Bilateral cochlear implants allocated €3.2m in HSE service plan

One of the most positive pieces of news in today's publication of the HSE Service Plan for 2014 is that €3.2million has been allocated for the provision of bilateral cochlear implants for those children who need them.  A great day for all those involved in the HappyNewEar campaign!
A special word for the Dundalk parents who spearheaded the campaign for children who have been diagnosed with profound deafness.

Deanna Cairns and Denise Martin with Billy and Erin

WALKPEER programme in action in Dundalk

Had a great time today with members of the WALKPEER programme. Thanks to everyone involved, including Nikki, Aisling, Orla and Kyle who allowed me to shadow them in their work places: New Look, Boots, Headlines and Martin Foods.
Special word of thanks to Eimear Marron of WALKPEER.

Minister Ruairí Quinn visits 4 Dundalk schools today

I was delighted to welcome Minister Ruairí Quinn to Dundalk today. He met with staff, parents and pupils in Dundalk Grammar School, St Brigid's School, O Fiaich College and St Joseph's Avenue Rd.
He received a very warm welcome in all the schools and was very impressed by all the work being done by staff and students.

 A little helping hand for Ruairí in St Joseph's

 With Ruairí, Cillian and Denise in St Brigid's

 Cutting the ribbon on the new lift in St Brigid's

 T.Y. Students in O Fiaich College show the Minister how they work on their IPads

Very hard work going on in St Joseph's.

John Major in Dublin last night to mark the 20th anniversary of the Downing St Declaration.

I was delighted to meet Mr Major who joined the Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore  at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Iveagh House, for a commemorative lecture on the significance of the accord.
Signed on December 15, 1993, by Mr Major and then Taoiseach Albert Reynolds, the declaration marked a new beginning in Anglo/Irish relations.

 With Senator George Mitchell

Former US senator George Mitchell, who chaired the Northern Ireland peace talks that led to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, also spoke at the event.
Mr Mitchell said: "A large part of my heart and emotions are in Northern Ireland - great people, great place."

With former Labour Party leader Dick Spring

€58,000 awarded to Drogheda Skateboard Park

The Department of Sport in partnership with Irish Public Bodies and Local authorities announced funding to create and enhance sport and recreational facilities in local areas. Drogheda Skateboard Park has been allocated the maximum amount of funding available at €58,000.

'It is terrific news that €58,000 has been allocated to Drogheda Skateboard Park as I am sure it will be put to great use and will improve an already wonderful for young people interested in the sport. Allocations such as these are vital to local communities and I am very much welcome that funding have been allocated to a youth oriented project in this instance.

'This announcement comes just one day after the allocation of €50,000 to Drogheda's Boomerang Youth Cafe and €50,000 to Omeath Youth Cafe. It is of the utmost importance that we continue to provide outlets and funding to the youth in our community. Projects such as the Skateboard park and the youth cafes give kids a safe and fun environment in which they can go to meet with friends and that parents can trust.

'I welcome the two announcements of funding in recent days and look forward to the positive impact they will have in Co. Louth.'

€100,000 allocated to Drogheda and Omeath Youth Cafés

Approved capital funding of €100,000 for two new youth cafés in Omeath and Drogheda has been announced today. In total, €1.5million has been allocated in capital funding for the provision of 30 new youth cafés around the country. This additional funding brings the total investment for new youth cafés to €2.2million since 2011.

I am delighted that that Omeath District Development Company and Drogheda Boomerang Youth Café have been allocated funding for the provision of new youth cafes. Youth cafés are important spaces for the young people and parents in our communities as they offer a safe environment that parents can trust and a place for young people to socialise.

These local youth cafes offer not only a social dimension but they also offer unique opportunities for different groups and organisations to engage with local young people on issues affecting them.

I would like to welcome the announcement of funding allocated to Omeath District Development Company and Drogheda Boomerang Youth Café and congratulate the members on a successful application.

Dundalk Accessibility Study highlights obstacles for those with mobility issues.

John Morgan, along with his colleague Seamus O Grady, has compiled an extensive accessibility study in Dundalk town. A wheelchair user himself he set out to ascertain what accessibility issues were of concern in the town centre, not only for wheelchair users but also for the elderly, parents with prams or buggies or even people making deliveries to businesses.
John set out in his wheelchair, using the Market Square as a starting point, and surveyed the surrounding streets, with his colleague Seamus taking photographs. While the recently refurbished Square proved ideal for wheelchair users, John quickly encountered problems when he ventured along the streets of Dundalk. The drop in height between the footpaths and roads means wheelchair users may experience stress to their necks. Gullies and uneven surfaces also cause difficulties for all pedestrians but especially for wheelchair users, the elderly and parents with buggies.
This is an extensive and detailed study which highlights the areas of difficulty and also points out those areas which have good accessibility. Louth is an "Age-Friendly" county, and prides itself on having this label. There is an urgent need to address the problems of accessibility and solve the problems that wheelchair users and the elderly can endure on a daily basis in the town,
I have written to the Director of Services and the town Engineer seeking an immediate meeting to discuss the findings of John's report.  I have also written to the Director of Services regarding seating arrangements for wheelchair users in the Táin Theatre along with the inaccessibility of the disabled toilet on the ground floor.
For the past two years I have been honoured to present the Louth Access Awards and I would like to commend all those businesses and workplaces which have improved their accessibility.

Rememberance Tree in Earl St Dundalk

Once again this year the Rotary Club have organized their Remembrance Tree on Earl St Dundalk . Members of the public can treasure the memories of special people in their lives by placing a ribbon of remembrance on the tree. There is no standard charge for doing this but voluntary contributions are welcomed and all funds raised will go to locally based organisations and charities and designated Rotary international humanitarian projects.
Members of the public are invited to join members and friends of the Rotary Club in a short interdenominational Prayer Service of dedication and carol singing at the Tree in Earl St on Friday Dec 20th at 4pm.
The Tree will remain open and manned by Rotarians and friends from 11am to 5pm each day until Christmas Eve.

Dundalk Stadium looking to a great future

 

 

Dundalk Stadium has won the prestigious Racecourse of the Year award at the Horse Racing Ireland Awards at Leopardstown yesterday.

Chairman Leo McCauley and manager Jim Martin were on hand to collect the award on behalf of the stadium, which celebrated 10 years in business at the end of last month.
Dundalk is Ireland’s only all-weather race track and is popular for its dual horse racing and greyhound meetings.
At the event, the stadium also revealed plans for the future, which is a floodlit national hunt track.
If this goes ahead, Dundalk will have the first floodlit racing course with jumps in the world.
 

 

Consultation process to begin on use of technology in schools

The introduction of computer technology had brought Irish education to “a turning point in teaching and learning”, the Minister for Education said at the launch of a public consultation on use of technology in schools. 

“ICT (information and computer technology) is not another subject, it is another set of tools,” Minister Ruairí Quinn said on Tuesday. But while its potential was huge it was important to question what benefits we expected to see coming from use of technology in education.

The consultation is aimed in particular at schools, parents, industry and academics. It will feed into the development of a national strategy for use of ICT in classrooms, a document which Mr Quinn said would be ready by summer 2014. 

This public outreach complements online surveys of school principals and teachers earlier this year. Meetings with focus groups will follow next year and all of these findings and results from the public consultation will inform the new ICT strategy, the department said. 

A strategy was needed that would not become redundant as new technologies emerged, Mr Quinn said. There was a temptation to be obsessed by the hardware but the real goal of the strategy was how do you change the entire way that knowledge is explored and conveyed and communicated with the help of new technology.

The last strategy was published in 2008 but since then there had been a rapid change in the availability of advanced hardware at a lower cost, he said. The technology offered a real opportunity to contribute to education.

Submissions under the public consultation must reach the department by 31 January, 2014 and those seeking to contribute can do so on line at www. education.gov.ie 

Speaking today in the Seanad in Private Members' Business on Mental Health Services

Could you be a volunteer in Co Louth?

For anyone wanting to volunteer in Co Louth the Louth Volunteer Centre is making the process as easy as possible . Based in Dundalk Town Hall, the Centre has so far this year logged 21,000 volunteer hours across the county, providing support to over 360 non-profit organisations in the county.
An information meeting on volunteering with guest speakers giving information about volunteering in the areas of disability and social work takes place in Dundalk Youth Centre today, Wednesday Dec 4th from 6-7pm.
Another meeting for organisations takes place in Lios Dubh Community Centre on Tuesday 10th December from 6-7.30pm.The topic is "Myths and Facts about Garda Vetting" and will cover all aspects of Garda Vetting.


Opportunities available for volunteers at the moment include:
St Brides GFC in Knockbridge who are looking to recruit a volunteer Marketing and Events assistant. this involves working with other volunteers and committee members to help organise and promote events for the club.

Ages and Stages Creche is looking for a volunteer in IT roles to update current website and suggest changes to website, maintain/give ideas on how it could be better maintained.

The Walk Peer Programme is looking for a volunteer who will be trained to support young people with disability, to develop skills and competencies to access the mainstream labour market.

Creative Spark is urgently looking for a volunteer to assist the facilitator in a fashion design class, using sewing machines and working with a group of 10 teenagers.

O Callaghan Edible Garden: Grow It Yourself organic gardener is looking for a volunteer to help produce organic food for local people using the resources, skills and co-operation of the community.

Anyone interested in any of these positions should drop in to the Volunteer Centre in Dundalk Town Hall, Crowe St on
Mon-Thurs        9.30 - 5
or phone  086-0431379
Further information on the website www.volunteerlouth.ie

SNAs increased to 11,000 for 2014 in response to demand

Labour Senator Mary Moran has welcomed the announcement yesterday afternoon that Minister Quinn will be increasing the SNA cap of 10,575, set by Fianna Fáil in 2010, to 11,000 for 2014. An additional 390 Special Needs Assistants posts have been added overall with 170 to be added immediately and 220 to be added in the new year.
'It is Government policy that every child who needs an SNA allocation should receive one and this increase in the cap of SNAs proves that we have listened to our educational partners and the parents on the ground on this issue and we will remain true to our policy.
'I very much welcome the announcement that 170 SNA posts will be added immediately. As a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection I engage with many advocacy, parent and education groups on the issue of special needs education. I have been made acutely aware that there has been an increasing number year on year of children enrolling in schools which in turn means there is also a rise in the number of supports needed for children with special educational needs, which can vary along a wide spectrum. All of the 390 newly added posts are greatly welcomed but I am very happy that there has been a recognition at Cabinet level that 170 posts must be allocated immediately.
'The NCSE will allocate the new SNA posts on the basis of need which means those schools and children most in need of such supports will receive them in the very short term.
'Minister Quinn has listened and responded to those on the ground on this issue. Through my work on the Education Committee and as Labour Seanad Spokesperson on Education and Disability, I will continue to work with all groups and my colleagues to ensure that special education remains a priority and our children are afforded the best possible opportunities in schools.'

Irish teens near top of major assessment table in reading and science

Labour Senator Mary Moran has welcomed the new PISA results released today, showing significant improvements for Ireland's 15-year-olds in all subjects.
“I strongly welcome these results which show Ireland is ranked 4th out of 34 OECD countries in reading. In this area, we are now on par with the high performance education of Finland and ranked higher than all other European countries. It has been shown that we have also greatly improved in the area of science where we are now ranked 9th out of 34. This is no surprise considering the impressive results our young scientists have achieved at international level in recent years.
“The results published today are proof of the high quality of our educators and the emphasis placed on the importance of education at Government level. Minister Quinn has been continually working to safeguard education during tough economic times and will continue to work with relevant partners in order to ensure the best for our children.
“Every student and school should be congratulated on these fantastic results. I am sure we will continue to see improvements in the next OECD PISA results as educators and students continue their hard work day in and day out.”

International Day for persons with Disabilities: We need to include disability in all aspect of our work moving forward

Labour Senator Mary Moran recognises the achievements in disability in Ireland and throughout the world but asks legislators at home and abroad to remain vigilant in moving forward. Today, 3 December 2013, marks the International Day for Persons with Disabilities worldwide and this year's theme is 'Break Barriers, Open Doors: for an inclusive society and development for all.'
'The United Nations estimates that over one billion people around the world live with some form of disability--this is approximately 15% of the world's population. The International Day for Persons with Disabilities has been in existence since 1992 and presents an opportunity to highlight the importance of developing and working together to create an inclusive society for all people 
'As Labour Seanad Spokesperson on Disability, I have raised the issue of equal rights and inclusiveness for people with disabilities on numerous occasions. Most recently I moved a Private Members Motion before the Seanad on the great work of Special Olympics Ireland. I have also had the great opportunity to work with local people in my area to make our town a more accessibility friendly place for those with disabilities and limited mobility. A local Dundalk man, John Morgan recently completed the tremendous comprehensive study of the accessibility in Dundalk and I look forward to continuing to work closely with him and our local partners on this issue.
'The International Day for Persons with Disabilities enables the many  support groups to highlight the need for the further inclusiveness in our society. Many of us are fortunate enough to not have to worry about the width of a doorway, the looks of a stranger or the whether sign language will be provided during an event. Disability advocacy and rights groups each day work to raise awareness amongst legislators and ordinary people on the ground and without them many of would not have a clue on the struggles and exclusion some people with disabilities face.
'In my role as a Labour Senator I will continue to highlight the issue of inclusiveness for those with disabilities within the Seanad and in my own local community and would encourage others to do the same. I would like to thank and recognise the great work that all of the disability support groups and agencies do 365 days of the year in raising awareness and providing important community supports.'

Dundalk Positive Mental Health Forum talk tonight on coping with Adolescent Anger

Dundalk Positive Mental Health Forum is an initiative made up of service providers or interested parties who wish to promote positive mental health awareness in Dundalk. The Emphasis is the promotion of Positive Mental Health, through the linking up of existing services, identifying the gaps and looking for solutions to close these gaps.

 

The Next

Dundalk Positive Mental Health Forum Meeting

Will Take Place On

 

Monday 2^nd December 2013 @ 7:30pm

Dowdallshill G.F & A.C

Pairc Naomh Brid

Newry road

Dundalk

 

The Discussion Topic for This Meeting will be:

 

Coping With Adolescent Anger

 

Presenting on the night

 

Ger Matthews

Dundalk Counselling Centre

‘Oakdene’

 

All Welcome