Latest news with #Waterford
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- Climate
- BreakingNews.ie
Seven counties under a hosepipe ban: What does it mean?
Counties Cork, Waterford, Tipperary, and Wexford will be placed under a Water Conservation Order, commonly referred to as a hosepipe ban, by Uisce Éireann. This ban comes into effect for the four counties (excluding Cork City) from Saturday. The orders will be in effect for seven and a half weeks, until September 16th. Advertisement These are in addition to the three existing Water Conservation Orders, which remain in place for Mullingar, Co Westmeath; Milford, Co Donegal; and Kells-Oldcastle, Co Meath. The hosepipe ban in these three counties will remain in place until August 4th after being extended. But what is a hosepipe ban, why are they needed, and what steps should you take to conserve water? Hosepipe ban A hosepipe ban prohibits the use of garden hosepipes and other non-essential uses of water by domestic users and commercial premises for non-commercial activities, for example watering gardens attached to a business premises. Advertisement Uisce Éireann is appealing to all customers, regardless of whether their supply is affected by a hosepipe ban, to be mindful of their water usage, as a significant number of supplies around the country remain under pressure. Uisce Éireann said the hosepipe ban has been issued in a bid to safeguard these water supplies for essential purposes following a sharp increase in demand across the affected counties. "This has put increased pressure on rivers and other water sources supplying these areas, many of which are at historically low levels following a drier than normal autumn, winter and spring. "In recent weeks, Uisce Éireann has been putting in place a number of measures to maintain and protect these supplies, including enhanced leakage repair works, tankering to reservoirs, pressure management and public water conservation campaigns in an effort to reduce demand to sustainable levels." Advertisement Asset strategy manager with Uisce Éireann, Mairead Conlon, said the past 12 months have been drier than normal when compared to the long-term average. While recent rainfall has brought some respite, it will take much longer for all supplies to recover, she said. "The situation is compounded by recent increased demand in the South of the country which is associated with warm weather, and other factors such as tourist activity in some areas. As a result we have almost 50 supplies which are currently in drought status. "This includes many supplies across counties Waterford, Tipperary, Wexford and Cork County in particular, in addition to the three supplies for which Water Conservation Orders were issued earlier this year and remain in place, namely Mullingar, Co Westmeath; Milford, Co Donegal; and Kells-Oldcastle, Co Meath." Advertisement Key messages and tips Conlon said Uisce Éireann is reminding all customers to be mindful of their use of water so that supplies can be protected, especially in areas where water resources are under pressure. She highlighted that using a hosepipe for one hour is the equivalent of the daily water usage of an average family and this is generally a non-essential use of water. 'There are lots of helpful tips for conserving water on but the key messages are to leave the hose and the pressure washer in the shed; reuse household water for the garden; and take shorter showers." Uisce Éireann water-saving tips: Leave the hose in the shed: Drop the hose during the summer months. Use a rose head watering can to water your plants instead of a hose or sprinkler. Running a hose for just one hour uses as much water as a family would typically need in an entire day; Bucket and sponge for your car: Using a bucket and sponge to wash your car can save hundreds of litres of water compared to using a hose or power washer; Turn off the tap: Brushing your teeth with the tap running wastes up to six litres of water per minute. Turning it off while brushing can reduce that to just one litre; Switch to a shower: Showers use about half the amount of water as baths. Invest in water saving appliances such as water efficient taps and shower heads; Shorter showers: With the average shower using seven litres of water per minute by turning your five-minute shower into four minutes, you could save up to seven litres of water per day; Fully load your appliances: Always ensure your dishwasher and washing machine are fully loaded before use. A typical washing machine uses approximately 65 litres of water, and a dishwasher uses around 20 litres per cycle. By ensuring they are fully loaded, not only will you conserve water, but you will also reduce your energy bills.
Irish Examiner
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
'We will do everything to stop that from happening' - Saoirse McCarthy hopes Cork camogie learns from hurlers loss
Saoirse McCarthy was a Cork hurling supporter on Sunday. She's been that fallen red soldier on All-Ireland final day. Her most recent experience of final heartbreak was 2022. Sunday at Croker was a reminder to never again visit that space. 'Feel so sorry for the boys and it is very hard to pick themselves up after this, but hopefully they will. "It was very hard to watch as a Cork supporter, you want them to do well, and yeah, you look at them and you say, I really hope that doesn't happen to us and we will do everything in our power to stop that from happening,' said the three-in-a-row Camogie All-Star. Unlike the men, the Cork women are chasing no famine-ending result. They are instead chasing a three-in-a-row of All-Irelands. To get back to their own concluding day, Waterford must be worked past this Saturday at UPMC Nowlan Park (5pm). Following on from their 11-point League final win over Galway in April, Cork have been untouchable in the championship to date. Four outings, four facile wins. Their smallest winning margin was nine points, their largest was 38. Fourteen goals across those four group strolls, and yet McCarthy speaks of a collective neither satisfied nor sated. 'We want to have a full 60-minute performance, we haven't had that yet. Played for 40 minutes, or thereabouts, but a full 60 minutes would be lovely.' The game where they came closest, she digs out, was last year's All-Ireland final triumph. And even within that, they were hit for a third quarter six-in-a-row as Galway pulled up level. 'A great game, Galway really put it up to us. We had to come out and really stand up to that test. It's probably the biggest test we have had in the last couple of years. 'Galway came out of the traps and decided they weren't going to let us walk away with it. We reacted well to it, which is something I think we might have struggled with before.' Sorcha McCartan, Clodagh Finn, and Meabh Cahalane came off the bench to play crucial roles at the end of that game, with half-forward McCarthy stating the panel depth has improved again in 2025. 'The competition for places is a really important factor for us, in that you know there is someone to take the jersey off you if you don't do your job. That competition really drives us and leads us to perform.'
Extra.ie
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Sharlene Mawdsley comments on her viral street race in Tipp
Sharlene Mawdsley was recorded showing off her speed while celebrating Tipperary's All-Ireland triumph over Cork last weekend. Now, the Olympian has joked that she is happy to return to the track after the video of her racing on the streets of Thurles went viral across social media. Sharlene's boyfriend, Michael Breen, starred for Tipp in the All-Ireland final as they hammered Cork to secure the Liam McCarthy once again. Michael Breen and Sharlene Mawdsley after Tipperary won the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile Sharlene was watching on from the stands and then joined Michael and his teammates for the Semple Stadium celebrations back in Thurles. The party clearly went on all night as Sharlene raced in her dress and flats on the street at 6:45am the following morning. Despite the head start she gave her opponent, Sharlene breezed to victory in the hilarious 10-second clip which has since done the rounds on social media. After a couple of days of celebrations, the Olympic sprinter shared a photo of her back running on her Instagram story with the caption: 'Swapping the streets of Thurles for the track today'. It wasn't just Tipp fans enjoying Sharlene's early morning antics on Monday, with the video getting thousands of likes online. Sharlene Mawdsley at quarter to seven this morning 🤣🤣🤣 #tipp #gaa — Ewan MacKenna (@EwanMacKenna) July 22, 2025 One user wrote: 'Imagine walking to work turning the corner and seeing Sharlene Mawdsley racing some lad!' Another added: 'Good bit of craic in Sharlene obviously.' A third remarked: 'I love this country. From the Olympics to racing lads in housing estates in Thurles at 7am. Hup Tipp.' Sharlene joked about the race on her Instagram story. Pic: Instagram @sharlenem1 Sharlene also took to Instagram in the wake of Tipp's win, sharing a photo of herself with Michael on the Croke Park pitch. She captioned it: 'Proud of you every day, but that little bit prouder today.' Sharlene confirmed that she and Michael were an item back in June, following the future All-Ireland champions' win over Waterford in the championship. Outside of the GAA, Michael is a business studies and geography teacher at CBS secondary school in Clonmel, receiving a diploma in education from DCU. Sunday marked his third All-Ireland title win and he has been a mainstay for the Premier County throughout his intercounty career.
Irish Times
11 hours ago
- Climate
- Irish Times
Extended hosepipe ban for counties Waterford, Tipperary, Wexford and Cork
A hosepipe ban lasting 7½ weeks will come into effect for counties Waterford, Tipperary, Wexford and Cork from this Saturday. The ban, which lasts until September 16th, excludes Cork city. Uisce Éireann said 'a significant number of supplies' countrywide remain under pressure and has appealed to all its customers to be mindful of their water use. There are three water conservation orders, or hosepipe bans, in place for Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Milford, Co Donegal and Kells-Oldcastle, Co Meath. [ Six-week hosepipe ban for three areas amid high April temperatures Opens in new window ] The orders prohibit the use of garden hoses and other 'non-essential uses' of water by domestic users and commercial premises for non-commercial activities, such as watering gardens attached to a business premises. READ MORE The latest ban has been issued in an attempt to safeguard supplies for essential purposes after a sharp increase in demand across the four counties since the start of the summer. 'This has put increased pressure on rivers and other water sources supplying these areas, many of which are at historically low levels following a drier than normal autumn, winter and spring,' said Uisce Éireann. 'In recent weeks, Uisce Éireann has been putting in place a number of measures to maintain and protect these supplies, including enhanced leakage repair works, tankering to reservoirs, pressure management and public water conservation campaigns in an effort to reduce demand to sustainable levels.' Uisce Éireann asset strategy manager Mairead Conlon said the utility's priority was to protect supply for use in homes, businesses and essential services. 'The past 12 months have been drier than normal when compared to the long-term average,' she said. [ Hosepipe ban in Kells sparks call for improved infrastructure Opens in new window ] 'And while recent rainfall has brought some respite, it will take much longer for all our supplies to recover. The situation is compounded by recent increased demand in the south of the country, which is associated with warm weather, and other factors such as tourist activity in some areas. As a result, we have almost 50 supplies which are currently in drought status.' Ms Conlon added that as late summer approaches, warmer weather creates a surge in demand for water, for gardening, leisure and other purposes. 'Using a hosepipe for one hour is the equivalent of the daily water usage of an average family and this is generally a non-essential use of water,' she said. 'We are asking everyone to play their part in conserving water and reporting leaks to help alleviate the pressure on our water supplies.'
RTÉ News
a day ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
'We have a target on our back' - Cork primed for Déise battle in semi-finals
It's been a distracting and ultimately disappointing week for Cork GAA following the All-Ireland final defeat to Tipperary on Sunday. But neither the hurlers' second-half implosion to gift Tipp the title, nor talk or a potential three-in-a-row for the reigning camogie champions is going to let Saoirse McCarthy lose focus ahead of Saturday's vital semi-final against Waterford. A Nowlan Park double-header sees the champions take on the Déise in the later game, which follows the meeting of Galway and Tipperary in the other semi-final. Cork come into the game off the back of a flawless group phase, where they finished top of the table in the five-team round-robin, while they also proved victorious in the league earlier in the year. They have contested the last four All-Ireland finals, winning both the 2023 and 2024 deciders, and are just one game away from making it back to Croke Park. "You can't be preparing for something that you're not in yet, so definitely won't be looking past Waterford this weekend," said McCarthy, speaking to RTÉ Sport ahead of the weekend fixture. "Semi-finals are there to be won and obviously we want to do that, but it's one game at a time." Saturday's opponents finished second in their respective group behind Galway in what was a competitive collective, as Waterford got the better of Dublin and Kilkenny, before overcoming a tough Clare unit in the quarter-finals. And McCarthy is expecting a tough battle against their neighbours, with the reward of a place in the final adding to the expected intensity. "It's going to be some challenge," said McCarthy. "They're a great side and I think they're having a great year, so we definitely won't be looking past them. "We know Waterford very well. We've played them multiple times most years. "They're a brilliant side, they're very pacey and they like to run the ball. They have the likes of Beth Carton, Lorraine Bray, and Niamh Rockett is flying this year. "We're under no illusions. They're going to come out of the traps. We know we have a target on our back and they're going to want to hunt us down. "I think they're going to bring a lot of physicality and pace to the game. "Hopefully, now we can stand up to that. "Obviously, they're going to be sharp after playing the quarter-final and we haven't had a game in four weeks, so that will be something we'll have to manage as well. "They're having a great year and Mike (Boland) has done a really good job with them as well. I think we're just excited to go out and play and see what they're going to produce too." Cork have been idle for four weeks since winning the group and claiming an automatic place in the last-four, while Waterford have only had three weeks to fill since their quarter-final win over Clare. But McCarthy said that the intensity and quality of training combined with the ever-increasing competition for places has kept the team sharp ahead of Saturday's trip to the Kilkenny venue. She said: "I think it is a bit long, but obviously you have to play off the quarter-finals in that time as well and still give the other teams a chance to have a break. "It's understandable at the same time. I think we managed it well. We were the same last year. "We know what we need to do now as well to prepare ourselves correctly. "The competition within our own squad is immense for places. The standard of training has been really good and hopefully we'll be ready now for Saturday." And while McCarthy can look forward to remaining competitive and eyeing further glory this summer, she admitted the ache of watching her male counterparts losing out at Croker Park last Sunday. "We were all behind the hurlers and I'm gutted for them," she said. "They had a great year, and they don't become a bad team overnight, so hopefully they can lift themselves up and be proud of what they achieved this year. "We're just trying to finish out our year now on a high and do our job."
