Vol. 1 No. 1        Vol.1 No. 2        Vol. 1 No. 3        Vol. 1 No. 4        Vol.1 No 5 Golf Society We have been asked to promote the idea of establishing a Golf Society for the residents of the area. This we will gladly do and anyone that is interested is asked to contact us here on 087 - 76 152 76. There will be information posted on our website also. Contact Us Do you have a story to tell ? Do you have an issue or concern you want to express, tell us. Do you  have some new ideas you want to share? Do you wish to sell something? Did you lose  something? Do you wish to advertise your business-service-trade? info@cahersleenews.com or Tel. /Text 087 - 76 152 76 Response from Garda Chief Superintendent In the July edition we included a letter addressed to the then Garda Chief Superintendent in Tralee - a new man is in the job now - and the following is the reply from Thomas Conway. Dear  Mr. O’ Donnell, I acknowledge receipt of your letter of 28th  2005. I thank you for your letter and your kind remarks regarding assistance provided by Tralee Gardai. I can assure you of our commitment to developing stronger relations with your Association. I have forwarded your letter to Superintendent at Tralee who will address the issues raised and will communicate with you in due course. Again many thanks for your letter. Yours sincerely, Thomas Conway, Chief Superintendent. Rezoning at Mounthawk On July 14th last Tralee Town Council voted to rezone lands at Mounthawk from Leisure/Tourism to Housing Medium Density. The initial vote on the rezoning of this site was postponed on the 4th July. The deferral  was suggested by  me, in the first place, to the developers in order that discussions could be held with local residents, who rightly opposed the development as outlined at the time. Initially the developers suggested 40 houses (16 detached and 24 semi-detached) on the site. Through discussions with representatives of local residents associations, which I facilitated, the developers have given a written guarantee to develop the site with no more than 30 detached houses. The overall result of this process is that the new proposed development will be more suited to the area. In the event that the lands remained as Leisure/Tourism then developers could have planned apartments etc. Such a zoning would not include land set aside for open space or public areas or play areas necessarily. We await further developments on this issue. People/residents, if they wish, will be in a position to object to the planning application when it is posted. 50 acres in line for development As most of you will be aware the lands we refer to here are part of the Murphy Farm sold in the last 18mths. to a developer. There are no plans submitted as yet for the area however Caherslee Community News has had a look at some preliminary plans for the development. If what we have seen is to be proposed as the development then we have a lot of work and negotiations ahead with the developers and the Council. The nature and extent of the development, if allowed, will invariably mean that the character and environment of our areas will be changed dramatically, for ever. Therefore it is suggested that residents make themselves aware of the changes in the environment which are happening around them and to be prepared to make an input. Caherslee Area ‘Umbrella’ Residents Association (Caherslee Area Council) If you are involved in a residents assoc., in the areas  please do try to attend this meeting. The date fixed for the next meeting is Monday, 3rd October 2005 at 8.30pm. The venue is THE GRAND HOTEL, Denny St. Tralee. You do not have to be a member of a residents association to attend this meeting. ALL residents are welcome. Please do try to attend as the future structure, environment and development of the area, in which you live, depends on us being proactive and not reactive to change. At present we are working on the idea of holding an informal Christmas / New Year social event for all residents of the area in O’Donnell’s of Mounthawk. Area Plan - Caherslee-Mounthawk An area plan for this whole area is essential and to this end it is proposed to approach the local authority at the earliest opportunity to lobby for such a process to begin. The sooner this is completed the sooner we can get an overall plan and we will be in a position to influence such a plan. Importantly we suggested that an area plan is long over due for this area when meeting and conversing with the Mayor, Councillors and Planning Officials during the past month or so. Caherslee Community News will be seeking written assurances that such an Area Plan will be progressed in the immediate future. Irish Heart Week 2005 September 25th – October1st. With the theme ‘A Child’s Heart….for Life’ Irish Heart Week aims to provide parents with information and support about healthy eating and active living for children and young people. Lorraine Smith Gleeson (Building Blocks Pre-school  Tel. 086 – 862 33 47) says that we need to focus on our children’s health in order to establish good healthy practises for life. Lorraine quotes the following statistics from the National Children’s Survey 2005: -12% of boys and 9% of girls aged 8-12 years are overweight. -A fifth of the energy intake of Irish children is from foods such as sweets, snacks and biscuits. -1 in 5 children today walk to school -1 in 3 children watch over 2 hrs. TV per day. A magazine is available – ‘Your Child’s Heart….for Life’ free by phoning 1850 364 364 – this magazine will aid and assist parents with ideas for both healthy eating and active lives. Small changes in everyday life can make huge differences to our children’s health. Design an Emblem or Logo In the October Issue of Caherslee Community News we will be announcing a competition for the design of a crest or emblem for the newsletter. The deadline for entries will be announced. The competition will be open to all interested parties under the age of 16 years. So get the pen and pencils working and prepare now! O’Donnell’s in Mounthawk On Wednesday the 28th July 2005 this establishment finally opened. It is obvious to all who have visited this new facility that much thought and a lot of resources were put into the project. The overall impression is that it is of the highest quality in furnishings and décor, colour schemes etc. The interior is spacious and is divided into many attractive areas where there is a mixture of old and new features in wall panelling and  floor coverings. We congratulate the proprietors for the vision in developing such a facility and we wish them every success. Bus Service Ed Ryan informs me that there will be further work done in relation to this matter in the coming weeks. It is a very worthwhile venture and many people applaud this initiative. Please add your support. Keep Our Area Clean and Tidy Litter still remains a problem in our town, although we have come a long way in recent years. It is important that we do not become complacent about this even after a recent survey has applauded us for improvements. One area we certainly need to improve on is the availability of recycle centre and the emptying of bottle banks etc. more frequently. I have written to the Town Council requesting that they consider providing litter bins at strategic locations along the main road in Caherslee. Festival of Kerry Where now for the Festival of Kerry? Has this institution of autumnal activity run it’s course or does it really need some major overhaul? We would like to hear from people who sampled the events surrounding the Festival this year - you opinion counts! Membership of Leisure Facilities at Manor Hotel Sources close to the developers of this new and exciting facility are suggesting that the Leisure aspect  of the facility will not be available until the early autumn. We await developments. Management is currently seeking employees for the facility. Volunteering in Tralee Have a little fun, meet new friends, get work experience, take on a challenge, escape your routine, be part of something bigger. Volunteering in Tralee covers many varied activities and anyone can volunteer. Ranging from engaging in activities such as health, sports and fitness activities, fundraising, working with health / disability groups, education, providing information, helping at homework clubs, music lessons, art & crafts, administration work, being involved in committees or being involved in practical work; the list of activities is endless.  As a Volunteer you can decide how much time you want to commit to volunteering; there is no minimum time requirement. The aim of the Tralee Volunteer Bureau is to enable, support and facilitate volunteers and volunteerism.  The Tralee Volunteer Bureau, funded and established by Partnership Trá Lí, August 2003, is committed to recruiting and placing volunteers in local non-profit making / voluntary organisations, according to the needs of both the volunteers and of the organisations.  The Tralee Volunteer Bureau provides a free and confidential service to both volunteers and to non- profit making / voluntary organisations. The Development Officer, Geraldine O Sullivan encourages you to think about get involved in Volunteering in Tralee.   As she asserts ‘that volunteering is a great, enjoyable and rewarding activity with many positive impacts on the individual volunteer, the volunteer-organisation and the communities of Tralee’. Invest in yourself, your town, your future? The opportunity exists……………become a Volunteer. To find out more, call in and ask Geraldine in the Tralee Volunteer Bureau No 7 Ashe Street, Tralee,  066-7180190 or email tralee@volunteer.ie Returning to School That time of the year, the dread of many students and perhaps the relief  of many parents has arrived again.  First timers have up to 15 September 1st to look forward to! I would suggest that some parents should consider encouraging their children to walk or even cycle (depending on age and distance) to school especially during times of the year when the weather is relatively fine. Many of us remember when we had to do that anyway in the not too distant past. Traffic Survey - Caherslee, Main Road   Comment: There is an obvious traffic problem created in the Balloonagh area as traffic flow is restricted there. This area will be subject to a later survey. From the observations that I made at the entrance to Lios Carraig - during the time period of the survey - there is little doubt that there are difficulties in exiting however the majority of vehicles exiting at this point were not unduly delayed in progressing onto the main road because of the courtesy and patience shown by other road users. I do realise that this is only a single example. Tuesday 6th September 2005 - 80.10am to 09.40am VEHICLE TYPE                NUMBER                % CAR                                        742                77.77 BUS                                           24                02.52 VAN                                           74                07.76 TRUCK                                      38                03.98 BICYCLE                                   29                03.04 OTHER                                     47                04.93 ________________________________________ TOTAL                                   954                100.00 Comment : There is an obvious traffic problems created in the Balloonagh area as the traffic flow is restricted there. This area will be subject to a later survey. From the observations that I made during the time of the survey there is little doubt that there are difficulties in exiting , however the majority of vehicles exiting at this point were not unduly delayed in progressing onto the main road because of the courtesy and patience shown by other road users. I do however realise that this survey is but a single example of traffic movement etc. in this area. NOTE: The survey was conducted at a location on the town side of the Lioscarraig exit. All vehicles included in this survey were travelling towards the town.  At 08.33hrs. traffic had already backed up to the Lios Carraig entrance and this continued until  09.30hrs. The category Other includes 4X4’s (42); tractors (2) and work-vehicles (3). MPV’s are included in the Car category. The majority of cars had only one occupant. Buses include all bus types. New Development in the Pipeline Caherslee Community News understands that a blueprint for the development of a primary school in the mid-Caherslee area is currently being prepared. It is understood that local planning officials, a developer and a local national school are in negotiations with this proposal in mind. Should this proposal go ahead it will lead to a welcome reversal of traffic flow, increased house prices in Caherslee and will respond to the clear need for the provision of a primary school in Caherslee. As everyone knows, while Caherslee has experienced an unprecedented growth in residential development, the development of such key infrastructure has not kept apace. The concept of the provision of such a school must be welcomed. Newsletter Survey We have also conducted a survey on the thoughts and ideas of residents in relation to this newsletter. The details of the survey will be published in the next edition. Suffice to say that there has been an overwhelmingly positive reaction to Caherslee Community News and that in future editions some changes and additions will be made as a result of the input from residents in our area. If you have opinions in this matter  please do contact us. Footpath Improvements It is great to see that some of the footpaths along the main road have finally been upgraded and improved. It is essential that this work is carried out as it makes these paths safer and more user friendly. Double-yellow lines have also be painted in the location of the entrance to Pembroke Square. Refer to July edition of this newsletter on page 2. - letter to Town Council etc. Acupuncture. SAFE AND EFFECTIVE RELIEF Acupuncture is one of several Traditional Therapies that effectively relieving pain and other conditions, and do not have the side effects associated with drug treatments. In many cases the natural therapies lead to a cure rather than just the temporary relief of symptoms. Traditional therapies have proved especially effective and safe in conditions like; sports injuries, back pain, stress management, irritable bowel, headache, repetitive strain injury, and arthritis, just to name a few. WIDELY ACCEPTED The use of acupuncture has become widely accepted in recent years. This general acceptance is illustrated by the fact that BUPA, HSA, and VHI all now include acupuncture and other natural therapies in their schemes. Today, it has gained the general respect of the medical profession. Among its lesser know uses is in fertility treatment. Many IVF clinics recommend acupuncture as a helpful addition to their therapies. OLDEST KNOW MEDICINE Acupuncture is one of the oldest forms of organised medicine known. It has a very long history and can be dated back to over 500 BC. PINS AND NEEDLES! Acupuncture is generally associated with the use of fine needles; however, modern forms exist where an electronic device is used instead of needles. Ear acupuncture has been used to help people stop smoking and to relieve stress. The media recently showed Cherie Blair, the UK prime minister's wife, with a small acupuncture stimulator in her ear. Media speculation suggested that its intended use was to relieve stress. THE LOCAL MAN One man that remembers when alternative medicine was generally frowned upon is Tony McGinley who lives and practices in Westcourt. Tony has been in practice for over 20 years. Tony's work also includes Stress Management Counselling and Training, Acupuncture, and Remedial Massage. Tony and his wife Val both work in healing. Val is a counsellor and therapist specialising in family, personal problems, and bereavement counselling. They both have, in addition to their private practice, provided services for various organisations including the Gardai, Bank of Ireland, and Eircom. Tony has recently published a new Stress Relief Meditation CD there has been very positive feedback from users. You can contact Tony and Val McGinley Tel.  066 - 71 246 94. Advice on Returning to School Ensure that you establish a regular routine for your child e.g. home, eat, homework, exercise, eat, bed etc. Ensure your child has necessary books, equipment, stationery, a sound schoolbag, proper clothing for school. Ensure that homework is understood, completed and signed by you as parent. If your child appears uncomfortable, tired, agitated and does not want to go to school for the first few weeks, the chances are you have a normal child who is trying to make the adjustment from holiday time to tightly  controlled school environment. There is nothing wrong as this is perfectly normal. You and your child’s teacher  will probably feel much the same. If your child’s anxieties persist, there is a strong chance that there is some form of bullying going on. Make     an appointment the child’s teacher and let him/her know that you are concerned. If the problem does not go          away, relate your concern to the school principal. Ensure that what your child eats corresponds with the school’s healthy eating policy. These policies may          vary from school to school but in the main they are fairly standard. Ensure that, as a parent, you take responsibility for your child’s behaviour. Get familiar with the school’s          Code of Behaviour. Don’t blame the school or the teacher or another child for your child’s misbehaviour. Work          with the school and you will have the support of the best professionals in the business. Ensure that you have realistic expectations of your child. Your teacher is best placed to determine your          child’s abilities as he/she is impartial and highly skilled. If your child begins to do homework in a different way than last year, that is probably because your child’s         teacher has a different approach. No need for concern! Don’t always believe what your child says. When children start school there are no clear lines between          fantasy and reality. Part of the educational process is to allow the child to set out the distinction between         fantasy and reality. In addition children can very skilled in convincing an adult that what they say is true. If you  have any concerns, ask the teacher. Check your child’s bag or lunch box or rubbish for notes home. When you send money into school, use an envelope and ask for a receipt. Always make sure your child is on time in the morning and is collected on time in the afternoon. Remember         your school is not a drop in centre or child-minding service. Participate in school activities. Find out how you can help the school. Go easy on your child, his/her teacher and the principal! Don’t be too demanding. Each is a human being with limited time, energy, resources and capability. Above all, try to make your child enjoy school so that they can carry this positive experience with them throughout their lives. Advantages of Pre-school Children form basic reasoning abilities in their earliest years.  The sooner your child is exposed to the concepts of language, science art and math the better ability they have to understand and succeed.  Many skills learned in pre- school can benefit children over their lifetimes.  A pre-school education: ·Helps children to be better prepared for primary school and the rest of their school career ·Prepares children to adapt to structured environments such as classrooms, sports teams and play groups ·Shows children essential tools they will use throughout their lives such as friendship and sharing. ·Helps children learn how to make appropriate personal decisions. ·Prepares children to positively express their actions and feelings ·Helps children develop resistance to stressful situations ·Provides children with teachers who can be valuable role models outside the home Lorraine Smith Gleeson Building Blocks Pre-school On These Days:  September 1st - 10th 1997: Diana's funeral watched by millions Britain and the world say farewell to Diana, Princess of Wales, at the end of an unprecedented week of mourning. 1972: Olympic hostages killed in gun battle in the Olympic Village in Munich 1939: Britain and France declare war on Germany. Lighting up -  reflective bands etc. Ensure also that your child(ren) can be seen - the dull, dark mornings and dark evenings are approaching fast. Congratulations Let us know if you have something to celebrate – new baby, engagement, marriage, sports event, first day at school etc… Patron Saint Despite the pungent smell of diesel fumes Sarah made her way onto the multicoloured battered boat. “This way ladies and gentleman” wheezed a wizened  fisherman with a toothless smile. Sarah and the other rubber clad passengers inhibited by their flippers waddled towards their seats. She felt the biting cold of the Atlantic biting into areas of exposed flesh but she didn’t care. This was going to be worth it. A silence born of fatigue and reverence filled the air. Louise said the prayer worked but hadn’t fully explained how. Something to do with the power of telepathy between a dolphin and a human. Sarah’s whispered imaginings floated towards the dolphin. “He loves the sound of the boat. Draws him every time” shouted the fisherman above the drone of the engine. Suddenly the engine spluttered to a stop. One by one bodies plunged into the Atlantic, eager to swim with Fungi.  Sarah swam away from the boat and bobbed gently in the water, watching, waiting. Fungi jumped gracefully over the crest of the waves. People gasped and swam towards him. He disappeared and resurfaced just beside Sarah. For a moment their eyes locked.  Tentatively she reached out to touch his satiny surface but he flinched and once again disappeared. “Be careful” bawled the fisherman,  “Fungi’s a wild animal. He doesn’t like to be touched.” His words fell on deaf ears.  Sarah used to pray to St Anthony as a child but she wondered if praying to a dolphin would be different. “ Hail Fungi Patron Saint of Dingle, make Dean fall truly, madly in love with me. Amen, ” she mouthed into the salty air.  After all the prayer had worked for Louise. There was no reason why it shouldn’t work for her. ( by Martha Brassil) Examinations Congratulations to all those students who have completed their State Examinations this summer and have received their results. Ballyseedy Wood I took the opportunity to walk around some of the woodland last week and I was delighted at what I experienced. One point I will make is that I do think there needs to be a map of the pathways at the main entrance/car-park. Mercy Mounthawk Secondary School On Saturday the 12th of November 2005 there will be an Open Day in the school. Parents who may wish to enrol their children in Mercy Mounthawk are advised to apply immediately for a place in the school for the school year 2006-2007. This is especially important if you do not attend a Mercy Primary School in Tralee since priority is given to pupils who are attending Mercy Primary Schools or those who have or had siblings attending Mercy Mounthawk. Applications forms are now available at the school. Tel.: 066 - 71 02 550. The Parents Council AGM will be held on Tuesday October 4th 2005. Responsibility of Parents I have met many people over the past few months who have brought to my attention that in certain areas, locally, teenagers are congregating late into the night. Minor disturbances have occurred as a result. Surely everyone is entitled to some peace and quiet in and near their own home. Please do try to ensure that your child is not causing unnecessary disturbances late at night. Elderly or sick residents as well as those with very young children are particularly affected. HOME        TOP of PAGE