Daily Archives: September 11, 2024

News

Dingle Lit Announces Line-Up For Festival In November

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DINGLE Lit Festival, the annual celebration of literature, has unveiled its 2024 edition.

Scheduled to take place from Friday, November 15th to Sunday, November 17th, this year’s festival promises a compelling literary experience that will inspire and engage attendees of all ages.

This year’s festival will offer a diverse range of events in English and Irish, including author readings, panel discussions, and workshops tailored for all ages.

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The 2024 festival will feature an lineup of established guests, including Roddy Doyle, Oliver Jeffers, Donal Ryan, Diarmaid Ferriter,  Róise Ní Bhaoill,  Muireann Ní Chíobháin, Oein deBairduin, and Natalie Ní Chasaide, Peadar Ó Riada, Cecelia Ahern, Barbara Scully, Ann Marie Flanagan and Felicity Hayes McCoy.

Dingle Lit Festival 2024 will also showcase the winners of the Dingle Lit Short Story Competition. The competition was open for short story writers to submit work in Irish or English. The winning authors will be reading out from their work in The Green Room.

The festival will feature two unique events dedicated to translated fiction, supported by the European Prize for Literature, an annual initiative to recognise the best emerging fiction writers in Europe.

Dingle Lit will showcase three leading poets from The Gallery Press, Ireland’s premier publisher of contemporary poetry and drama.

On Sunday, November 17th, “Poetry in Motion”, will feature a scenic bus trip from Dingle to Krugers Pub, hosted by Emer Fallon. The event, includes a coffee stop and offers a distinctive blend of poetry and sight-seeing.

Sheila O’Reilly, Festival Director, remarked, “We are proud to see how far Dingle Lit Festival has come since its inception. Each year, the festival grows and evolves, and we are excited to continue our tradition of celebrating the best of Irish literature in such a vibrant and picturesque setting. We look forward to welcoming everyone for another engaging and enriching experience in November.”

Dingle Lit Festival 2024 is hosted with the support of Associate Sponsor Dingle Distillery; Grant organisations: Arts Council, Kerry County Council, Ealaín na Gaeltachta, and Foras Na Gaeilge and Failte Ireland; and supported by RTE Supporting the Arts.

For festival updates, tickets and information visit www.dinglelit.ie and follow: https://www.facebook.com/Dingleliteraryfestival

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Entertainment, News

Siamsa Tíre Performers Head To USA For Big E Festival

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Siamsa Tíre performers in rehearsals prior to the US trip.

TEN Siamsa Tíre community cast performers take flight today, travelling to the U.S.A to perform at the annual Big E Festival in Springfield, West Massachusetts.

They have been in rehearsals for the last few weeks in preparation for this exciting opportunity to perform for over 250,000 visitors on the opening weekend.

The festival runs from the  September 13th – 29th, attracting over 1.4 million visitors across the week. In addition to the one hour performances daily from the 13th – 15th, the performers will provide Munnix Dance workshops to showcase and pass on this traditional dance to American visitors over the course of the weekend.

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The opportunity was made possible following a Siamsa Tíre performance representing life on the Blasket Islands at the anniversary celebrations of the Blasket Centre last year and through connections between the Dingle Peninsula and Springfield and its sister city West Springfield (location of the Big E).

Natives of the Dingle Peninsula emigrated to Springfield throughout the early 1900’s, as did inhabitants of the Great Blasket Island, and the connection has continued with Dingle based producers selling their products at the Big E fair since the year 2000.

The performance opportunity was developed through Jamie Ó Flannúra (a Siamsa Tire performer and Dingle native), who has travelled to the Big E Fair for the past two years promoting the Dingle Peninsula.

He initiated discussions for Siamsa Tíre to perform on this international stage, showcasing the iconic traditional Munnix style of Irish dance, Irish music and song and all that Siamsa Tíre has to offer as a vibrant Theatre and Arts Centre in the heart of Kerry.

Three of the performers are west Kerry natives and the rest hail from Tralee, Killarney and across the county.

This follows a long history of Siamsa Tíre performers touring internationally, with performances representing Ireland across Europe, United States and further afield.

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News, SCHOOLS

Pres Students Learn About Think Before You Flush Campaign In Banna

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Students of Presentation Secondary School Tralee learning about the Think Before You Flush campaign on Banna Beach on Monday.

THINK Before You Flush, a campaign operated by Clean Coasts in partnership with Uisce Éireann, joined Presentation Secondary School, Tralee students on Banna Beach on Monday to discuss the environmental issue of sewage-related litter.

Think Before You Flush aims to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of flushing sanitary products and other damaging items down the toilet and to promote responsible waste management practices.

The campaign has asked the students to help spread the Think Before You Flush message throughout their community.

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The students of Presentation Secondary School Tralee also learnt about the Think Before You Pour campaign that looks at the issue of pouring fats, oils, and greases (FOGs) from cooking down the kitchen sink.

Students and staff of Presentation Secondary School Tralee learnt about the Think Before You Flush campaign on Banna Beach on Monday.

Instead of flowing freely, FOGs cool and harden as they travel along the wastewater network. When FOGs combine with sewage related litter fatbergs can form.

Uisce Éireann clears thousands of blockages, including fatbergs, from the wastewater and sewage networks every year. The Think Before Pour campaign urges everyone to avoid washing FOGs down the kitchen drain and, instead, dispose of them in the bin once cool.

The Think Before You Flush campaign emphasises the importance of appropriate flushing behaviour and disposal of items including wipes and other sanitary products in the bin, even if they are labelled as flushable.

Join the campaign on social media @CleanCoasts and at www.cleancoasts.org. Learn more about the Think Before You Flush campaign at https://thinkbeforeyouflush.org/

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News, Sport

Monika’s ‘Over The Moon’ After Winning World Title Again

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Monika Dukarska.

KILLORGLIN-BASED rower Monika Dukarska, a PhD researcher at Munster Technological University, expressed her delight at winning the gold medal at the World Coastal Rowing Championships, which took place last weekend in Genoa, Italy.

Racing in the Coastal Women’s Solo final, Monika clinched the top spot with a time of 20:39.51.

The 34-year-old said she is “over the moon” to win the title for a second year in a row. It is her fifth world championship gold and ninth medal overall since she began coastal rowing in 2008.

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Speaking following her victory, Monika said, “This year’s championship was particularly unpredictable and challenging, with the location and weather playing a major role. My heat on Saturday was incredibly tough. The waves were large, making it difficult to control the boat. I anticipated slightly better conditions for the final, but I knew I’d have to work hard to battle the waves, especially with the course consisting of eight turning points.”

During the race, Monika found herself in second place, working hard to close the gap with Dymchenko of Azerbaijan, who led. Midway through the race, Dymchenko incorrectly rounded one of the buoys, which led to her automatic disqualification.

Until Monika reached the beach, she thought she had finished second and was content with that given the challenges of balancing her PhD, work, and training over the last year.

She said; “When I reached the beach, everyone was congratulating me, telling me I’d won. I was absolutely thrilled!

She added; “Coastal rowing is all about navigating an open sea course, where you face whatever challenges Mother Nature throws at you. That’s my favourite part of this sport—the combination of physical effort, mental toughness, bravery, stamina, course knowledge, and the strategic thinking required to succeed. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported and enabled me to compete and defend my title. It’s truly a team effort.”

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News

Candlelight Vigil Held To Remember Those Lost To Suicide

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Sharon Roche (right) read a poem at Pearse Park at the candlelight vigil to mark World Suicide Prevention Day. Photo by Dermot Crean

A CANDLELIGHT vigil was held in Pearse Park on Tuesday night to remember those lost to suicide.

Organised by Sharon Roche, the vigil is held annually in Tralee to mark World Suicide Prevention Day.

People gathered in the park at 8pm where candles were lit and there was a minute’s silence to remember loved ones and friends and to pray for anyone struggling.

Sharon Roche also read a poem, ‘The Dash’, while Eileen McSweeney sang ‘Amazing Grace’ at the end of the vigil.

Gathering at Pearse Park at the candlelight vigil to mark World Suicide Prevention Day. Photo by Dermot Crean
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Gathering at Pearse Park at the candlelight vigil to mark World Suicide Prevention Day. Photo by Dermot Crean
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