Latest news with #Gilhooly
Irish Independent
29-05-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Sligo counsellor who helps fill the gap in mental health support for young people receives award
The IACP Regional Awards recognise an IACP accredited member who has made a notable contribution to the profession of counselling and psychotherapy in their local community and region. Mr Gilhooly who is originally from Fenagh, Leitrim, has spent over 20 years working in youth work, school chaplaincy, and community development in the east of Ireland before moving back to the north west and launching his counselling initiative in Sligo for the last 15 years. Allen manages a team of seven therapists providing accessible therapy for adults across two centres in both Sligo town and Kilglass near Enniscrone. IACP Cathaoirleach Jade Lawless commented: 'I would like to congratulate Allen Gilhooly West / North West Regional Award. Allen has made an outstanding contribution to the counselling and psychotherapy profession across the north west region. I would like to wish him continued success and also commend the West/ North West Regional Committee for choosing such a worthy recipient for the award. I would also like to wish Allen well with his continued professional development, another hallmark of his commitment to the profession' Award Recipient Allen Gilhooly remarked: 'I am honoured to be nominated at this pivotal moment in my career. My mission has been to fill the gap in mental health support in our region, ensuring that people—especially young individuals—have a safe space to navigate life's challenges. This recognition reaffirms the importance of the work we are doing." Mr Gilhooly's journey in therapy continues as he completes further studies in Cross Professional Supervision with the International College for Personal and Professional Development ICPPD in Athlone later this year. The annual awards ceremony was held recently at the IACP's 10th annual conference at the Maryborough Hotel, Cork.
RTÉ News
23-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Range of events for 'The Leitrim Gathering' to take place
An extensive programme of cultural, heritage, literary, food, recreational, music and dance events will take place in communities across Leitrim this weekend as part of 'The Leitrim Gathering'. The initiative which aims to celebrate place, connection, and heritage with Leitrim people at home and around the world was officially launched in Carrick-on Shannon last night. Leitrim County Council CEO Joseph Gilhooly said the gathering has received significant support from community groups. Mr Gilhooly said he was "encouraging Leitrim people everywhere to be part of the celebrations either by attending an event or sharing in the fun via social media". The launch of the Leitrim Gathering heard that the local authority hopes to engage with its diaspora to act as ambassadors around the globe for their native county. Chairperson of the Leitrim Gathering Steering Group Cllr Enda Stenson told the launch of the impact immigration had on his own family. He spoke of the diaspora's connection with the county. Carole Coleman, a member of the steering group, spoke of the importance of remembering those who have left the county in the past for a myriad of reasons and how they supported many people who remained at home. Leitrim County Council is undertaking a survey seeking to establish where the county's diaspora resides across the globe. The Leitrim Gathering coincides with the UK Bank Holiday weekend. Over the coming days, the county will host a diverse range of activities and events including Sessions at the Shannon, Leitrim Cycling Festival, Mohill Old Fair Day, Taste Leitrim, Kayaking on Lough Rynn, Leitrim Jamboree, Leitrim Women Through Time Exhibition and Genealogy workshops. Census 2022 showed that the population of Leitrim was about 35,000 people - an increase of 10% from April 2016.
Vancouver Sun
06-05-2025
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. SPCA takes in 83 Persian-mix cats after owner dies
Over 80 Persian-mix cats are in the care of B.C. SPCA animal centres in Surrey and Kamloops after the family of their late owner reached out for help. The SPCA first became involved in January when the cats' owner surrendered a dozen cats. Next of kin then contacted the animal welfare agency in early May about the remaining 83 felines after their owner died. Sixty-three of the cats were taken to the B.C. SPCA Surrey animal centre through the Drive for Lives program, while the other 20 were taken to Kamloops. The Surrey centre and its Good Shepherd Barn are acting as a triage facility, as they do for other large cat intakes from around B.C. Discover the best of B.C.'s recipes, restaurants and wine. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of West Coast Table will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'Intaking and providing care for 83 cats requires a significant investment of resources,' said Layla Gilhooly, manager of the centre and barn. 'Especially given their condition, with at least half of them still needing a spay or neuter surgery, various medical treatments, and most requiring significant grooming.' The cats were fearful at first, hiding under towels and in their kennels, but that's common, said Gilhooly. 'Despite their nervousness, many of the cats were quite friendly during intake — purring, making air biscuits and leaning in for pets.' But a lot of them were in dire need of care. Many were extremely matted, which requires shaves for relief. 'Severe matting is very uncomfortable, often even painful, and can cause skin irritation as the mats trap bacteria and dead skin cells,' Gilhooly said. 'Some of the cats also had feces matted into their fur.' All the cats are being treated for giardia and roundworm, which involves a five-day course of medication followed by a bath to remove any eggs still in the fur. The lingering eggs can cause reinfection when a cat grooms itself. 'Some of the cats also have varying degrees of upper respiratory infection,' said Gilhooly, ranging from severe congestion to mild cases of eye and nasal discharge. Those with problems are on antibiotics and will go to a vet if symptoms don't improve. Gilhooly said most are underweight and a few need dental care for things like broken canine teeth and gingivitis. After triage, 27 of the Surrey cats were moved to other centres to await adoption, while 36 remain there. When they're available for adoption depends on how they're doing. Some need further socialization before they're ready, while others will be available as early as Wednesday, or will be added to the B.C. SPCA adoption page in the coming days and weeks. Anyone who can help the SPCA with care for these cats and other animals and pets is asked to visit . jruttle@
The Guardian
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Arts Council England defends support of classical music amid loss of trust
Classical music and opera is 'absolutely essential to the lifeblood of the arts' and has the enthusiastic support of Arts Council England (ACE), its chief executive has said after coming under fire from a leading arts figure. Darren Henley, the chief executive of the body that distributes public and lottery funds to arts organisations in England, said investment in classical music was central to the council's programme. Henley sought to reassure the sector after John Gilhooly, the artistic and executive director of Wigmore Hall, a concert venue in central London, said ACE had lost the confidence of people in the classical music world. Gilhooly announced this week that from 2026 Wigmore Hall would no longer take public subsidies through ACE. Instead the venue has secured £10m in pledged donations, allowing it to be independent and artistically ambitious, he said. 'I'm a huge defender of ACE, and I'm grateful for their support in helping us get to where we are,' Gilhooly said. 'But in some ways it has lost its way.' In particular, the council's Let's Create strategy, which aims to ensure access to the arts for all, was 'desperately important' but had led to the council 'judging community events and the great artists of the world by the same criteria', he said. Wigmore Hall and the musicians it hosted were committed to community outreach, said Gilhooly, highlighting its Music for Life programme for people with dementia. It also runs a schools programme. But ACE was effectively 'asking us to step in and fix' the decimation of arts and music education in schools, he said. 'Music in the classroom is more or less gone. It's not good enough. In the 50s, 60s and 70s, when we were much poorer, there was brilliant music provision in schools, and every child got the opportunity to build their creativity and confidence. That's no longer there. 'We can go into classrooms, we can complement, but it's not enough. We can reach thousands of young people but what about those we're not getting to. The only way that will be fixed is through the school system.' John Tusa, who ran the Barbican arts centre for 22 years, said ACE had stopped being an advocate for the arts and had become a regulator. 'And the trouble with the regulators is that they interfere and they micromanage,' he said. Championing local and community arts projects was valuable, but 'unless you have the greatest art, the best art, that people want to follow, it's unlikely that you will get a strong community base. And [ACE] seem to have decided that they hate excellence.' The council should recognise 'a wonderful continuum, that starts at the top and goes all the way down to the pleasant and the humdrum and the community at the bottom, and they are all connected'. Few people in arts institutions agreed with ACE's strategy, but were reluctant to voice criticisms because they depended on public funding, Tusa said. 'But we really need an open debate about whether ACE delivers the best possible cultural experience for society as a whole.' The government has ordered a review of ACE, which distributes more than £500m of public money and more than £250m of national lottery money annually, and employs more than 650 people. Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, said the review would be the first step to restore 'people's connection with the arts and culture in every region of the country'. Responding to Gilhooly's comments, Henley said: 'The idea that we don't believe in, celebrate, invest in classical music is nonsense. We are here for every art form, every geography, every type of music. 'We're [supporting] world class, internationally significant work and a network of grassroots live music venues in towns across the country. They're all equally as important as each other.' In its 2023-2026 funding round, ACE allocated £220m to classical music and opera organisations, £92m to dance companies that work with orchestras and large ensembles, and £129m to venues and festivals that include classical music and opera in their output. The Let's Create strategy that underpins ACE's decision-making was intended to support the opportunity for everyone to develop their creativity and experience high quality cultural work. That included 'engagement and interaction with brilliant professional performers', said Henley. The strategy was 'not about dishonouring or not valuing the traditions that we have. We cherish those, but we also want to make sure that we take that wonderful repertoire and those wonderful performers to new audiences'. But, he added, there was a finite amount of money available. If organisations such as Wigmore Hall could secure income through the generosity of its supporters, public funding could be used elsewhere, he said. Wigmore Hall's ACE grant of £345,000 a year amounts to about 2% of its income, with the rest coming mainly from ticket sales, sponsors and donors. The 550-seat hall puts on about 600 concerts a year.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wigmore Hall quits 'crippling' funding system
One of London's top classical music venues has pulled out of England's cultural subsidy scheme because of "crippling" red tape and a controversial strategy that is seen as failing to prioritise artistic excellence. Wigmore Hall will stop taking funding from Arts Council England, which gave it £344,000 of public money in 2024. Director John Gilhooly said: "The current policy for us is just too onerous, and they seem to have no interest in what's happening on the stage, [or] in the great artists of the world." The Arts Council said funding recipients should be "prepared to show how they will offer the public excellent value", and that it is "absolutely committed to creative excellence". Mr Gilhooly said the venue does not "fully believe in everything" in the Arts Council's current strategy. Titled Let's Create, the plan is billed by the Arts Council as widening access to culture and cultural funding, but is seen by many as supporting grassroots and community work over artists at the top of their fields. Mr Gilhooly said the musicians who perform at Wigmore Hall are the artistic equivalent of Olympic champions. "We also work with a community choir. In my view, both are excellent, both are outstanding things," he told BBC News. "But you can't judge a community choir on the same criteria that you judge the world's greatest artists, just like you can't judge the English football team against an amateur team. "That is where we see the pressure and the tension." Mr Gilhooly said the venue would not stop doing outreach work. "And the bits we do best, we'll probably do more of. For instance, we work with people living with dementia, we'll probably do more of that. We work with some of the most marginalised people in society. Most of that will continue. We believe in all of that. "But it's just the way it's imposed through Let's Create that's exasperating really, and crippling for staff and for trustees." He added: "We have to go through this whole process every quarter to see that we've ticked every box. "It takes a huge amount of staff time and energy. It zaps the energy, frankly. We're parting on good terms, as far as I'm concerned, but it's a good time for us to go." Wigmore Hall launched a fundraising appeal last year to become more self-sufficient, and has reached its target two years earlier than expected. "We've raised this £10m and the interest on that alone covers what the Arts Council give us, and we've raised that ahead of time, which was a surprise," Mr Gilhooly said. "It wasn't advertised as an anti-Arts Council fund, but the speed with which the money came in suggests, certainly in the classical music public, there's a feeling that the Arts Council is not altogether on our side." An Arts Council England spokesperson said: "Where organisations feel that the success of their business model no longer requires public investment, we celebrate that success and wish them every good fortune for the future." They said the body takes the responsibility of spending public money seriously, and is committed to making the reporting requirements "as straightforward as possible for funded organisations". A statement added: "We want to be unequivocal and clear: Arts Council England is absolutely committed to creative excellence, in all the shapes and sizes it comes in, and across all the arts organisations, museums and libraries in which we invest. "The evidence shows, however, that excellent cultural and creative opportunities, which are valued as a right by some people in some places, are still denied to too many in this country. That isn't fair and must be addressed."
