Askeaton Heritage & Tidy Towns

ABC News 2021 on sale at SuperValu, Moran's, Shanahan's, Davison's, Post Office & Centra. A great read for €10.

Record-breaking numbers take part in Irish Garden Bird Survey The citizen science event aims to build a better picture of how common Irish birds are faring.

The results of th 2021 Tidy Towns Competition have been released. We gained 5 marks and now stand at 314. The report reflects the fact that no adjudicator visited the town this year ... just analysed the application submitted. We cannot distribute the report in the usual way i.e. attached to the Scratching Pole. It will be included is the ABC News as usual.
Well done to all residents who present their properties well, while not forgetting to leave a patch for the bees.🐞🕷🐝🪳🐛

Wooden cargo vessel ... 95 years old .. designed by Conor O'Brien of Foynes Island. Worth seeing.

Keep an eye out on the Shannon Estuary tomorrow - The Shannon Estuary Way Inaugural Voyage West is happening. Tomorrow at 10.45am the great Ilen boat will arrive at Steamboat Quay in Limerick and will depart at 11:45am to set off on its voyage up the Shannon Estuary to Kilrush, with all the cargo in tow.

IRELAND’S ONLY SURVIVING wooden cargo sailing boat, The Ilen, which was built in Baltimore in West Cork in 1926, is Ireland’s last wooden cargo vessel with a hold, and heir to a centuries-old trading tradition which is now being revived worldwide as an eco-friendly sustainable alternative to powered freight.

The cargo ketch served for over 70 years transporting sheep and goods between the Falkland Islands before being brought back to Ireland 20 years ago and restored by a team led by Limerick man Gary MacMahon.
It's original designer, Conor O’Brien, died on Foynes Island in 1952.

It will be a spectacular sight to see, and we encourage you to make your way to the water to welcome and wave out as the boat passes. The approximate arrival and departure times are as follows:

11.45am : Ilen departs Steamboat Quay
4.45/5pm : Ilen arrives at Kilrush
5.4.5/6pm : Ilen departs Kilrush
8.45/9pm : Ilen arrives at Foynes

You can also track it here:

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:5684368/mmsi:250005343/imo:0/vessel:ILEN

Homemade smoothies and juices are a delicious way to eat more fruit.

Plus, it's handy to use up older, softer fruits that are left in the bowl - these are often at their sweetest.

That's another way to and

Should be worth tuning in to this talk. Hear what the experts say on looking after our rivers & birdlife.

Inishowen Rivers Trust & Birdwatch Ireland This session will be jointly delivered by Trish McLaughlin from Inishowen Rivers Trust & Daniel Connaghan, from Birdwatch Ireland

Coláiste Mhuire working hard on their Green Flag ... Litter & Waste project. https://twitter.com/ColMhuire/status/1385209770324418563?s=19

Col Mhuire Askeaton Science on Twitter “3rd years out with Ms.Houlihan with and initiative collecting litter on the campus ”

Coláiste Mhuire planning for the future ... sowing wildflower seed for EarthDay2021
https://twitter.com/ColMhuire/status/1385159034337210369?s=19

Col Mhuire Askeaton Science on Twitter “Great morning for it ☀️ food plants for winter birds being set by group ! ”

Coláiste Mhuire doing great work in supporting the Pollinator Plan. Bug hotel in an old tyre .. simple to make. https://twitter.com/ColMhuire/status/1388113584673206273?s=19

Col Mhuire Askeaton Science on Twitter “Got some old twigs or timber hanging around? Reuse an old tyre? Easily make a bug hotel with the kids this weekend. TY group 3 got this going as part of our project ”

WANTED !! Used boards or shelving or press to kit out a storage container for Community Employment ..... to hold such as paint tins, garden tools, etc.
Second-hand, painted, stained or bare ... all ideal. If u can help in any way please contact Maurice Carrig, CE Supervisor, at the Hall 392295.
Please share.

The first cuckoo flower (Lady's Smock, biolar grèagáin) of 2021 near the slip road east of the town. It won't be long now till we hear the cuckoo singing. If you see any orange tip butterfly looking for a good place to deposit her eggs send her in that direction. Her tiny caterpillars love to eat cuckoo flowers.

Is dona linn an briseadh seo!
Our grass-cutting routine hit an unexpected blip this spring. Out of our control. Happy to report that a solution has been found and normal service will resume in open/green spaces shortly.

Sad news from Kilbeha today .... Mrs Hawkes has passed away. After such a long, healthy and productive life she has been spared a lingering final illness, thankfully. Sincere sympathy to her family. May she rest in peace.
Suaimhneas síoraí dá h-anam cróga.

Disgraceful behaviour in this ancient site of Christian worship. Sympathy to the Rector and his parishioners.
Other facilities in the town have suffered from similar senseless acts. We have many public and privately owned CCTV which can be used to identify people trespassing in the area. It's time the Gardai charged the culprits and taught them to respect the property of others.
As law-abiding people, we must reclaim our town.

An early bumblebee feasting on a dandelion in the church carpark. One dandelion has more food than a thousand daffodils. Leave a few for the bees

Anyone who has registered for TLC6 will receive 5 bags (by post or delivery). The organisers cannot take responsibility for people on the roads so you are asked to tidy your own property only, inside your own gate. Put the bags in your landfill bin (general waste) and the bin will be emptied by your nornal bin company on your regular day. It will be charged for in the same way as your own waste is normally charged.
NO SPECIAL COLLECTION.
NO CENTRAL POINT FOR POOLING BAGS OF RUBBISH.
BULKY ITEMS CANNOT BE COLLECTED THIS YEAR.

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh go léir!

Fanaigí slán

TLC 2nd April but not as we know it !!
People are asked to STAY AT HOME.
The organisers ask you to clean within your household boundaries only. People are encouraged to treat TLC6 as a ‘spring clean’ – tidying attics, clearing out cupboards, washing windows, emptying the garage, weeding the garden and everything in between.
More info re collection of waste will follow.

The organisers of the annual Team Limerick CleanUp have decided to go ahead with this year's event on Good Friday, April 2nd. Final details haven't been announced yet as they will depend on government restrictions in force at that time.
Tidy Towns groups are not advised to have central gatherings for distribution of materials as heretofore. Instead, individuals and families are invited to register an expression of interest on www.TeamLimerickCleanup.ie. who will contact you directly. This will suit many of our usual volunteers who have focused on their own areas in the past. .
Registration will not compel you to take part.

Emma Langford has just released a beautiful version of Janis Ian's At Seventeen. Worth checking it out! Emma is one of our own ... Ina Hanafin's daughter. A great talent.