Newsletter Issue 9    August 2006

Issue Number 9 June / July / August 2006

........Mystery Fauna.........

Mystery Creature Competition:
The first person to identify the fantastic mystery creature, which visited Cape in large numbers this year, wins a donation to the canoe club; €10 donation for the name in English, €10 for the name in Irish.

The Irish Language on Cape Clear.
In my main job, as the host of the Youth Hostel on Cape, I meet many people from around the world and am often asked the same range of questions time and again. I have stock answers for stock questions but occasionally I do try to vary my answers. One favourite question is ‘do the people of Cape speak Irish?’ My answer is always the same ‘yes they do.’ I often qualify this statement by saying that there are a number of families who use Irish as their first language and many who speak English but also use the Irish on a daily basis. I know this for a fact because I often find my lack of fluent Irish a real drag when stuck between two fluent speakers bandying their Irish back and forth as if it was going out of fashion, sometimes without a thought to my lack of understanding – but it does help to strengthen my resolve to try harder to master the ancient language of my forebears.
I myself use Irish on a daily basis but in a very basic way. I use it to greet my guests and when answering the phone. I also try to use all the Irish I have when visiting the Oifig an Phost (post office), and the island co-op office, where Irish is the prime language.
I am even proud to say that I was insulted by an Irish speaking visitor in the summer. I don’t know what he said but I am sure that it was an insult. He had, as far as I could make out, one drink too many taken, and was fishing from the rocks in a bit if a dangerous way. When I asked him to stop he refused in English and then flung an Irish word at me – well it just had to be an insult didn’t it. If only I was quick enough to have flung back Pogh mahone but then I am never one to inflame a situation, so perhaps pogh maisce would have been more apt.
I am not promising that my grammar is correct in English let alone Irish, so please read it in the spirit of which it was written, and if you don’t like it you can kiss my arse, in a manner of speaking.
Am I allowed to say such things Chuck or should I tone it down for those of a nervous disposition? I can’t help it; I just pick up my pen and publish what I write.
Later this year we will be having Irish lessons on Cape when I hope to learn a few more insults of my own.

Interested in learning Irish? Click the links for information:
http://www.cleire.com/ http://www.oilean-chleire.ie/english/colleges.htm

Contents

Irish Language (Front Page)
Live the Dream on Cape (1)
Nowhere to Hide on Cape? (2)
Book and Art Review. (3)
New Island Brochures (4)
Nuts for Birds (5)
Weather on Cape (6)
Tidy Islands Group (7)
Gardening on Cape (8)
Calendar of Events
Development, Infrastructure, Jobs (10)
Entertainments
Song Lyrics (13)
Thank You (12)
Links to Cape Web Sites(13)

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Ray Darcy Show Monday 8th August.
Fair-play to the young people of Cape for sending the emails that persuaded Ray to bring his radio show to Cape in August.
Ok, it is true that Ray was a bit controversial at times but it was all done with finger-up-bum & tongue-in-cheek. So now it is payback time:
You might not be impressed by celebrity but you have got to admit that Ray is a gorgeous little bundle of fun. He arrived in the blazing sunshine when water was short (as is usual during the summer) and joked that his entourage were smelly as they couldn’t have a shower in the morning. We know two things: he was probably smelly before he arrived; and a lack of water and being smelly is a small price to pay to live in the Cape.
Ray became a wally for the day. Sorry that should be wallie, not wally – a wallie is the affectionate term given by Cape islanders to people who sit on the wall backing onto the beach. Ray sat on the wall and interviewed a number of islanders to give his listeners a flavour of the island and a grand job he did too. Michael-John proved that his memory is as good as ever when Ray asked him to name all of the people living on Cape. Our own beautiful Emir was introduced as the historic face of Bord Failte. Steve Wing was asked to identify a range of birds by a basic description, read by one of Ray’s assistants, and he got them all right – big show-off. Helen did a grand job spouting the history of the island. Naimh, aka Lifeboat Baby, regaled us with stories of her sudden birth during heavy storms and how Cecilia, her mother, had to be strapped in a chair to be lifted on to the lifeboat and whisked off to give birth on the mainland.
Davy Spillane sang some beautiful songs as Gaeilge and melted our hearts. http://www.davyspillane.com/
It was a great show and a great day for Cape – well done to everyone who took part.

Family Fun Day
Why are we always so lucky with the weather? A brilliant day with a good cause in mind; Aoife and Roisin raised €1360 for their trip to Costa Rica where they hope to work as volunteers helping to construct desperately needed buildings for a village community. Kevin (with the help of his various assistants) worked like a Trojan organising everything, especially the barbecues – thank you to Kevin (and his little helpers).
The day started with the barbecue and more sausages than you could shake a stick at and an enormous amount of burgers, all washed down with abundant drink – what more could you want? The little children had sack races, obstacle courses, three legged races and other games. The bigger people had a full scale football match, which went to penalties, and Kevin’s team won (but they were lucky). Kevin scored the winning penalty but it was Dermot’s two goals that made the difference between the teams.

Book and Art Review
There are plenty of books available using islands or island life as their theme, but none are better than the newly published book ‘ A Miscellany of Cape Clear Memories.’ This is a book to equal the books in the Blasket collection. It is a book graced by the finest of photographs by world famous photographer John Minihan. John’s sensitive studies of our friends and neighbours is a credit to him and us. These photographs will stand the test of time, as will the book. It is chock full of the memories of islanders whose recollections simply glisten with past wisdom in a beautifully evocative way. If you read only one book this year make it ‘Bíthrín na Smaointe,’ that’s the Irish title of the book and it has many passages in Irish, as well as English, and a fair smattering of poems and songs – a true delight.
To enquire after this book email:

European Volunteer Project
We are fortunate indeed that each year we have a number of excellent volunteers from the European Volunteer Project to help us here on the Cape. These volunteers add so much to our lives and are always greatly missed when they leave. If anyone from Cape would like to join the EVP and workin foreign climes then they should contact Brid Ni Griffa.

Welcome to Cape Clear.

Our newest volunteer from the European Volunteer Programme is Sonja.
Sonja has already made her presence felt by painting some wonderful designs around the windows of Tina Spree.

Adios to Angel and Aisheer.
Excellent commitment and work ethic but, more importantly, two of the finest people you could wish to meet. We are all sad to see you go but wish you well for the future. No doubt you will return one day and truly welcome you will be.

Grapes growing on Cape Clear.
We are blessed with a climate which allows grapes, small though they are, to grow outdoors. Yes it’s true and I ate a couple today just to prove it. In a couple of weeks they will probably be juicy and fat and ready for picking – here’s hoping.
A great site for checking the Irish weather: http://www.met.ie/forecasts/
A great site for checking the Irish weather and the tides: http://www.ireland.com/weather/tides.htm

Tidy Islands Group
The Tidy Island Group (TIG) reports that the Bring (recycling) Centre on the old pier is being brought up-to-date. A concrete base has now been laid and, in due course, the recycling centre will be enclosed behind fences and dressed with rambling roses and other flowers.
A big thank you goes to all members of the TIG as well as the overseas volunteers for the huge amount of work done to keep our island clean and tidy. Take a look at our beaches after a storm and you will see the amount of rubbish washed in. All of this flotsam & jetsam, as well as the rubbish left by holiday makers, is cleared by the TIG, with the help of Cork County Council facilities.
The results of the 2006 Tidy Towns competition have just been announced. This year Cape came a creditable 5th out of twenty towns and we have increased our marks from last year.

The Tidy Islands Group (TIG) Calls for New Members:
The TIG is a small group of volunteers who work to help make Cape look its best throughout the year. We are very keen to expand the group and would welcome new members with open arms. It is important to note that the group is quite informal and does what it can with limited resources, but we do have a bank account and we do work hard to gather funds to carry out our planned schedule of works. We also know that the amount of commitment given by individual members will vary subject to the time of year and personal workloads, so you don’t have to commit to doing huge amounts of work, just do whatever you feel comfortable with. Every extra person will make a difference and lighten the load on the rest of the group.
The current members of the group agree that we should make our plans available for all to see and comment upon. For this reason we have set up our own weblog to make it easy for all interested parties to view our past achievements, current work schedule, and future plans.
How to join the group:


Lifeboat Day 23rd July
A day full of ceoil & craic. The north harbour rang to the sound of happy people.

Canoe Club Trip



8. Gardening on the Island of The Grey Ox of The Ninth Wave.
Gardening tips with Old Mother Sinead:
Garlic:
If you have had trouble with garlic bulbing-up in the past, this is because our climate on the island is too mild. The trick is to put youR garlic bulbs in the fridge (not freezer) for two or three weeks before you plant them out. As long as your soil is free draining then plant out in September/October. Garlic planted at this time will be bigger and juicer than garlic planted in spring. Harvest in July next year.


9. Calendar of Future Evnts 2005
April 21st :
April 29th.
May 13th :
June 17th: .

• June 24th :


• July 3rd – 7th :


• October 28th – 30th:

The Cape Clear International Storytelling Workshop
Saturday, October 28 through Monday, October 30, 2006

MASTER STORYTELLER IN RESIDENCE: Carol Russell, England, trained at the Jamaica School of Drama. As actress, she’s worked in Theatre-In-Education, Repertory Theatres & National & Int’l touring companies. Her introduction to Storytelling began in Jamaica: she tells tall Jamaican tales, African Folktales, tales from around the world. Creating workshops for schools, universities, theatre companies & libraries using the techniques of storytelling as a spring board to creating theatre pieces, she’s also run workshops on storytelling techniques as part of SPREAD THE WORD. Part of Britain’s Black History Month celebrations, she’s been guest storyteller on BBC GLR. She also writes urban tales. Her first novel, REUNION, was short listed in the 1995 Saga Book prize. Her TV screenplay HOUSE OF USHER became part of the BBC’s Windrush series, STILL HERE. Carol’s performed at many international storytelling festivals, including Cape Clear and the Scottish International Storytelling Festival – and was BBC radio’s storyteller in residence for 3 years.

“USING OBJECTS TO TELL STORIES” WORKSHOP: This year, for our 13th annual workshop, Carol will teach us how to use objects to generate and tell stories. Since objects hold stories within them, the workshop will help us unlock the story in any object we select to bring to the workshop, so bring a few!

Open to all but limited to the first 17. A fun yet heuristic opportunity for aspiring storytellers, practicing storytellers, teachers of all levels & ages, librarians, social workers, politicians, actors, priests, publicans.
COST: €95 for course plus a non-refundable €15 registration fee (limited scholarship available); accommodation (room & full board) varies with place of residence. Self-catering facilities, hostel, B&B, camping. Lunches Sat. & Sun. are served at cost in The Bullig House (Euro 5.00 each) and a special

Questions? Contact Chuck or Nell Kruger, Glen West, Cape Clear Island, Co. Cork, Ireland, (028) 39157;
Email: ckstory@eircom.net
Website: http://indigo.ie/~ckstory/

Important Notice: Before Travelling, you must check to make sure that the event of your choice is happening on the quoted date. Not all events are shown and more will be added in the next issue of the Newsletter.
10. Development, Infrastructure, Jobs
(10a) Tourist Office & Craft Shop – North Harbour
The new building was opened in time for the summer and a grand improvement it is too. The new space is full of light and air and makes an ideal spot for the display of arts and crafts.

11. Entertainment
(11a) Cards
Every Saturday night at An Club.
(11b) Table Tennis Club
Every Tuesday and Friday at the Old Coastguard Station (An Oige).
8.00pm – 10.00pm. Younger children with parents on Friday.
(11c) Chess Club
Every Tuesday and Friday at the Old Coastguard Station (An Oige).
All are welcome 8pm – 10pm.

(11d) Choir
You don’t need to be a Pavarotti to join our choir!
But it would help if you were. It is true that we do have some beautiful voices in our choir but it also true that we have some voices (I’m thinking of myself in particular) that are less than melodious. The key (pardon the pun) is that you have the desire to sing and are ready to learn from the rest of the choir. We often sing in Irish (with plenty of songs in English too), and it is then that you hear the true beauty of the Irish language. It is not just hymns that we sing either, no, we try all types of music from Country to Traditional Irish. So, don’t wait to be invited, just turn up on the night and have some fun and learn some Irish for free. Check with Mary for time and date of the next meeting.
12. Poems by Island Visitors.
George Young is a man of many words. His speech is splattered with tricks of language and playful purple prose. He uses words to paint pictures in his everyday speech and not just in poems. This offering was plucked from the very air that we breathe when I challenged him to make a poem or eat his words. And while we listened to the magical songs of the garden birds, which fill our lives here, he looked out at the rusted, corrugated roofs, and the gorgeous green fields of Cape and, thinking of the wastelands of a wider world, was inspired to create the following little gem.
The Unseen Famine
Dark furrows of earth now stand,
Where once green Pastures lay,
Like joined sheets of corrugated steel
Dropped between Hedgerows,
Washed and rusted by the wind and rain,
Waiting for the young potato shoots
To poke their heads through the bolt holes
To the morning sky.
No more will Spiders cast their nets
In seas of green in the early morning mist.

All around the field the Sloe, Blackberry, and the Haw,
All droop their heads in decay,
Blackened by the farmer’s unseen chemical spray.
No sound can be heard now from the Sparrow, Finch, or Thrush.
Dead leaves now fill the burrows
Where once Badger and Rabbit used to graze and play.

As the evening fades, all is quiet,
Except for the droning of a tractor in the distance.
A hungry Fox scurries through the potato drills,
Wondering where his next meal will come from.
High up on a blackened branch
A wise old Owl sits silhouetted in the moonlight, surveying the silence.
A tiny Mouse below the wise old Owl, blinks, and thinks
‘But, to feed such a few, why kill a million.’

George Young.

13. Thank You to:
14. Links
Links to Cape Clear Web Sites
View back copies of the Newsletter and many pictures of Cape Clear.
Back Copies of the Newsletter on Line
Our island web site, with lots of links, pictures, places to stay on the island etc.
Cape Clear Island Website

Emara Community Portal, contains regular news about Cape Clear.
Emara Portal for Islands
Links to Articles in the newsletter
Click on the link to have a go at building our Solar System: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/playspace/games/jigsaw/jigsaw.shtml

Click the link to see maps of the constellations and to discover what else you can see in the night sky during the current month.
Maps of the Night Sky from the BBC
Click on the link below to be taken to the NASA website to find out when you can next see the ISS as it dashes across the sky.
Date & Time for ISS NASA
Also, try the link to a rather wonderful website designed for children and beginners:
Astronomy for Children
The usual web site for those interested in UFO’s
UFO Society Ireland

We hope you enjoyed reading our newsletter. If we can add anything else to help improve your enjoyment then please let us know. Email the editor with your comments.

NDP for Rural Ireland

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Newsletter Issue 6  Nov 2005 

 

Cape Clear International Newsletter

Issue Number 6        Sep / Oct / Nov 2005

Emailed free to the Friends & Families of Cape Clear Island.

Our quarterly Newsletter contains items of interest to all past & present islanders, as well as information about future events, which will help the visitor, occasional or frequent, to plan their visit to suit their interests. We welcome contributions of news items. Richard Fenlon, Editor.

.....Mystery Bird.....

Competition:  The first person to identify the mystery bird, which was an extremely rare and recent visitor to Cape Clear, wins a donation to the canoe club.

NDP for Rural Ireland

The Cape Clear International Newsletter is made possible by the support of Comharchumann Chléire Teo with funding from The Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann, NRDP Program.

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Contents

 

Art on Cape Clear (1)

Astronomy (2)

Lundy Island Trip (3)

Bird watching (4)

Calendar of Future Events 2005 (5)

Development, Infrastructure, Jobs (6)

Welcome to (7)

Canoe Club (8)

Poetry & Storytelling (9)

Entertainments (10)

Thank You (11)

Whales & Dolphins and other Sea Creatures (12)

Links to Cape Clear Web Sites (13)

 

 

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1.   Arts & Crafts on Cape Clear

(1a) Quarterly Virtual Art Gallery – Selected Cape Clear Artist

Doris and Ferdia ran An Siopa Beag, the little shop in the North Harbour, for a few years. Doris is a skilled artist working in any medium taking her fancy. Currently she is working with leaded glass & copper sculpture – some of her works are available from selected shops on the mainland.  Her past projects include a life-size mermaid protruding from the rocks of one of the piers in North Harbour.  Ferdia doesn’t regard himself as an artist but his Naomh Ciaran ll painting is admired by all who see it.

 

 To view the gallery as a slide show, click on the link and then click the play button: Doris and Ferdia Gallery

 (1b) General Virtual Art Gallery –  Artists from Cape Clear

All Cape Clear artists are invited to show their works here in the ‘General Virtual Art Gallery.’ This will be an ongoing and changing display of individual pieces of art.

To view the gallery as a slide show, click on the link and then click the play button:

General Virtual Art Gallery  

2.   Astronomy and UFO's

The equinox on 21st September marks the official start of autumn. Clear skies help us to appreciate the Orion constellation in the early hours of the morning.  It is a wonder to know that Betelgeux, the star in the right hand shoulder of Orion (or the left as we look at it), is enormously huge.  If it were in the same position as our sun, it would stretch from there and beyond the earth to Mars – now that is biggggg.

 

Click on the link to have a go at building our Solar System: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/playspace/games/jigsaw/jigsaw.shtml

 

Click the link to see maps of the constellations and to discover what else you can see in the night sky during the current month.

Maps of the Night Sky from the BBC

Click on the link below to be taken to the NASA website to find out when you can next see the ISS as it dashes across the sky.

Date & Time for ISS NASA

Also, try the link to a rather wonderful website designed for children and beginners:

Astronomy for Children

The usual web site for those interested in UFO’s

UFO Society Ireland

3.   Lundy Island Trip

Don’t we do strange things? Where would you go on holiday if you lived on an island? Well, to another island of course.  We are all romantic souls at heart; this is why we live on the most romantic island of all.

A group of islanders, Mary & Ciaran, Mary & Steve, Helen & Fachtna, and Julian & Louise have now returned to Cape after their trip to Lundy island. By all accounts, they had a great time on another great island; made especially enjoyable by the knowing guidance of Steve Wing (our bird observatory warden) who knew the hidden & secret places of the island landscape, and made more poignant by the fact that Mary lived on the island for so many years.

To find out more about Lundy click the link: http://www.lundyisland.co.uk/

4. Birdwatching

The rarest of rare sightings of a Lesser Grey Shrike was reported by Sinead Fenlon. She was delighted to watch the bird for around fifteen minutes in the An Oige youth hostel garden, she even saw it bring up a pellet of waste. Warblers, Flycatchers, Stonechats and numerous other birds now fill our day. Cape is truly a Bird watchers paradise.

5. Calendar of Future Events 2005

(5a) Cape Clear Island Storytelling Workshop 2005

Saturday, October 29 through Monday, October 31, 2005  

MASTER STORYTELLER IN RESIDENCE: Carol Russell, England, trained at the Jamaica School of Drama. As actress, she’s worked in Theatre-In-Education, Repertory Theatres & National & Int’l touring companies. Her introduction to Storytelling began in Jamaica: she tells tall Jamaican tales, African Folktales, tales from around the world. Creating workshops for schools, universities, theatre companies & libraries using the techniques of storytelling as a spring board to creating theatre pieces, she’s also run workshops on storytelling techniques as part of SPREAD THE WORD. Part of Britain’s Black History Month celebrations, she’s been guest storyteller on BBC GLR. She also writes urban tales. Her character, THE BEAUTIFUL MAD WOMAN, appeared as part of the British launch of How Stella Got Her Groove Back. Her first novel, REUNION, was shortlisted in the 1995 Saga Book prize. Her TV screenplay HOUSE OF USHER became part of the BBC’s Windrush series, STILL HERE. As well as the television series COMIN’ ATCHA, starring the pop group Cleopatra, she’s written a half hour drama, A SUITABLE CANDIDATE. She has performed at many international storytelling festivals, including Cape Clear and the Scottish International storytelling festival. She was BBC radio’s storyteller in residence for three years.

“USING OBJECTS TO TELL STORIES” WORKSHOP: This year, for our 12^th annual workshop, Carol will teach us how to use objects to generate and tell stories. Since objects hold stories within them, the workshop will help us unlock the story in any object we select to bring to the workshop, so bring a few!

Open to all but limited to the first 20. A fun yet heuristic opportunity for aspiring storytellers, practicing storytellers, teachers of all levels & ages, librarians, social workers, politicians, actors, priests, publicans.

Click on the link to Chuck Kruger's web site to read about these wonderful sessions and, if you're lucky, to make a booking: http://indigo.ie/~ckstory/workshop.htm

(5b)Rosary At St. Ciaran’s Shrine Cape Clear
Islanders will gather at the shrine and holy well of St. Ciaran, the patron Saint of Cape Clear and the first person to celebrate a Mass in Ireland, at 6.30 tomorrow, 6th October, to recite the Rosary.

It is hoped that this will be repeated for the subsequent Thursdays of this month, which is dedicated to the Rosary.

Everyone is welcome.
Failte Roimhchach

(5c) SafePass Course 17^th October.

The FAS Safe Pass Safety Awareness Training Programme.

Anyone interested in attending the course (details shown below) should contact Seamus.

The Construction Safety Partnership Plan launched by the Minister for Labour, Trade and Consumer Affairs, Mr Tom Kitt, T.D. in March 2000 recommends that all construction site personnel should have basic safety training.

To meet this requirement, FAS, in consultation with the industrial partners has developed the Safe Pass one-day Safety Awareness Training Programme, which will be targeted at all construction site personnel, including new entrants.

What is the FAS Safe Pass Programme

The purpose of the FÁS Safe Pass Health and Safety Awareness Training Programme is to ensure, over the course of time, that all Construction site and Local Authority personnel, will have a basic knowledge of Health and Safety, and be able to work on site without being a risk to themselves or others who might be affected by their acts or omissions.

The FAS Safe Pass Programme has been developed following an initiative by the Construction Industry Training Committee. This initiative was incorporated into the Construction Safety Partnership Plan which was launched by Tom Kitt T.D., Minister for Labour, Trade and Consumer Affairs. Detailed consultation took place between FAS and Expert Working Groups representing the Social Partners with the support of the Construction Industry Training Committee. The consultation focused on the content and delivery of the FAS Safe Pass Programme and took into account the target group to whom it will be delivered.

The Health and Safety Awareness Training provided under the FAS Safe Pass Programme while complying with the provisions of the Safety, Health, and Welfare at Work Act, 1989, the Safety Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations, 1993, and the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations, 1995, must not be seen to relieve employers of their statutory duty to provide other appropriate Health and Safety Training for their employees.

Upon successful completion of the Safety Awareness Training Programme participants will be registered in the FAS Safe Pass Programme and issued with a registration card. It is a condition of renewal of the registration card that participants must update their Safety Awareness Training every four years.

Aims of the Programme

Raise the standard of safety awareness in the Construction Industry Ensure that all site personnel undergo basic health and safety awareness training with the view to making a positive contribution to the prevention of accidents and avoidance of health hazards. Maintain a register of personnel who have received such training. To provide all participants with a FÁS Safe Pass registration card which will indicate that the holder has attended a formal course in health and safety awareness.

 

The information above is taken directly from FAS, click on the link for more information:

http://www.fas.ie/environmental_training_unit/safepass.html

 

(5d) Irish Lessons for beginners – An Club 20^th October.

A series of 20 lessons, subsidised by Udaras na Gaeltachta, starts on Thursday 20^th October at 7pm.  A total cost of €30 per person. Contact the Co-op for more information: Email here

 

(5e) Whale Watching Trip - November.

A trip to see fin and humpback whales (hopefully) has been provisionally booked for November.  Colin Barnes will collect us from either the North or South harbour. See section 12 for details.

Important Notice: Before Travelling, you must check to make sure that the event of your choice is happening on the quoted date.  Not all events are shown and more will be added in the next issue of the Newsletter.

6.   Development, Infrastructure, Jobs

(6a) Pier Works North Harbour:

Works are still going on and are likely to continue for some time to come. The walkway linking the temporary pontoon to the pier has recently fallen into the harbour and is no longer being used. Currently the ferry is being boarded at the Bulls Nose. 

 Click the link to see a slide show of the works on the pier and the pontoon:

Slide show of Pier Works and Pontoon

 

(6b) Tourist Office & Craft Shop

Quotes are being invited for the building of the new Tourist Office and Craft shop in the North Harbour. Plans are drawn and work is to start as soon as possible. If you are interested in quoting for this job then please contact the Co-op office immediately. Email here

 (6c) Jobs on Cape Clear

Email the Co-op for more information: Email here

(6d) Fish Farm

The Fish Farm is soon to be listed on the AIM (Alternate Investment Market) for new companies.

 

 7.  Welcome to:

We have two new European volunteers on the island and they plan to stay for one year. They are Sandra Saabey from Denmark and Angel De Jesus Rivas Menjivar from El Salvador.  They will be involved in community project work.

We also welcome Ray Foley who is now working full time at the fish farm.

8.  Canoe Club report by Richard Fenlon

The annual camp-out was a great success and much thanks must go to Seamus for his commitment and organisational skills.  The morning of the trip brought with it a fine day as the fifteen of us, five big kids (adults), and ten children gathered in the North Harbour. We first had to load the Karrycraft (the summer Schull ferry) with the kayaks and the huge amount of provisions as well as tents and the like, which we needed for our short trip.  Soon we were ready and off we went to the uninhabited Castle island.  When we arrived at the island, a little offshore, the kayaks were made ready and most of the younger members of the party were launched directly from the deck of the ferry into the sea – this spectacular manoeuvre had been practiced from the cliffs of Cape Clear in the previous weeks.  A RIB and the Canadian canoe were then loaded and we made for the beach. We set our tents up in a circle in a field next to the beach, just beneath a group of derelict old houses, which are impressive enough now but must have been stunning when they were inhabited.  As soon as the tents were up we set about making our first meal of the trip – sausages and bacon for everyone (except the vegetarians who had the delight of Quorn).   Soon enough we were fed-up with sausages, it was time for exploring and gathering firewood; so we split into small groups and off we went in various directions.  The day was beautiful and sunny and the island was the better for it.  My group, consisting of Mairtin and Patrick, were walking the coastline when Mairtin suggested that the three of us should lye down on the pebble beach and get in touch with nature. Well that was the start of it and before long we each had a pebble placed upon various parts of our bodies – one on the forehead, one on the heart and one on the bellybutton. We then had to remain silent for a quarter of an hour – and, strangely enough, it was an uplifting experience (apart from the snoring).

The day was becoming a scorcher and when we awoke from our respective dreams, we continued exploring the island. Soon enough we happened upon a great little pier facing the mainland, which makes me wonder why Castle island is uninhabited. Near the pier is the remains of the Castle, which has practically only one wall still standing but it must have been a grand edifice in its time.

The experienced kayakers in the group, supervised by Seamus and Catherine, kayaked to the nearby islands exploring and foraging for firewood.  Later that day Seamus arrange for a group of us to paddle the Canadian canoe, ably supported by one kayak  to a beautiful little harbour called Drinagh Tra.

 

At around 11am the following morning the Karrycraft was back to collect us, and our sojourn on Castle island was over.  

9. Poetry & Storytelling

This quarter we feature the poetry of Cecilia Ramshaw

Cecilia was inspired to write the featured poem after visiting our beautiful little island earlier this year. Cecilia was born and grew up in the North East of England. She has roots in Cork on both sides of her family. She graduated with a B.A.hons from the University of Northumbria in 2003 and has almost completed an M.A. in Creative Writing.

Cecilia began writing for personal therapy as a result of a very traumatic event in her life. She found that, to write down the negative experiences was enormously healing.

 

Holes on Cape Clear Island, West Cork.

  

Stoic, ever-resistant to the wind.

Porous stone walls let the storms rage their short

tunnels. They criss-cross, to cage this lost, green

whale, nipped in waist, like stone net across Cape

grass. Ancient rock plants grow in small holes.

They bed into sponge eyes that never close.

 

Some days, a fresh, soft ally comes in close.

It forms a steamy, wet mist. Then, the wind

ceases to wrap this great fish with news holes

for the sea. Tall foxgloves seem to grow short

along its cowardly hedgerows. Cragged Cape

cliffs rise-up. Fields meet proud edges in green

 

shades of influence. Tiers of moss-green

rolling hills, ache tired muscles. Legs close

in to let cars pass : old ‘bangers’ of Cape,

mended by the love of neighbours in wind

and storm ; new parts improvised when in short

supply. Willing hands come to fill car holes. 

 

Stone-house ruins refuse to die ; past holes

of emotion ; resistant, on their green

carpets, to the decay of this whale’s short

life-span in the universe. At the close

of day, mistress moon shines her light on wind

bruises, as if to reassure the Cape

 

of necessary change and a new cape

to wear each day ; the forming of the holes

vital against the spirit of the wind.

And in summer, lovers run over green

fields to a marriage-stone pillar. Hands close

through its hole, to be blessed with a bond short

 

of a diamond lure. Passion locks in, short

of an earthly key. Though a wave may cape

the island, the stone keeps clasps strong. Close

loyal pledges, through the solstace star-holes,

build again, the eyeless ruins with green,

fertile promise. Unpolluted, strong wind

 

blows through lover’s hair ; steals laughter. While holes

angle, decoy, protect the fragile green

in devious court, to the fickle winds.

 

 

By Cecilia Ramshaw  

 

 

·                 September 2005 International Storytelling Festival Report

The festival is over for another year and was the usual roaring success. The weather was kind, as it usually is on Cape, and every bed on the island was filled, some twice over but that’s another story. B&Bs and hostels report bookings already in place for 2006.  We must thank the Storytellers for their amazing efforts. They always manage to make the festival a magical experience for everybody.

Click the link to be taken to the Storytelling website: http://indigo.ie/~stories/

10.  Entertainments

(10a)  Cards

Every Saturday night at An Club.

(10b) Table Tennis Club

Every Tuesday and Friday at the Old Coastguard Station (An Oige).

8.00pm – 10.00pm. Younger children with parents on Friday.

(10c) Chess Club

Every Tuesday evening at the Old Coastguard Station (An Oige).

All are welcome 8pm – 10pm.

(10d)  Soccer

Every Sunday 12 noon, at the sports field. All are welcome – girls, boys, Yimmy & Yammy, young and old.

  11. Thank You to the Cape Clear Choir:

Our wonderful choir, conducted by Mary O’Driscoil, have brightened many a difficult day with their beautiful renditions of some favourite hymns and tunes.  They are always ready at short notice to make our beautiful church ring with their sweet and lyrical singing. We are privileged and proud to have such a choir on such a small island.  We are all looking forward , as we always do, in great anticipation of the choir’s performance at Christmas.  Long may our choir continue.

 

12. Whales, Dolphins, & Porpoises etc.

(12a)  Basking Sharks and Dolphins

Marie O’Neill reports pods of Dolphins and a wonderful Basking Shark – all to be seen from the lands around her house facing Roaring Water Bay.  No wonder she is a calm and relaxed person; who wouldn’t be with such great therapy – imagine having a hot-sup and being able to watch these beautiful creatures from your own dining room. 

Boomerang is back.  A great name for one of God’s great creatures;  Boomerang is a Humpback Whale and he returned to our waters a few weeks earlier than last year – which makes some people wonder about global-warming.  Here we are in September and the temperatures are still toasty. We also have reports of some exceptionally big Fin Whales gracing our waters.  A recent bird-watching visitor was delighted to report the sighting of a Leatherback Turtle – again viewed from the hills of the island.

 

 Slide show of Whales and Dolphins

(12b)  The Whale Man – Colin Barnes – November Trip.

We have made arrangements with Colin Barnes for a whale watching trip in November. The date will be decided by the whales themselves. Colin promises to keep a close watch and to contact me when the sea is ‘full of whales.’  We hope to arrange for him to collect us from the North or South Harbour. Limited space so anyone interested in joining the trip should contact the editor: anoige@fenlon.net

Colin is often to be seen on television or in the newspapers, as he is the person they contact whenever they do a feature on whale watching. The most recent article was in The Guardian and is shown with their permission below:

 

Whales against Ireland      

West Cork is now recognised as one of the best places in Europe to go whale watching - and you get the dolphins thrown in for free

Ian Belcher
Saturday October 8, 2005
The Guardian

Minke whales are frequent visitors to the waters of western Ireland
 

I stopped counting when I got to 37 dolphins. The jumping, diving, jostling pod had surrounded our catamaran like a gang of silver grey muggers, but my attention had been sidetracked by two bulky, menacing shapes to the left of the group. Spearing through the briny they were around 25ft long, breaking the surface in smooth rolls of dark skin. At first glance they appeared to be super-sized dolphins, but closed scrutiny revealed far larger prey - 12-ton minke whales.

I've seen whales before - heavyweight, tail-slapping gymnasts off South Africa - but today I was just six miles off the west Cork coast in Ireland, a region earning a reputation as one of Europe's premier whale-watching sites. Minke, fin, humpback, sei and occasionally killer whales are attracted by prolific banquets of sprat and herring.

"On one memorable day last year we had 55 fins, 15 humpback and 20 minke within a mile of the boat," says our genial 56-year-old skipper Colin Barnes. "The horizon was littered with blowing whales. I'd someone on board who'd watched whales all over the world and never seen anything like it."

Colin's in a strong position to count sightings. During 30 years of fishing these waters, he maintained regular records of any whales or dolphins spotted, supplying Greenpeace with vital information. And the omens were good for our afternoon trip. That morning, he'd taken out several photographers who'd spent hours snapping three adult fin whales and one calf. "They were so close we got vapour from their blows on our faces. I always think that's an honour."

The weather gods were smiling as well. Calm seas and blue skies meant their 30ft high blows could be spotted three miles away "like big white exclamation marks". Our group of 12 aboard the catamaran Holly Jo set off from near the fishing village of Union Hall in expectant mood, passing dramatic cliffs and patchwork fields in 50 different shades of green and brown.

We saw fat puffins, hundreds of shags and a 120-strong colony of grey and common seals. Colin climbed on to the cabin roof, roll-up hanging from his weather-beaten face, and scanned the horizon like Captain Ahab after Moby-Dick.

It wasn't long before he slid us nonchalantly among the minkes and dolphin muggers, but they were mere aperitif for the main course of fin whales. The second biggest species on earth, the 80-ton creatures are over twice as long as our 36ft catamaran. "People are awestruck when we get close," said Colin. "It's like looking at dinosaurs."

So regularly are fins spotted that several now have names - Agnes, Tonto, Silver - identifiable by the shape of their dorsal fins. I was starting to understand why people travel from vast distances - including California's whale-watching mecca of Monterey - to see creatures Colin claims can only be sighted near land in two places: east Canada and south Ireland.

My group included Peter McIntyre, a decorator and wildlife enthusiast from Coventry. "I was going to the Azores to see sperm whales, but then I heard you could come here to see fins, with a chance of humpbacks."

As he and the group scoured the ocean, it became clear that, like fishing, the thrill of whale spotting lies partly in the anticipation. Unfortunately, like a watched kettle, the water never boiled. Putty clouds replaced blue sky, making it harder to spot the blow fountains.

Colin rarely left the cabin roof scouring the water's surface. It seemed somewhat unfortunate to lose several 80-ton creatures but no one could have tried harder to deliver the goods. And then, after several hours and in fading light, he leapt down athletically to steer the boat on its homeward course. Several hundred yards away the water was churning. Finally a fin?

Sadly no, just more dolphins. In previous winters he has watched them school together in an extraordinary 3,000-strong pod. "Another day I saw them consistently for 60km."

People finally relaxed their vigil as we motored back to Union Hall. It had been an exhilarating if finless day, but the dedicated Peter informed me his holiday hunt for the big fellas wasn't over. He was returning for another possible rendezvous with Agnes in three days time. It's addictive stuff this whale watching.

13. Links to Cape Clear Web Sites

View back copies of the Newsletter and many pictures of Cape Clear.

Back Copies of the Newsletter on Line

Our island web site, with lots of links, pictures, places to stay on the island etc.

Cape Clear Web Site

Emara Community Portal, contains regular news about Cape Clear.

Emara Portal for Islands

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