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Jubilant Ace AC pair medal at All-Ireland Schools finals
Jubilant Ace AC pair medal at All-Ireland Schools finals

Irish Independent

time4 days ago

  • General
  • Irish Independent

Jubilant Ace AC pair medal at All-Ireland Schools finals

Drogheda Independent Today at 06:30 It's been another strong week for athletes from Ace AC, with members delivering solid performances at both national and provincial events as well as at the BMC in UK. At the National Schools Championships, two Ace AC athletes earned bronze national medals while representing their schools. Firstly Eimear Cooney, competing for Sacred Heart Drogheda, took bronze in the Senior Girls 1500m with another fine display. Eimear completed the distance just one second behind the second-place athleted with a time of 4:36.79. Shea O'Donnell is one of the club's most consistent performers and he rarely fails to deliver results at the highest level. He was running for St Mary's DS Drogheda and also earned national bronze in the Senior Boys 1500m with a time of 4:02.23. Both Eimear and Shea will be strong favourites for national club medals later in the season. While these were schools results, both athletes train with Ace AC and continue to impress at national level. There was further success at the weekend, this time in the younger age groups at the Leinster Championships, where Caoimhe Carolan joined an illustrious group of female Ace AC athletes who have won provincial medals, claiming second place in the U13 Girls 600m. The Tullyallen-based athlete came through her heats with a strong time of 1:50 and secured the vital silver medal with a 1:44 personal best in the final. U17 athlete Chloe Cooney travelled to Loughborough in the UK on Saturday to compete in a BMC meeting and continued her strong return from injury, recording a season's best time of 2:16 in the 800m. Chloe has improved her time in each of her last three races and is clearly moving in the right direction. Elsewhere, out on the road, Danny Nugent won the Monasterboice 4-Mile Race, putting in a solid performance over the distance. Also competing in the same event were U8 Finn Murphy and U9 Millie Roche who both raced well and successfully completed the distance despite their young ages.

New community bookshop to open in Drogheda
New community bookshop to open in Drogheda

Irish Independent

time15-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Irish Independent

New community bookshop to open in Drogheda

Drogheda Independent A new bookshop project dedicated to experimental publishing and local voices is opening its doors in Drogheda. Cailleach Books, a space focused on DIY publishing, zines, book objects and poetry pamphlets, will launch at the Kiosk Project Art Space on Narrow West Street on Saturday, May 31 at 6pm. The launch event, supported by thirtythree 45 and Droichead Arts Centre, will feature acclaimed Drogheda visual poet Susan Connolly, who will be in-store for Towards the Light – Writing and Reading Visual Poetry. Susan will speak about the visual and concrete poets who have influenced her work and will read from from her collections The Sun-Artist (Shearsman Books, 2013), Bridge of the Ford (Shearsman Books, 2016) and Looking Across the River (Redfoxpress, 2022). Throughout the month of June, Cailleach Books will open as a bookshop for the public to browse and buy new publications. For more information visit or email info@

Barbican Centre packed out as Louth music school pays tribute to beloved founder Olive Powderly
Barbican Centre packed out as Louth music school pays tribute to beloved founder Olive Powderly

Irish Independent

time15-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Irish Independent

Barbican Centre packed out as Louth music school pays tribute to beloved founder Olive Powderly

Drogheda Independent The Barbican Centre in Drogheda was packed to the rafters on May 10 as Toccata House Music School held a sold-out concert in tribute to its beloved founder, Olive Powderly. The evening brought together students, staff, families, and the wider Drogheda community for what many described as an unforgettable celebration of music and legacy. With every seat filled, and extra chairs brought in to accommodate the unexpected demand, the concert was a testament to Olive's enduring legacy. The evening was full of emotion, energy and music with students from all ages performing live alongside a 16-piece band made up of Toccata staff. The band played custom arrangements by Ed Pedrosa, covering everything from Bach to Bon Jovi and the crowd loved every minute of it. Parents watched proudly as their children took the stage, with students performing both group and solo pieces. The afternoon also included an afternoon showcase at the Barbican where students performed solo works, dedicated to their 'beloved and deeply missed founder, Olive Powderly.' 'It honestly blew us away,' said one of the organisers. 'The concert was completely sold out, and we even had to bring in extra chairs as more people arrived at the door. We're very grateful to Declan Power and The Barbican Centre for all their help and support in making the evening such a success,' said organisers. A standout moment of the evening was a performance by Gerry Simpson, who also projected images of Olive from the early days of Toccata in the 1990s. During the interval, a raffle was held, with all proceeds – along with donations from the evening's programmes – going to the Gary Kelly Cancer Support Centre. The concert ended on a high note with a sing-along finale of ABBA's Thank You for the Music, described as 'a real feel-good moment that captured the spirit of the evening with everyone holding each other's hands.' 'The energy in the Barbican was just amazing. Seeing the pupils and all the people whose lives Olive touched over the years shine, and hearing the audience join in with open hearts, reminded us how powerful music can be in bringing people together. It was one of those nights that stays with you. We had moments of tears, laughter, reflection, cheers, and pure joy — but most importantly, Olive's legacy lives on, and we saw that come to life throughout the night,' said the organisers. 'We've had so much lovely feedback since, with people telling us it was one of the best nights they've had in a long time. It truly felt like a special and heartfelt tribute to Olive.' Toccata House has confirmed that it 'will absolutely carry on' and is now taking bookings for the next school term starting September 2025. To book, contact Ed via toccatahouseinfo@ or telephone 089 2475616.

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