Dog and owner re-united
by Ailbhe Nally
A dog has been reunited with its owner after he fell off the side of a cliff, where he stayed for 3 days.
David O’Connor (69) was walking his dog, Shandon, on the Fogher Cliffs in Valentia Island in CoKerry on Saturday when Shandon ran off.
Mr O’Connor was worried for his beloved two and half year old beagle and was very anxious to get him back.
Mr O’Connor told the Independent.ie; “I was very worried about him of course but even more worried someone else would fall off the cliff looking for him.”
Shandon was found in a crevice on the cliff face which is roughly 150 metres down.
He was saved by the Knightstown Coastguard Unit, who had been in touch with Suzanne Gibbons from the Animal Heaven Animal Rescue (AHAR) charity in Castleisland who had been warned by Mr O’Connor’s friend and Neighbour, Bobby Burton.
Ms Gibbons had offered to search the cliff herself to try and rescue the dog because she was told the coastguard could only come to the rescue of people.
The RNLI Lifeboat provided help from the sea.
Alan O’Sullivan, a Knightstown Coastguard volunteer managed to get in to the crevice and was able to hand the dog out to fellow volunteer Pat O’Driscoll.
They then placed a rope around Shandon’s neck and brought him back up to the top of the cliff where he was reunited with his owner.
O’Connor said “I’ll take him home now and dry him and feed him and then he can spend the night in front of the fire.”
A dog has been reunited with its owner after he fell off the side of a cliff, where he stayed for 3 days.
David O’Connor (69) was walking his dog, Shandon, on the Fogher Cliffs in Valentia Island in CoKerry on Saturday when Shandon ran off.
Mr O’Connor was worried for his beloved two and half year old beagle and was very anxious to get him back.
Mr O’Connor told the Independent.ie; “I was very worried about him of course but even more worried someone else would fall off the cliff looking for him.”
Shandon was found in a crevice on the cliff face which is roughly 150 metres down.
He was saved by the Knightstown Coastguard Unit, who had been in touch with Suzanne Gibbons from the Animal Heaven Animal Rescue (AHAR) charity in Castleisland who had been warned by Mr O’Connor’s friend and Neighbour, Bobby Burton.
Ms Gibbons had offered to search the cliff herself to try and rescue the dog because she was told the coastguard could only come to the rescue of people.
The RNLI Lifeboat provided help from the sea.
Alan O’Sullivan, a Knightstown Coastguard volunteer managed to get in to the crevice and was able to hand the dog out to fellow volunteer Pat O’Driscoll.
They then placed a rope around Shandon’s neck and brought him back up to the top of the cliff where he was reunited with his owner.
O’Connor said “I’ll take him home now and dry him and feed him and then he can spend the night in front of the fire.”
Spring Snowdrops
by Ailbhe Nally
In the National Botanic Gardens, there is hope for the impending spring as the earliest snowdrops for 40 years have bloomed.
According to the garden conservator Paul Maher, these flowers first flourished a week and a half before Christmas.
Although he can’t say that spring is officially here, he did explain that the soil is warm, the grass is growing and some plants are blooming three weeks before they’re supposed to.
Mr Maher explained why so many flowers are blossoming in mid-January “we think the winter we’ve had has been quite benign, and a very mild one as well.”
Another sign of spring is the magnolia tree as it leads the pack in terms of who blossoms first. Mr Maher said that the buds of the magnolia tree in the National Botanic Gardens are ready to open and the swelling of the buds is a major sign that spring is among us.
The national gardens documented temperatures as high as 9C this January.
Met Eireann said that growth happens at temperatures above 6C and the temperature has been above that several days this week.
The very rare and expensive Daphne is also flourishing in the National Garden Exhibition Centre in Kilquade, Co Wicklow. In a garden in Buncrana, Co Donegal, an extremely early rose has been seen and the rose is said to have come from a bud that was bursting to bloom.
In the National Botanic Gardens, there is hope for the impending spring as the earliest snowdrops for 40 years have bloomed.
According to the garden conservator Paul Maher, these flowers first flourished a week and a half before Christmas.
Although he can’t say that spring is officially here, he did explain that the soil is warm, the grass is growing and some plants are blooming three weeks before they’re supposed to.
Mr Maher explained why so many flowers are blossoming in mid-January “we think the winter we’ve had has been quite benign, and a very mild one as well.”
Another sign of spring is the magnolia tree as it leads the pack in terms of who blossoms first. Mr Maher said that the buds of the magnolia tree in the National Botanic Gardens are ready to open and the swelling of the buds is a major sign that spring is among us.
The national gardens documented temperatures as high as 9C this January.
Met Eireann said that growth happens at temperatures above 6C and the temperature has been above that several days this week.
The very rare and expensive Daphne is also flourishing in the National Garden Exhibition Centre in Kilquade, Co Wicklow. In a garden in Buncrana, Co Donegal, an extremely early rose has been seen and the rose is said to have come from a bud that was bursting to bloom.
GAA and IBTS Join Forces
by Ailbhe Nally
The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) and the GAA have joined forces in hope to raise €15,000 extra donations each year.
The ‘It’s In Your Blood’ action was rolled out yesterday at the National Blood Centre on the grounds of St James’s Hospital in Dublin, even though the partnership was agreed in June 2012.
The aim of the initiative is to make it more beneficial for GAA members to donate blood through their local clubs.
So far there are already 20 clubs across the country who are introducing clinics.
By the end of this year the GAA and the IBTS are hoping to create an additional 20 GAA hosted clinics.
In order to reach their goal of 15,000 extra donations, the GAA and the IBTS want 400 clubs to sign up to promote and support current clinics.
GAA president Liam O’Neill officially started the partnership with the IBTS chief executive Andy Kelly.
They were joined by Clare’s hurler of the year Tony Kelly, Dublin footballer Eoghan O’Gara, Cork camogie player Anna Geary and Monaghan ladies’ footballer Laura McEnaney.
Mr Kelly said “This will allow us to raise awareness of the 70,000 patients that need a blood transfusion each year, help us to facilitate people to give blood more regularly and inform new donors about giving blood.”
The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) and the GAA have joined forces in hope to raise €15,000 extra donations each year.
The ‘It’s In Your Blood’ action was rolled out yesterday at the National Blood Centre on the grounds of St James’s Hospital in Dublin, even though the partnership was agreed in June 2012.
The aim of the initiative is to make it more beneficial for GAA members to donate blood through their local clubs.
So far there are already 20 clubs across the country who are introducing clinics.
By the end of this year the GAA and the IBTS are hoping to create an additional 20 GAA hosted clinics.
In order to reach their goal of 15,000 extra donations, the GAA and the IBTS want 400 clubs to sign up to promote and support current clinics.
GAA president Liam O’Neill officially started the partnership with the IBTS chief executive Andy Kelly.
They were joined by Clare’s hurler of the year Tony Kelly, Dublin footballer Eoghan O’Gara, Cork camogie player Anna Geary and Monaghan ladies’ footballer Laura McEnaney.
Mr Kelly said “This will allow us to raise awareness of the 70,000 patients that need a blood transfusion each year, help us to facilitate people to give blood more regularly and inform new donors about giving blood.”
Viking Bus Clamped
by Ailbhe Nally
Viking Splash Tours got an unpleasant surprise this morning when they had found that their tour bus had been clamped overnight.
Viking Splash Tours is one of Dublin’s leading tour companies, who tour on land and water.
The company tweeted from their Twitter account @VikingSplash: “We got clamped (whoops) #ParkingFail”
The tour company received tweets from their followers who expressed their sympathies with messages saying “we feel your pain.”
Viking Splash Tours got an unpleasant surprise this morning when they had found that their tour bus had been clamped overnight.
Viking Splash Tours is one of Dublin’s leading tour companies, who tour on land and water.
The company tweeted from their Twitter account @VikingSplash: “We got clamped (whoops) #ParkingFail”
The tour company received tweets from their followers who expressed their sympathies with messages saying “we feel your pain.”
Fall Out Boy Meet Dublin Fans
by Ailbhe Nally
Fall Out Boy made an appearance at Tower Record’s on Dublin’s Dawson Street yesterday before they played the Olympia Theatre last night, where the band were greeted by many of their young teenage fans, some in tears.
Many of the fans waited with their CD’s clutched closely in hoping to meet the grammy award winning punk rock band and get their autograph. The fan’s wore ‘punk’ style clothing, converse runners and black and white clothing.
Their song “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark” went double-platinum as a top-10 hit in 2013.
Their fifth studio album, ‘Save Rock and Roll’ was released last April and debuted number one on Billboard’s Top 200 and number one on iTunes 27 countries.
Fall Out Boy originated from Chicago and the pop-punk band includes the front man Patrick Stump, the bassist Pete Wentz, the guitarist Joe Trohman and the drummer Andy Hurley.
Here's their latest song from their album Save Rock and Roll, Young Volcanoes:
Fall Out Boy made an appearance at Tower Record’s on Dublin’s Dawson Street yesterday before they played the Olympia Theatre last night, where the band were greeted by many of their young teenage fans, some in tears.
Many of the fans waited with their CD’s clutched closely in hoping to meet the grammy award winning punk rock band and get their autograph. The fan’s wore ‘punk’ style clothing, converse runners and black and white clothing.
Their song “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark” went double-platinum as a top-10 hit in 2013.
Their fifth studio album, ‘Save Rock and Roll’ was released last April and debuted number one on Billboard’s Top 200 and number one on iTunes 27 countries.
Fall Out Boy originated from Chicago and the pop-punk band includes the front man Patrick Stump, the bassist Pete Wentz, the guitarist Joe Trohman and the drummer Andy Hurley.
Here's their latest song from their album Save Rock and Roll, Young Volcanoes: