Latest news with #Newry-based
Irish Independent
30-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Take to the floor: The best rugs and wood flooring for your space, plus expert tips on how to clean them
In Irish homes, the overwhelming fashion is for hard floors and rugs, usually large enough that the front feet of the furniture can rest upon it. 'A lot of people would love to have a cream-coloured rug, but they're put off by the thought of maintenance,' says Clare Walsh of Kukoon Rugs. The Newry-based rug store is run by Walsh and her brother Paul Vallely. They sell accessibly priced rugs of their own design, made by their partner company in Turkey. Their solution to the maintenance conundrum was to introduce a range of machine-washable rugs. 'They were an instant success. People understood the concept straight away.' Their first generation of flatwoven washable rugs, which are still available, are made of recycled cotton (80pc) and polyester (20pc) with a jute backing. They're printed with vintage patterns, often resembling a traditional Persian rug, and cost €285 for a 2 x 3m rug. 'Some people love a flatwoven rug,' Walsh says. 'But they're not for everyone.' Their next iteration, the Everyday Collection (€225 for a 2 x 3m rug) is also machine washable to 30 degrees and made of recycled cotton with chenille (30 pc). Chenille is a tufted yarn that can be made from a range of materials. In this instance, it's cotton and polyester. Walsh felt the rugs were still too flat. Working with their partners in Turkey, Kukoon evolved a range of soft washable rugs (€325 for a 2 x 3m rug). These too are printed but, with a 12mm pile, are soft to the touch. They look and feel like a low-pile carpet. The Soft Collection is 57pc recycled cotton and 43pc chenille with a recycled cotton backing. 'It's a balancing act between sustainability and cost,' Walsh admits. 'The only way to make the rugs softer, while keeping the prices low, was to increase the amount of chenille. If a more sustainable rug is more expensive, people still choose the cheaper option.' While all these products are machine washable to 30 degrees, a large rug would require a very large washing machine. 'Most people don't intend to put them in the washing machine but they're not afraid to take out the scrubbing brush. Because they know they can clean the rug easily, people are ordering them in lighter colours and using them under the dining table or in the kitchen.' ADVERTISEMENT Kukoon has more washable rugs in the pipeline, including a fluffy rug, a loop-pile textured rug, and one made from imitation jute. 'We like developing products that don't already exist,' Walsh says. 'It always takes longer than my optimistic brain thinks it will, but we like to be the first!' For those with a little more to spend, you can't beat a wool rug. 'There's a misconception that synthetics are more durable,' says Phoebe Holland of Witness the generations of Persian rugs which have outlived their owners to sell as antiques. was founded by her parents, Brendan and Dominique Holland, in 1994. Back then, Holland's Wood Floors and Rugs was a small family business with a shop on Cork's MacCurtain Street. 'Local people still call us Holland's,' says Phoebe, who left her corporate career to join the family business 10 years ago. 'We had to modernise. I saw the potential in that and my father trusted me to do it.' Now, has a strong online presence (the clue's in the name) and a large store in Douglas, Co Cork. Most rugs at are made of wool, all of which is responsibly sourced. And while no pure wool rug is machine washable, all can be spot cleaned. 'Don't use chemicals,' Holland says. 'Dabbing with Woolite and warm water will get rid of most stains.' When choosing a rug, Holland recommends using the company's online visualiser. 'Rugs are difficult to pick and people struggle with sizing. It needs to look balanced in the space.' In terms of style, Holland has noticed a resurgence of interest in traditional Persian and Turkish rugs: 'Part of that is nostalgia. People remember these rugs from their grannies' homes. Now, so many modern houses have hard edges, a traditional rug is a great way to add a sense of history.' A hand-knotted Persian rug is a big investment. They can cost as much as €10,000 for a 160 x 230cm rug. 'We also sell a range of reworked vintage Persian rugs,' she explains. These vintage pieces have lain unsold in storage units for decades, often because the colours and patterns weren't fashionable. Now, they've been upcycled. 'Some of them have been sun-bleached, or shaved in parts, or given touches of modern colour. But they're still hand-made and they're still Persian.' Prices for a 200 x 300cm reworked Persian vintage rug range from €1,100 to €2,000. 'It's a shame to cover up a beautiful wood floor with a rug!' says John Flannery of Havwoods, a company that supplies and fits wood flooring. 'You should look at the floor first. The rug is a flexible option. It will change many more times than the floor will.' While wood flooring is famously timeless, he's noticed a trend for dark wood floors in contemporary homes. 'We've two projects where the wood floors are matte black!' Plank floors are in demand, especially in large spaces with planks as wide as the budget will allow. 'The wider the plank, the more expensive they get,' he says. Other layouts, including chevron and herringbone floors are also becoming popular. 'Modern herringbone uses longer pieces of wood so it doesn't look like a school floor.' Wood flooring from Havwoods starts at €105 per metre for a plank floor and €120 per metre for a herringbone pattern, both including installation. 'Always order from a company that offers a full supply and fit service. That way you have a warranty for the installation as well as the floor.' Flannery's other recommendation is to clean a wood floor using only a spray mop and a pH-neutral cleaner: 'You won't find the cleaner in the supermarket but any reputable flooring outlet will sell it.' Beware of products marketed as pH-friendly, as these may contain lemon juice. 'They smell nice but they'll erode your floor,' he warns. 'Lemon juice destroys wood floors.'
Agriland
23-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
‘Exempt all farming businesses' from UK inheritance tax
Farming families with a long-term commitment to their businesses can be easily made exempt from the UK expanded inheritance tax measures. This was the clear views expressed by Co. Down-based financial planning specialist, David Hanna, who spoke at the official launch of Newry Show 2025. Hanna said: 'It's obvious that the current Westminster government does not understand farming.' According to Hanna, the expanded inheritance tax changes, referenced by the chancellor last October, are 'the most talked-about Revenue-related measures to have had an impact on farming over the past 40 years'. 'All agricultural businesses are asset-rich and cash-poor. As a consequence, many farming families are worried about their ability to actually pay the tax should they ever be faced with the need to so. 'And there is a ripple effect to be considered within all of this. Many farm businesses will not have the confidence to invest in the future of their businesses. 'We may also see a change in the way that banks deal with their farming clients.' The Newry-based financial consultant believes there is a very clear and concise way for the UK government to amend the new tax measures. 'There is an obvious option for the chancellor to exempt all faming businesses with a clear commitment to maintain the fabric of their businesses for the benefit of future businesses,' Hanna said. 'By taking this approach, she can focus her attention on those individuals and companies that view an investment in land as simply that: an opportunity to dodge the payment of inheritance tax.' Hanna is amongst a growing number of accountants and financial planning specialists who believe that the chancellor still has time to amend the agri-focussed tax changes she specified last autumn Meanwhile, a report by the UK government's Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee is calling on the UK government to delay announcing its final agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) reforms until October 2026, with the measures to come into effect in April 2027. MPs are saying that a pause in the implementation of the reforms would allow for better formulation of tax policy and provide the government with an opportunity to convey a positive long-term vision for farming. Such a development would also protect vulnerable farmers who, according to the report, would have more time to seek appropriate professional advice.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US company set for takeover of Newry tech firm
[Google] FD Technologies, the Newry-based technology firm, is on the brink of being taken over by a US company. The firm's board of directors said it had received a number of proposals from TA Associates, a Boston-based private equity company. The most recent offer was for £24.50 a share which compares to a closing market price of £19.30 a share yesterday. The board said that should TA Associates make a firm offer at £24.50 it is "minded" to tell shareholders they should accept the deal.
Irish Examiner
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
'Some had siblings that died': A tale of friendship between Palestinian and Irish children
Ann Devlin never imagined she'd write a children's book – let alone one about Gaza. 'Ninety per cent of the public think, 'Oh, someday when life gets less busy, there might be a book in me', but I didn't really actually think that,' she says. However, witnessing the devastation in Palestine after October 7, 2024, changed everything. 'It horrified me,' she says. 'The way Israel retaliated from day one, it was just intense,' says the Newry-based author. 'Their government officials came on and said that they were going to flatten the place, they were going to stop the water, they were going to stop the food. Essentially, they were going to have a genocide against these people.' Devlin got involved with local groups, and started going to protests, joining boycotts, and writing to TDs and newspapers. 'Eventually, it was, what else can I do? I need to do more,' she says. 'So I wrote a book.' The Friendship Cup – written under her pen name Winne Clarke – is aimed at 9- to 12-year-olds. It tells the story of Irish children as they welcome visitors from Palestine into their homes for a football tournament. The book follows the children's friendships after the visitors return to Gaza, and the struggle to maintain contact when conflict erupts. Devlin grew up in the US with Irish parents. She moved to Ireland and raised her family in Newry, where she runs a cleaning business with her husband Paddy. This is her first foray into writing. The book came from a desire to help children understand what was going on in Palestine. 'I do think that children need to know the truth. I concentrated more on the horrors, like I glossed over them a little bit, because I don't really want to traumatise children either.' The Friendship Cup, by Winnie Clarke. The story was inspired by true events from 2017. 'I found out that there was a Gaza football team that came to Ireland. They were 12- or 13-years-old,' says Devlin. The team represented the Al Hilal Football Academy in Gaza, which has since been destroyed by bombing. Proceeds from Devlin's book will go to the Academy to help them support their community and rebuild facilities. 'The whole place has been flattened, so they're not ready to build the football club. But I do see football as a good form of resistance, when they are ready,' she says. In the book, some of the children from Gaza lose siblings. This was based on real stories, although the names were changed. 'The Gazan children that were here, some of them had siblings that died,' she says. 'That wasn't made up, those are actual cases.' Throughout the story, Devlin highlights some of the discrimination and restrictions Palestinians face on a daily basis. 'I did a lot of emphasis on the whole apartheid system that is in Israel. How they don't let anything in, they don't let anything out. You can't use certain roads. You can't use certain airports,' says Devlin. Finding the right language to educate children without frightening them was sometimes difficult. 'I know young people that age in my life, and you don't want to hurt anybody,' she says. 'Yeah, that was definitely a challenge.' The book aims to show children that they can speak up too. 'I think it's important that children realise they too have a voice. Liam and Sinead in the story, they realised that they could do things, that they could go to marches, that they could boycott at McDonald's, that they could make change happen,' she says. 'I think children shouldn't feel helpless, or they just they have to know that they can be listened to and that they do have a voice.' It's also important for children to have hope, and there is some lightness to the story. 'There's a story of a friendship, of children from Gaza and children from Ireland becoming friends,' she says. 'It's a positive ending, and it's hopeful. And that's all very important I think too.' As a writer with dual citizenship, Devlin is concerned that in the US artists are being criticised for speaking out against Israel and in support of Palestine. 'It is terrible because they're becoming more and more fascist,' says Devlin. 'It's their bombs, it's their money, and they're not allowing anybody to speak against it.' She admits she's concerned about getting back into the US to see family, given her public stance. 'It does worry me, but it is what it is. I'm not going to shut up. I'm not going to stay silent.' The Friendship Cup is published by Mercier Press, €14.99, and is out now. Illustrations are by Miguel Angel Martínez and Sonia Pérez. Proceeds from the sale of each book goes to the Al Hilal Football Academy in Gaza.
Irish Independent
24-04-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Launch of cross-border environmental group to take place in Omeath on Saturday
It follows on increased concerns about the impact of developments at Warrenpoint port, particularly the storage of waste by the Newry-based company ReGen Waste, with residents on both sides of the Lough complaining about foul smells, as well the noise coming from ships being emptied and loaded. They are also concerned about the water quality in the Lough and the consequences it has for the dredging of mussels and for sea swimmers. The group, comprising residents from both sides of the Lough, are keen to focus on ways of protecting the environment for the benefit of all those living and working along its shores. "We have a steering group but we are hoping to set up a committee to be the voice for all the towns, villages and communities around the Lough,' says Omeath resident Bernarde Kilgallon. "We also hope to set up sub-committees to focus on different topics, such as flora, fauna and wildlife, as well as things like water quality, and the setting up of a seal sanctuary.' The Carlingford Lough Keepers is being supported by other environmental campaigners, with RARE - Rostrevor Action Respecting the Environment urging people to support this new group. "The signs are clear that it's no longer enough to merely list the failings in the implementation of environmental protection', they posted on social media. 'Community action has shown that until politicians untangle themselves from whatever holds them in the stranglehold of silence, the voices and actions necessary for change can only come from the ground up. Please consider bringing your ideas and readiness for corrective action to this meeting in Omeath next Saturday.' Colin McGrath MLA South Down of the SDLP has voiced his support for the new group and has stated that he raised issues around water quality in Carlingford Lough, particularly near Warrenpoint and that the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has confirmed they are now considering these issues. He also warned that he was worried that Carlingford Lough could suffer the same fate as Lough Neagh. 'For those of us who love Carlingford Lough, this is serious. I have found out that since 2015, nutrient levels have been consistently declining, and recent tests showed worryingly high levels of E. coli and Intestinal Enterococci (a bacteria associated with human and animal waste) – well above safe limits. If we don't act now, I'm really worried that this natural treasure could suffer the same fate as Lough Neagh.'
