second year? No, you're continuing on second year. That's the idea of it is that it's equal recognition. You've started your degree in ETB, and you're going into second year. And during that first year, you will have had an opportunity to visit the college, to see what it's like, to meet some other students. But you are a university student, it's just that you've started in a different place. Okay, and how many different tertiary degrees are there available nationally, and what fields of study are covered? At this moment in time, we have nationally, we have 19 courses available. Yes, yes, it's absolutely, it's brilliant, and it's incredibly innovative. It's the first of its kind that we know of in Europe, and it's a brilliant initiative, just in terms of the opportunities it's going to provide. So, there's immersive media, there's business, there's software development, there's information technology, there's public health and health promotion, there's applied healthcare, there's business with tourism and hospitality, there's nursing, general and mental, there's social work, and there's web and mobile computing. And that's just at this minute in time. That's actually brilliant. There's 19 courses, it is brilliant, but literally as we speak, we have courses being developed, and they will come on stream. We open our applications, we're different, in terms of other ways of applying, we open them in February. New courses, for sure, and we don't have, I don't have all the information to date, and some are in development, so we just need to make sure they're over the line. February 2025, we will have much more courses available. So, when do these courses actually start? They start, I mean, it's the same as any university course, it's the same academic year, so they start in September. I mean, like, when was the first intake? They started, we're into our second year, so our first intake was September 2023. So they're just a year, not even a year and a half. You know, it's really, it's very new. So we're into our second year, our second intake was September 24. And what's the kind of general feeling amongst the students that did start in September 2023? Have they found it a very positive experience? Yeah, they have. I have to say they have. We recently had a lovely conference in Dublin where we actually got to hear from them firsthand, and they're all, all of them, I think the word I would use is a huge amount of excitement among them, and also the realization that this has been a brilliant opportunity. So, you know, in terms of we have mature students who are coming, and in our region we have nursing in office, so we have mature mommies, I would say, coming back to study, and they maybe have, you know, through all of the years have wanted to study nursing, but just because of life and family commitments and work commitments weren't able to do that, and there they are now, and they're, you know, as one of them said, you know, I'm registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, I'm going to be a nurse, you know. So, I mean, the excitement and the opportunity that that has afforded. And another thing to take on board is there are no fees in first year. Really? That's great. No fees, no fees in first year, which just, you know, the cost of living is a lot at the minute, so it's giving families a break, it's giving students a break, and it's also, which is really important, is it's allowing people to stay in the region. I mean, that is a massive factor. When you look at nursing, you know, not that long ago, and I'm talking like a couple of years ago, we had, you know, a lot of our young people were emigrating, were going to England to complete their degrees because there wasn't the opportunity here, there wasn't the spaces, points were too high, and now they can stay. And that's a massive, a massive factor we need to take on board because if people stay, the chances are if you study and stay in your region, if you study in your region, you'll stay in your region. You know, you'll work there, where if you do emigrate or you have to move to another place or another city, it's harder to come back because, you know, life takes over and, you know, you started life somewhere else. So, yeah, so that's a massive benefit as well. Yeah, because, I mean, I know I've always kind of said to my teams that I always feel like education is lifelong and I think sometimes we're programmed that we have to go from national school to secondary school to college to whatever and, you know, life doesn't always work that way and I don't see why people can't sometimes take a breather after secondary school and, you know, and it's nice to know that through schemes like this they can always re-enter education. Exactly, I mean, it's about just taking a step back and saying, you know, there is another pathway here, this is direct access, there are no points to do an interview and it's given you an opportunity to study what you maybe have wanted to study whatever age you are, you may be a school leaver, you may be older, all of your life and like some of the stories we've had people who, you know, maybe you've gone to college already and it didn't work out, you know, you had to drop out or, you know, life got in the way or family circumstances got in the way and we heard some of those stories at the student conference in terms of, you know, one, and it was a mother as well in particular was like, you know, I didn't think I would have another opportunity, you know, to finish my education and here I do now because it's in my region and I can get transport to it and I don't have to travel, I don't have to move to another city and this is open, this is from like age 17 to whatever age, 100, you know, it's lifelong learning as you say and it's also a chance for people perhaps out there who may want to upscale, you know, they may say, you know, I always wanted to do software technology or public health or nursing and now it's a chance for me to do this so exactly, it is about that lifelong learning. Yeah, because I think it is incredible as well, you know, when you have kids of 16 and 17 and they're expected to know then what they want to do for the rest of their lives when they haven't really worked out in the real world at all. Well, that's it, I mean, that's it, it's just, you know, and in today's words particularly for our young people they're going to live a very long time. We hope, and you know, they may be working until they're 70 so, you know, there shouldn't be the pressure that you have to have it all figured out at 17 or 18 or 19, you know, take some time out, go to work, do a little bit of travel and see what suits you and then come back into education. Yeah, I know I'm deemed a tyrant at home, I always insist on them taking a gap year just for that purpose just so that they're not just kind of following their nose from one into the next. But yeah, life is a learning curve so what you're doing is absolutely fantastic. So these first intake then, they will be set to graduate what, in three years' time? Yeah, some courses are three, some are four, some are five. Our nursing course is an access, it's a tertiary access, so it's five. So some will be graduating in 26, 27, 28, they'll all be the big years and yeah, that'll be very exciting. So these are the pioneers? These are the pioneers, yeah, they are the pioneers, absolutely they are the pioneers. Just under 200 started, so yeah, they're the pioneers and it's great for them and their enthusiasm is brilliant, it really is, it's what it's about. Because you're actually, we all say that education changes people's lives but actually you can see it changing people's lives because then I would not have had this opportunity. I couldn't have gone back because of lots of different reasons and now I can stay and study in my region and study what I want to do. That's fantastic, it's absolutely fantastic. So Maria, for anybody that's listening who is interested in this and would really like to have the opportunity to do a tertiary degree, how do they get in contact with you? So how they get in contact is, the National Tertiary Office have a website and the details there are nto.ie and if you go forward slash courses you'll get all the courses that are on offer throughout the country because maybe people living or listening, not just in the Connemara region, somewhere else and may be interested. For the region where Connemara is, is Galway Rock Common, ETB will have details of the courses and you will apply through, it's called fetchcourses.ie, so F-E-T-C-H courses. That's where all the courses in terms of that sort of further education sector are there and their courses will be listed there but that's where you apply. So they don't open until February so perhaps I'll be back on again and telling you we have lots more courses on offer because then we will know exactly what courses we have. And it's an application form, that's it and then you're called for interview. Well Maria, thank you so much for all of that. That really is fantastic and I have no doubt that there's people listening that would be interested in that. So thank you very much for taking the time to come and talk to us. Thank you. Thanks so much Maria, thank you. Bye bye. Okay, we're going to go with a piece of music now. I believe it's Walk Away by Stockton's Wang and after that we'll be talking to Saive O'Gorman. She's going to be live here in the studio putting us in the mood for Christmas and telling us all about the highlights planned for Christmas 2024 in Clifton. I can hear a lonely minstrel on a crowded street No one stands to listen, they turn and look and scream Singing with his head held high, music's on the floor He can hear a distant cry reaching out to know So he walks away, talks away, looking for someone to blame Feeling fine, staying on the line like he's seen the world away Ooh, don't walk away Ooh, don't walk away The artist on the pavement has a burning wish inside I can hear the echo linger, she will be denied Yet beneath her ragged feet lies a mirror of their life She can smile, they pass by a fool through their eyes He walks away, talks away, looking for someone to blame Feeling fine, staying on the line like he's seen the world away Ooh, don't walk away Ooh, don't walk away Ooh, don't walk away He walks away, talks away, looking for someone to blame Feeling fine, staying on the line like he's seen the world away He walks away, talks away, looking for someone to blame Feeling fine, staying on the line like he's seen the world away He walks away, talks away, looking for someone to blame Feeling fine, staying on the line like he's seen the world away Ooh, don't walk away Ooh, don't walk away Don't walk away Don't walk away Don't walk away Don't walk away Don't walk away Don't walk away And now with me in the studio we have Sive O'Gorman. Sive, you're very, very welcome. Thank you so much, Mary. It's lovely to be here. And you have come in to talk to us about Christmas. Yes, unfortunately. There's no unfortunately about it. It's great your Christmas can't come early enough. So, I believe the Christmas in Clifton 2024 is going to take place over two weekends? That's right. So, this year we're launching on Friday, November the 29th with the lights being switched on in Clifton by very special guests again this year. And are you going to say who? Not yet. Can't possibly divulge quite yet. But yeah, keep an eye on our socials and we'll let you know. And that evening we'll have another sort of lovely street party, I hope, similar to last year. Maybe not quite as hysterical as it was last year. But, yeah, we'll have a nice sort of concert with Gigrig on the square and our lovely emcee Issa Mack, who's a DJ that the children know very well. I think she's been into the schools a little bit, teaching them how to DJ. And she was emceeing last year when Ryan made his appearance. And she'll be emceeing the evening on the 29th. So, yeah, it should be a really good night. We're hoping that Santa will come, too. And he'll be available for photos and chats with the little ones. So, yeah, kind of a similar vibe to last year. Because I was reading the line-up and it was kids clubs, reads and gift-making workshops, festive wine tasting, food events, live music, Christmas markets, concerts, movies, shopping discounts, seasonal hotel offers. There's a lot in there. So, that's the two weekends that we are talking about. So, following on from Friday the 29th, Saturday the 30th, there'll be some of those workshops and concerts happening on that day. And then the following weekend is the main weekend of the festival this year. So, that's the first weekend in December. So, that's the 6th, 7th and 8th of December. And, yes, we have workshops, we have kids clubs, kids workshops, which will include a kids sort of jewellery-making workshop at O'Doully's. So, there's going to be a couple of those this year. And, yes, you can bring your little ones to O'Doully's Jewellers and Jonty and Jade will look after you and sort of help your child make a gift, a bracelet or something similar, I think. I think they had a couple of those last year. Lovely idea. Yes, and we'll have some adult workshops as well. So, week-making, there's a couple of those this year. And sort of paper staff making sort of decorations, making workshops. So, we have a website this year. It's kind of a work in progress, but it's up and running. And all the events should be on the website as and when they get confirmed. So, please, just everybody, if you want to have a look at the website and further information on those events will be there. And I take it the website is what, just Christmas in Clifton 2024? Christmas-in-Clifton.com Okay, very good. And then for the, we'll say, the, not the markets now, what was I going to say there? You know, like for the workshops and that. Would they have to be booked in advance? Yes. So, the workshops will probably, they'd probably only be able to allow maybe 15 to 20 people. Okay. It's that, actually. So, you'd book directly with the venue. So, again, look at the website or look at our socials and you'll sort of see the venues. So, Reware next to Obaidam will be hosting a few of the workshops. But we also have a couple of other sort of new workshops this year. I don't know whether you can call them workshops, but one is a whisky-tasting masterclass. Wow. And that's going to be at Larry's. I take it that's not for the kids. No. And there'll be a Christmas wine-tasting sort of workshop, I guess. I don't know whether you can call it workshop, at Guy's. So, again, details on the website. But they will be with really amazing experts, Irish experts. So, Anka Hartman will be doing the wine-tasting workshop. And she's Ireland's number one sommelier at the moment, apparently. And John Moriarty will be doing the whisky-tasting workshop. So, really, Christmas in Clifton is, you know, it sort of came about to create a sort of really magical atmosphere in town for the community and for also the children, I think. And I think it sort of came out of a post-COVID feeling that we wanted to kind of create a lovely sort of coming-togetherness and atmosphere for particularly the children. But on top of that, you know, the town looks so beautiful at Christmas. And the shops make such an effort with their lovely lights. And the stock in the shops is just so great. You know, lovely gift ideas as well as wonderful, you know, international brands as well as Irish products. And we'd love to invite people out from Galway, maybe from further afield, to come and do your Christmas shopping in Clifton. So, you know, the festival is all part of that. It's about creating an atmosphere in the town for the community, but also to try to, you know, bring people out and, you know, encourage people to do their Christmas shopping in Clifton. So, the shops will hopefully be staying open later during the off-weekend. Yes. So, the two Fridays, the 29th and then Friday the 6th, there will be late-night shopping both those nights. Good. As I think that's traditional, certainly on the Friday the 6th, it's usually, or the first Friday in December, it's usually traditional, I think, to have the late-night shopping. And, of course, yeah, I think there's a couple of Christmas markets planned for those two weekends. So, one on Saturday the 30th up at Christchurch. It's just a lovely Christmas market. It's happened a few years now running. That's just lovely. It's lovely with lots of stallholders from all over Connemara and also coming from as far afield as Westport and Galway. I think there's about 30 stallholders. And then the Town Hall Christmas market will happen on Sunday the 8th of December. So, you know, a couple of really lovely, unique shopping opportunities there as well. So, you know, it's a lovely offer, I think, in terms of bringing people out. Now, I see here movies. That's the Station House Theatre, is it? Yes. It's going to be the Christmas movie, free of charge. And that's Saturday the 7th. So, again, timing's on the website. But, yeah, that's a nice sort of family event for that sort of Saturday, for the festival Saturday. And tell me about the live music. Yeah. So, Nick and Shona will be on the square. Very good. We are used to and very appreciative of. But also on Saturday the 30th, there's going to be pop-up carols by Kentari Connemara. At about five o'clock on the square, sort of just to add to the atmosphere. Their concert is the following Saturday at Christchurch. Tickets on the door. But, yes, the previous Saturday they're going to pop up on the square to sing carols. And I think they're going to plan to try to have a little bit of a sing-along at the very end of that little pop-up concert. OK. All right. And shopping discounts as well and seasonal hotel offers. It's all happening. So, just remind us now of the dates there again. Yeah. So, the launch date of, well, the lights switching on is going to be Friday the 29th of November. So, at six o'clock on the square. The gig group will be there and there'll be hundreds of children, I think, performing and singing. Ethan Mack, as I say, will be emceeing that evening. And there'll be Santa and face painting and possibly a snow machine, if we're lucky. And so, yeah, that's the bit of crack on the Friday, November the 29th. Then Saturday the 30th, Christmas market and other events. And then the following weekend, the Friday, Saturday and Sunday, lots of seasonal events and activities and concerts. Well, that's fantastic. All of that information is at the website Christmas-in-Clifton.com. That's it. That's fantastic. Well, Sive, we're very, very grateful to you for coming in and filling the studio with Christmas spirit. Thank you so much, Mary. Unfortunately, we still can't get away with playing Christmas music just yet, though, because there's much not that we'd like to. But no, we're very, very grateful to you for coming in. Thank you so much. And so, yeah, that was Sive O'Connor, spokesperson with Christmas in Clifton. And like that again, Christmas-in-Clifton.com. So Christmas-in-Clifton.com. And just all that's left for me to say really is a few thank yous to everybody who participated in tonight's programme. Firstly, to Karen O'Manion, who gave us a general update on some projects, including the jewellery project. I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly. And, of course, the Marconi Men's Shed and Sunflower Spaces. And just to say again that the Marconi Men's Shed is meeting again tomorrow. So if you would like to go in and take part in that, that will be happening and they'll be making plans as to how frequently they'll be meeting going forward. Brian Dawson was on to us about deadlines to register for postal and in-person voting. And like he said, make sure you use your vote. Maria Doherty from the National Tertiary Office was talking to us about tertiary degrees. And for anybody who would like, who would be interested in doing one of those, you can get in contact with them. You're up until next February, I believe, before the next intake. And last but not least, of course, we had a Sive with us here in the studio. So that's about it from us here on the Connemara Community Radio. Thank you so much for tuning in. I don't normally finish early, but I think this evening I actually have. So thanks to Dermot on the desk and thanks to everybody for listening. So for me, Merry Friday. Good night and God bless. Community Matters was kindly sponsored by Connemara Credit Union Limited, incorporating Clifton, Tully Cross and Carna branches. Connemara Credit Union is here to serve the people of the Connemara area. Main Office, Clifton and Tully Cross branch, 09521101.