Latest news with #ChaniAnderson
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
'It's keeping him going': Families call for more funds for Alzheimer Society Cork centre
A call has been made for increased funding to meet the growing demand for the Alzheimer Society of Ireland's (ASI) Cork centre, which has around 200 people with dementia on a waiting list. The centre offers day-care with activities, as well as home services and activities for under-65s with dementia or Alzheimer's. Alzheimer Society of Ireland southern region operations manager Breda Twohig set out the pressures during the annual Tea Party fundraiser on Saturday in Bessboro. Kieran and Maria O'Donovan with their newest grandchild enjoying the Alzheimer Society of Ireland annual Tea Day fundraiser at Bessboro Day Centre, Cork, on Saturday. Picture: Chani Anderson 'We'd have about 10 under-65s and that's only the people we can accept. We've over 22 clients here every day,' she said. 'We've 200 on the waiting list. There's people here who could come for five days but we can't take them five days. We take them for one day and some come for three. [That] is the most we can do.' She welcomed funding increases in recent years but stressed: 'The staff are key really. They are the whole experience for somebody with dementia.' Claire and Betty Keohane enjoying the Alzheimer Society of Ireland's annual Tea Day fundraiser in Cork on Saturday. Picture: Chani Anderson They are trying to expand further in west Cork but have found it challenging to hire carers. 'People all genuinely want to mind their loved ones at home but they can't do it alone and they actually break down,' she said. 'Families would take 10 hours [a week] if we could give it to them so we have to be fair to people and be fair to where carers are situated.' Breeda Horan, 70, from Carrigaline with her husband Ger, 72, was one of those at the fundraiser. Breeda Horan, 70, from Carrigaline with her husband Ger, 72, at Saturday's Alzheimer Society of Ireland annual Tea Day fundraiser in Cork. Picture: Chani Anderson Ger was diagnosed with frontal lobe dementia in his early 60s, leaving the former National Maritime College of Ireland lecturer unable to work, Breeda said. It's been very hard for him, very hard. He looks perfect to people but if you go five minutes beyond that, you know there's something wrong. He attends the centre two days a week, which she said is 'a godsend really for both of us' now. 'I think it's keeping him going with all the therapies, the caring and he loves the music,' she said. 'I think it's the people here, the environment. He was always a people person.' For herself, she noticed a difference from the start also. Pat Dillon enjoying some time in the memory garden at the Bessboro Day Centre with her grandson Aaron during the Alzheimer Society of Ireland annual Tea Day fundraiser on Saturday. Picture: Chani Anderson 'It was like a weight off your shoulders,' she said. 'I could relax for a bit and I knew he was very safe here.' She is unsure what the future holds and is already discussing this with their adult children. 'I'm 70 now, so you can keep doing it as long as you think you can,' she said quietly. Alzheimer Society of Ireland southern region operations manager Breda Twohig in the memory garden at the Bessboro Day Centre in Cork. Picture: Chani Anderson Minister of state for older people Kieran O' Donnell announced this month the HSE has commissioned the first national dementia registry. This will map services and identify gaps nationally. It will gather data on medications and people's quality of life also.
Irish Examiner
16-05-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Top 8: Chutney and relish options for the perfect summer sandwich
Ballymaloe Relish 310g €3.95 White wine vinegar, sugar, onions, sultanas, tomato purée, sea salt, mustard seed, and spices are added to a tomato base. This is a good, flavourful relish with a pleasant aftertaste. It is a top favourite with tasters. It is also available in a plastic squeezy bottle version (350g €3.89—handy for picnics). It is very good in sandwiches and gives a lift to a dull stew. Made in Cork. Score: 9.5 Aldi Ploughman's Chutney 300g €1.89 Aldi Specially Selected Ploughman's Chutney: Picture Chani Anderson Another top marker, and at a very reasonable price, this mix of onions, tomatoes, Bramley apples, brown sugar, red peppers, good-quality sultanas, and two types of vinegar gave us just what we expect of a ploughman's chutney. It has a decent kick with some sweetness and a chunky and pulpy substance to take cheese, a pie, a tranche of ham, paté, and hard-boiled eggs. It is not runny, making it easy to handle for picnics. Score: 9.5 Aldi Mango chutney 300g €1.89 Aldi Specially Selected Mango Chutney: Picture Chani Anderson Tasters liked this more than most mango chutneys we tested, which are a delicious accompaniment to spicy curries. The mango flavour came through best here and there are flecks of back onion seed which don't add flavour but look interesting. Garlic purée adds depth and the white wine vinegar is not overpowering. A pleasant, well balanced chutney, even nice on baguette. Good value. Score: 9 Geeta's Lime & Chilli Chutney 230g €2.59 Geeta's Premium Lime & Chili Chutney: Picture Chani Anderson This is the only exception to our Irish-only lineup. Made in India, we tested it because a tester who is an experienced traveller recommended it. Others found it a little too tart, but our traveller convinced us the flavours were genuine, and we had to agree we could taste the lime easily through the chilli. Not for the fainthearted. Delicious with poppadums. Score: 8 Folláin Chargrilled Red Pepper Relish 320g €3.19 Folláin Chargrilled Red Pepper Relish: Picture Chani Anderson Nicely roasted, flavoursome red peppers, grape juice, tomatoes, onions, and white wine vinegar blend well together here, with a minor chunkiness, balanced well with a generous dash of mustard seeds, spices, garlic, and salt. A dynamic lift to a ham sandwich. Score: 8.75 SuperValu Signature tastes Apple & Plum Chutney 300g €1.99 SuperValu Signature Tastes Apple & Plum Chutney: Picture Chani Anderson Apples, sugar, plums, white wine vinegar, onions, sultanas, blend well with mustard seeds, spices, and salt. The vinegar overpowers the plum taste, but most tasters liked the slightly chunky texture and the hit of spices. Made by the Leonard family in West Cork. Score: 8 Eves Leaves Piccalilli Relish 250g €4.95 Eves Leaves Piccalilli Relish: Picture Chani Anderson Piccalilli is a mix of chunks of vegetables cooked in vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard and turmeric (which gives it its distinctive yellow/orange colour). The sauce, thickened with cornflour, is smooth and the vegetables (here, courgette, cauliflower, onion) have kept a little bite. Good on the side with a simple meat or vegetable salad, or try with grilled mackerel. Made in Caherciveen, Co Kerry. We bought at Roughty Foodie, the English Market, Cork. Score: 8 Gran Grans Beetroot, red onion & ginger chutney 200g €4.50 Gran Gran's Foods Beetroot, Red Onion & Ginger Chutney: Picture Chani Anderson Bramley apple, beetroot, red onion, combine with sugar, distilled vinegar, ginger, vegetable oil, and salt. A nice, natural texture here, but taste-wise, a little too mild for cold meats – not quite enough ginger for interest for most tasters. However, as suggested on the jar, good to add to a quiche mixture or hummus. Made in Co Galway, we bought in Bradleys, Cork, which has a good selection. Score: 7.5 Read More
Irish Examiner
07-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Cobh's proud history is told in three top quality museums
Few towns in Ireland treasure their history as does Cobh. There is so much to value. From the early 19th century, as Cork asserted its status as a port of strategic importance for North Atlantic routes, the harbour often accommodated up to 300 ships. Many were British naval and commercial ships stopping off for repairs and refuelling. Tall ships too dropped anchor, when transporting prisoners to Australia or bringing emigrants to America, with export cargo departing for all corners of the globe. Of the six million emigrants who left Ireland from 1848 to 1950, half departed from Cobh. In 1849, Queen Victoria's visit saw the town named Queenstown in her honour. Later, Cobh would become synonymous with Titanic and Lusitania as the curtain of history rose to reveal tragedy of global proportions. Cradled within these events was a social, political and economic landscape that could not save the population from starvation and emigration. Cobh, as a gateway, reflected the turmoil, while offering a route to escape it. As the nation fought determinedly and successfully to survive, Cobh was at the coalface of national evolution and global tragedies. Inside the Cobh Heritage Centre, interactive exhibitions trace the stories of Irish emigrants, convict ships, and the final hours of the Titanic and Lusitania. The centre's atmospheric setting and detailed displays make it a must-visit for anyone curious about Ireland's seafaring and emigrant heritage. Picture Chani Anderson The town not only treasures this legacy, but also shares it through ever-evolving, off-street exhibitions and tours. Cobh Heritage Centre The Queenstown Story is one of several themed tours and exhibitions at the Cobh Heritage Centre. As an interactive, multimedia experience, the Story remembers three centuries of emigration, including the experiences of over 2.5m Irish people who emigrated via Cobh on board steamers and ocean liners. Their lives before and during their departure are poignantly portrayed, as are those journeys on what became known as coffin ships during the height of the Famine from 1848 to 1850. Indentured 17th century Irish servants taken to the U.S. and West Indian colonies are remembered, along with the early Irish settlers in Canada, Brazil, Argentina and America. Mass transportations to Australia are re-lived, as are the Titanic and Lusitania tragedies, which are both strongly connected to Cobh. Individual stories abound, such as doomed Jeremiah Burke throwing a final note in a bottle off Titanic and which was washed up close to his home in west Cork. A bronze sculpture of emigrants stands poignantly outside the Cobh Heritage Centre, overlooking the harbour from which millions departed Ireland's shores. Framed by boats in the background, the scene captures the bittersweet legacy of emigration that defines Cobh's identity as Ireland's last port of call for so many hopeful journeys: Picture Chani Anderson The last photos of Titanic, taken by Catholic priest Francis Browne, are also displayed at a centre that is simply a magnet to the emotions. School and group tours available. Advance booking available online. Open: Daily 9.30am-5pm. Tel: (021) 481 3591 Web: Titanic Experience The Titanic Experience marks the most famous maritime disaster of them all. Using trained personnel, audio visual displays and a sharp eye for detail, the museum creates an 'immersive' experience that comprises a guided tour and access to an unrivalled exhibition. A typical third-class sleeping area on view at the Titanic Experience, situated in the original White Star Line ticket office in Cobh. Notably, the museum occupies the old White Star Line building and the remnants of the dock where the passengers boarded tenders to Titanic remain. Central to the attraction are the personal stories of the 123 men, women and children who boarded Titanic in Cobh. On arrival, visitors receive a boarding card with details of one of those passengers, before undertaking a guided tour in which they experience 'the sights, sounds and smells of the harbour as it was in 1912'. The tour evolves into guides sharing passengers' stories, life on board the luxurious ship and the tragedy as seen through the eyes of survivors. The exhibition area teems with stories of sadness and survival, along with cabin recreations, a touch screen documentary and an interview with a survivor. Visitors learn of Margaret Rice and her five young children who perished, of the Odell family who disembarked in Cobh, of a stoker who secretly and fortuitously sneaked ashore and a Wexford-born chief purser who went down with the ship. Titanic Experience, Cobh, a replica of a first-class cabin on the liner. Artefacts include a chair from the rescue ship Carpathia, an original letter from a surviving passenger and original dinnerware from the White Star Line. On leaving, the visitor learns what was the fate of their assumed passenger. Advance booking available online. Open: 9am-6pm Tel: (021) 481 4412 Web: Cobh Museum Small and intimate, the Cobh Museum occupies a converted church nestled on a hillside close to Cobh Heritage Centre. A voluntary enterprise, its mission statement is 'to preserve and interpret' local history and to 'collect, record and preserve' artefacts and information pertaining specifically to the social, cultural and commercial history of the area. Housed in a former Scots Presbyterian Church, the Cobh Museum offers a more intimate look at local history. Its exhibits include personal artefacts, naval memorabilia, and archival documents that reflect the town's deep connections to the sea, religion, and the changing face of East Cork over the centuries. It too explores the Titanic connection, with a centrepiece featuring the pilots' log book, detailing the exact arrival and departure times of Titanic at Cork harbour on 11th April 1912. The museum meticulously shines a light on Cobh's social and political past but it's excellently researched exhibitions also focus on the town's military connections. A historic Cunard Line plaque hangs in the doorway of the Cobh Museum, marking the town's vital role in transatlantic travel. Cobh served as a key port for Cunard vessels, and the plaque is a lasting reminder of the town's deep ties to maritime history and global migration. Picture: Chani Anderson These currently include exhibitions on the sinking of the Lusitania, WW1 American naval forces in Queenstown and the scuttling of the German gun-running ship, the Aud, in Cork Harbour days prior to the 1916 Rising. Roger Casement and the Rising itself are also portrayed. Cobh's commercial life throughout the 20th century and encompassing two world wars, is also the focus of a current exhibition. A black and white photograph displayed in the Cobh Museum offers a glimpse into the town's history. It is wonderfully explored in a friendly, intimate setting that is tireless in research and rich in fascinating facts and paraphernalia. Open: Monday-Saturday, 11am-1pm and 2pm-5pm. Tel: (021) 481 4240. Web:
Irish Examiner
02-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Top 8: Low-caffeine hot drinks that taste good and may have health benefits
AS Feelgood celebrates its 25th anniversary, I am proud to say I have been part of it from the first edition. From the start, I've sought out products with minimal processing and outstanding flavour. This week, I am exploring unusual and intriguing hot beverages that are low in caffeine but offer an interesting experience. We have looked for drinks that taste good and may have health benefits. Cheerful Buddha Lion's Mane Mushroom Green tea (15 bags €6.49) is an example. Said to be good for the brain, increasing serotonin and dopamine, which can reduce anxiety and depression, but we found it lacked taste. We liked Yerba Mate CBSé Frutos de Bosque (a good value at €6.50 for 500g) from Three Spoons in Market Parade, Cork—an example of a good, tea-free fruit tisane. We can make delicious tisanes economically at home. Add a few branches of fresh thyme to a teapot, then add boiling water and infuse for 5 minutes. Drink as it is (it has savoury, almost meaty flavours) or add a slice of lemon, lime, or honey. Do the same with Scots Pine needles, which are available to buy (€2.50/bag) from the Robinson Farm stall on Cornmarket Street, Cork, every Saturday — a refreshing, warming drink that may help with spring colds and coughs. Clearpring Organic Japanese Kukicha 90g €5.97 Pictures: Chani Anderson. Organically grown roasted green tea twigs, stems, and leaves are first steamed, rolled, dried and aged before being roasted to reduce the caffeine content. Simmer with water in a saucepan for three minutes for a smooth, slightly rich, nutty flavour and aroma with none of the tannic edge of black tea. Delicious. Also available in teabags. We bought in Quay Co-op, Cork. Score: 9.5 Daffee Date Beans coffee 125g €5.99 Made from 'upcycled date beans', this drink contains nothing else and is caffeine-free. Already ground, it's suitable for coffee plungers and drip machines. We used a plunger and tried it black and as a frothy cappuccino. Both worked well, though the milk seemed to bring out the hint of date best. Otherwise, it tastes just like coffee. Score: 8 Sonnentor Turmeric Latte 60g €5.10 The blend of 53% organic turmeric, cinnamon, 15% ginger, cardamom and black pepper is delicious. A good mix of spices which have various health benefits. While it may seem expensive, a 2g level teaspoonful makes a full cup when added to your choice of milk. We bought in Quay Co-Op Cork. Score: 9 Cotswold Roasted dandelion coffee 100g €4.77 Just dandelion root here in branchy bits, which can be put into a coffee grinder to use in a percolator or coffee machine. We used an Aeropress and got a very good result when we added frothy milk. Black, it was less interesting, but tasters found little difference between it and regular coffee. From health food shops. Score: 9 Teapigs Lemon & ginger in fusion 15 bags 37.5g €4.95 No tea here, just 65% ginger, 25% lemongrass, 5% lemon peel, liquorice root. Deliciously fresh and vibrant with no sting from the ginger. A well-balanced product. Score: 8.5 Twinings Heartea 20 bags 40g €5.39 Nettle, hibiscus (24%), apple pieces, raspberry and other natural flavourings, rosemary, beetroot, honey, blackcurrant and thiamine make a pleasant, light drink (with no taste of nettles). Good as an iced tea in the months to come. Hopefully, it's good for the heart, too, as the name suggests. Score: 7.75 Chikko Not Coffee Organic Roasted Lupine 250g €6.99 These lupini beans are often salted and used as a snack with drinks. Here they are ground to make a caffeine-free drink, which is nutty and interesting. The lupin bean contains good fibre and protein, which could help lower cholesterol levels. We also liked the brand's Instant Chicory (150g €6.15), which, unusually for an instant coffee, has no additives, just ground chicory root. Good as cappuccino. From health food shops. Score: 9 M&S Defence 20 bags 40g €3.75 Warm flavours of orange and lemon, ginger, black pepper, with dried manuka honey added to help combat summer colds further. Of all the M&S offerings in this category, tasters liked this one best; the lemon and ginger version also went down well. This just edged out Niks Tea hemp chillout (15 bags, €5.75, Tesco), which contains rooibos, Tulsi herb, lemon balm, and more. Irish and worth trying. Score: 8.75
Irish Examiner
28-04-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Cork pupils help take on task of planting 100m trees 'for next generation'
A mini forest densely planted with thousands of native Irish trees is set to shoot up in a small corner of East Cork, as part of an ambitious project to plant 100m trees nationwide, that could help save the State billions in emissions fines. The pocket forest on the Kennedy family farm near Killeagh, funded by the 100 Million Trees Project, was planted on Monday using the special Miyawaki dense planting method. It will have trees up to 16ft high within four to five years, extracting around 35 tonnes of carbon from the air annually. It is the latest plantation by the 100 Million Trees Project, which aims to plant 100m native Irish trees — creating a vast new national carbon sink over a decade — amid warnings that the State could face a cost of €20bn in EU fines if it fails to achieve reductions in carbon emissions in 2030. The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (Ifac) figure of €20bn is far higher than a previous estimate of about €8bn from the Climate Change Advisory Council. Mairead Kennedy, along with her children Sean and Aila Connery, work together to plant a native tree. Picture: Chani Anderson. School children from Park National School donned wellies and dug in on Monday to help professional planter John Overton plant some 2,500 trees in a small corner of Brian and Kira Kennedy's at Mount Uniacke. Brian said he wasn't really using the quarter-acre site for agriculture, and so he approached the 100 Million Trees project. 'My original plan for this unutilised four-acre field was to drain it, plough it, re-seed it,' he said. 'My father said: 'Can't you leave it for the frogs, foxes, and wildlife, haven't you enough land without it?' Instead of improving the land agriculturally, I've decided to improve its biodiversity 'I have a great love of trees which my father passed onto me, and I have fond memories as a child in Park National School of planting horse chestnuts which I have now growing on the farm. Professional tree planter John Overton puts seedlings into the ground on the Kennedy family land. Picture: Chani Anderson. 'I find planting trees or just observing them very therapeutic. I think people need to get away more from their phones and hectic lives and spend time in nature. There's calming energy from trees. My plan for this field is to take it from agriculture and give it back to nature, and create a number of different habitats — such as a pond, woodland, and rewilded grassland The 100 Million Trees Project was founded in 2022 by brothers Richard and David Mulcahy and their sister Tina. It is a non-profit community and volunteer-driven environmental initiative that aims to plant 100m native Irish trees in a decade using the special Miyawaki planting method. The method is named after Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, and it involves the dense planting of excess trees very close together. It has been proven that trees grow considerably faster, denser, are more biodiverse through this method. Most importantly, they create a very rapid carbon sink. Sean Connery and his younger sister Aila Connery share a joyful moment as Aila gleefully throws a shovel of dirt while planting trees. Picture: Chani Anderson. Richard Mulcahy was in Mount Uniacke on Monday for the planting, which is being funded entirely by Uniphar. 'This is for the next generation,' he said. In its first year, the 100 Million Trees Project oversaw the planting of some 20,000 trees at 18 sites nationwide. However, it has scaled up significantly in 2023 to plant some 200,000 trees at 85 sites in 23 counties. The 2024/25 season began with a planting project in Kerry last November, and Mr Mulcahy said they aim to have planted some 550,000 native Irish trees across 230 sites like the one on the Kennedy's farm in 29 counties by the end of May. Planting 100m trees in a decade could reduce Ireland's carbon output by 'a significant 2.5%', he said. Aila Connery follows her teacher's instructions carefully as she plants a native tree on the Kennedy's family land. 'We are facing a climate crisis unless we do something quickly, and one of the few things you can do quickly in a climate crisis is plant trees — because they extract carbon from the air,' he said. Traditionally, Coillte would plant 1,000 trees in an acre — but we plant 1,000 trees in 0.1 of an acre "The logic with our dense planting method is that the trees grow up, rather than grow out, so the energy goes into them growing up. "Because they grow much quicker, they extract carbon much quicker. "There are about 130,000 farms in Ireland and, to plant 100m trees using our method, you only need 40,000 quarter-acre sites. "Typical farms invariably have four or five corners that are just sitting there doing nothing. Getting 40,000 sites like this shouldn't be a big ask given the benefits it will bring 'If the Government really wanted to do something serious about getting trees into the ground, they could plant 5bn trees — which would cost about €5bn — and completely neutralise Ireland's carbon output, [as opposed to] paying fines of up to €20bn in five years.' He urged farmers, landowners, and local authorities to consider the benefits of planting disused or under-used sites using their method, with the cost of the trees and labour all covered by the 100 Million Trees Project. Richard Mulcahy, the co-founder of the 100 Million Trees Project, smiles with members of the extended Kennedy family on the piece of bogland they donated for native tree planting to support the project's rewilding mission. Picture: Chani Anderson. Individual planting plots can range in size from as little as a tenth of an acre to a quarter of an acre from amongst Ireland's entire stock of 20.8m acres. The areas required for planting are small — covering an area roughly the size of between one and two basketball courts. Areas of native forest can also be planted on portions of dormant State-owned lands and on corporate sites, which is a relatively small price to pay in exchange for the returned dividend: A carbon sequestration equivalent of 1,184,625 tonnes of CO2 every year. The Miyawaki planting method offers many benefits to both landowners and to the State, Mr Mulcahy said, including 10 times increased carbon sequestration for one tenth of the land mass required for normal planting. It also offers 10 times the speed of growth, creating a rapid solution to improving biodiversity. It rapidly improves air quality, and provides an inexpensive way for farmers to create a rapid area of biodiversity. You can find out how to get involved on Read More Ciarán Brennan: Government is letting bills mount up rather than deal with climate change
