Newsletter Issue 4 March 2005
Issue Number 4 March 2005
Emailed free to the Friends & Families of
Our quarterly Newsletter contains items of interest to all past and current 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 Click Here for picture
Competition: The first person to identify the mystery bird, which was a recent visitor to
| 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. |
Contents
Babies (3)
Bird watching (4)
Book, Brochures, Pamphlets - Reviews (5)
Calendar of Future Events 2005 (6)
Development, Infrastructure, Jobs (7)
Genealogy (8)
Links to Cape Clear Web Sites (10)
Whales & Dolphins and other Sea Creatures (14)
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1. Art on Cape Clear
(1a) Quarterly Virtual Art Gallery – Selected Cape Clear Artist
The
Quarterly Virtual Art Gallery - Siobhan
(1b) General Virtual
All
To view the gallery as a slide show, click on the link and then click the play button:
(1c) Art Classes with Eilbhe Donovan
Every Thursday evening. Check with Eilbhe for details. One-to-one sessions can also be arranged.
2. Astronomy and UFO's
There is the likelihood of an aurora in the March night-sky because the Earth is about to enter a solar wind stream which could spark a geomagnetic storm. When it gets dark you will see Saturn currently in the constellation of Gemini, the Twins. It is now as high above the southern horizon as it can get.
Saturn is much brighter than the two stars above it, which are called Castor & Pollux, but not as bright as Sirius, which is the brightest night-time star. Sirius, is much lower down in the sky than Saturn.
Click on 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.
Also, try the link to a rather wonderful website designed for children and beginners:
The usual web site for those interested in UFO’s
3. Babies
There are no new babies to report this month but our previously reported babies are all doing very well. The wonderful happy smiling faces are a treat to behold. It must be the bracing sea air, which makes for such perfect little bundles of joy.
4. Birdwatching by Steve Wing, Bird Observatory Warden.
The coming months on
We had our first wintering Willow Warbler. Spring arrived with a Hoopoe on the 23rd March and a good selection of common spring migrants arriving on
Mid-March to May.
Spring is a most interesting time on
Field Courses on
This year’s field courses have been expanded and developed to offer something for everyone. The courses are designed to aid the beginner and those with some experience in the craft of birdwatching and in more specific subjects depending on the course chosen.
Courses vary from weekend courses (Fri-Sun) to 5 day week-long courses (Sun-Fri) duration beginning with an introductory talk on arrival the night before the course begins. Each course will combine both indoor and outdoor sessions, including discussion and slide shows and field excursions. All courses involve participating in the practical work of the observatory, and there is an opportunity to see birds in the hand during ringing sessions. The weekend courses offer an optional morning session on the Monday for those wishing to travel on a later ferry.
Go to Calendar of Events for more information on specific dates and courses.
Click the link to visit Birdwatch
5. Book, Brochures, Pamphlets - Reviews
· Chuck Kruger
Chuck Kruger’s new short story collection, Between a Rock, has just been published by Bradshaw Books of Cork. It costs Euro 15, plus postage, and may be ordered through www.emara.com by credit card, or from Chuck by personal cheque. The book’s credits give special thanks to the Bryan MacMahon Short Story Competition 2003 (part of the Listowel’s Writers’ Week Festival), which awarded Chuck’s story “Hard Place” 1st prize; to The Dubliner Short Story Contest ’02, which awarded “Calling” its overall short story contest winner; to the Cork Literary Review’s 2000 & 1998 Short Story Competitions, which awarded “Gas Man” and “Click, Click” first prizes, and “Temper, Temper” second prize in 1999; to the Francis MacManus Short Story Contests of 2001 and 2002 which short-listed “Worm of the Sea” and “Boundaries, Bulls, and Brendans”; and to the Bealtaine Laois Literature Festival 2003 for awarding “King Conger” its second of two prizes. Also thanks to David Marcus, who published “Belated Rite of Passage” in
Jo Kerrigan, book reviewer for the Irish Examiner, has written that “Kruger is a storyteller in the old tradition. He uses a richly decorated language, reminiscent of James Joyce and Dylan Thomas in its tumbling words and rhythmic repetitions. Each story echoes musically from the page, as if it is being recounted by the fireside on a long winter evening and the subject matter matches the leisurely style. These are not terse accounts of a series of events, but rather peaceful relatings of thoughts, times, and attitudes which bring to life vividly the complexity and richness of Cape Clear, the West Cork island he has made his home for many years. . . . He notices the world around him and describes it with affection and respect. The humour is lively and infectious. . . .
Ian Wilde, reviewing Chuck’s last collection in The Southern Star, writes that “Above all, one has to admire the sure-footed, confident nature of Kruger’s prose. It is immensely solid and well structured. Like a crafted stone wall, it gives the feeling of rugged permanence that will last centuries, however hard the winds blast.”
Poet and critic Bernard O’Donoghue writes of Chuck’s “expansive, exhilarating eloquence”; writer and editor David Marcus of his “outstanding example of the anecdotal story”. Of “Gas Man”, winner of the Cork Literary Review’s Short Story Competition 2000, Judge Marcus says: “Sea and sex, a formidable combination, provide the not always smooth rhythms of Fineen’s life, and his difficulty in striking a consistently sustainable tune out of them, makes a story that in its irresistible writing and treatment never strikes a wrong note.”
Click the link to visit Chuck’s website: http://indigo.ie/~ckstory
· Eamon Lankford
Eamon’s book about the O’Driscoll clan is due in the summer. More details in the next issue of the Newsletter.
- New
Monsi Alverezpino, is working hard on producing a new bi-lingual brochure for the island. Publication date is set for the summer.
6. Calendar of Future Events 2005
· March – April - Organic Horticulture Course
The second session of the Organic Horticulture course will be held at the end of March. The third session will be the 23rd April at Jean Perry’s tea garden in
The first meeting was excellent and informative. We met in the polytunnel belonging to Seamus and then had a tour of Martin’s vegetable plot. The drive is now on and in earnest to help make the island slightly more self-sufficient.
The course leader is the famous Jean Perry of Glebe House, Baltimore. Anyone interested should contact Seamus.
· March 5th - St. Ciarán's Feastday
A great annual event on the island. St Ciarán is the islands patron saint.
· April 5th - Fish Farm Open Day
Paddy Sheehan, the Mayor of Cork, will be presiding. Guests will arrive at 12 noon, which will be followed by a tour of the farm. Lunch will be served at 1.30pm in The Club.
· April 17th, Sunday – Mass Broadcast by RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta
Mass will be broadcast from the church on the island. A lovely occasion and all are welcome.
· April 28th – Christening of Shane Langley O’Dricoil
· April 29th – First Holy Communion of Aodh O’Driscoil, Eoin O’Driscoil, Sadhbh Ni Mhealoid, Cian McCann.
· May 1st – ‘the race of the ark tattoo’ by David Hancock
At An Club, Sunday, May 1st, 8.30pm sharp.
The Play
Experience the flea market – where junk shines brighter than neon! Barter with Mr Foster, second-generation flea market proprietor. Learn to distinguish between cast offs and collectibles. Part flea market, part séance – bargain buyer and seller beware…
Originating from the Abbey’s
The Actor
David Heap is probably best known to Irish audiences for playing Donal Maher in RTE’s ‘
David was nominated for an Irish Times/ESB Theatre Award for his role of Mr Foster in ‘The Race of the Ark Tattoo’.
Directed by David Horan
The Reviews
“A hypnotic creation **** ” – The Irish Times.
“A fine gem… Cool, cool, but with soul” – The Evening Herald
“David Heaps performance is beguiling and unsettling at the same time” – The Sunday Business Post.
“A revelation of finely wrought writing, deep sensitivity, incredible structure… A wonderfully, deceptively casual performance with a spine of steel” – WOW! Magazine.
“A show that invites a repeat visit… A tightly directed, accomplished piece of theatre” – RTE Interactive.
Extracted from
· May
The Father Matthew Group from the Enniscorthy area will be visiting the island on May holiday weekend. It is sure to be a fine time, full of traditional music, song, and dance, performed by some of the finest exponents in the country. Greatly anticipated, simply not to be missed.
http://www.comhaltas.com/new.htm
· May 7th to 8th - Beginning Birdwatching
Bird Identification & Observation Skills
Course Leader: Steve Wing, Fee 75.00 euro
This weekend course will be held on several dates (see other entries in Calendar of Events below) throughout the Summer. Watching birds provides a lifelong, year round interest which is both rewarding and enjoyable. For those new to birdwatching, the identification of a particular species can be daunting when confronted with a standard bird guide. Where does one start? This course offers the complete beginner or novice the basic skills to identify, understand and appreciate birds, and their habitats. Through observation and the use of a field notebook you will discover how to interpret birds’ plumage colours, song, movements and habitats. You will learn how to identify both familiar and unfamiliar species with confidence, and leave with the knowledge of where and when to look for them. The course will also offer participants the opportunity to see birds in the hand as they are ringed by the observatory warden, Steve Wing. Birdwatch Ireland
· May 30th to June 4th - Birds, Butterflies & Flowers
Spring/early summer Birds, Butterflies and Flowers on
Course Leaders Geoff Oliver & Steve Wing , Fee - 195.00 euro
A week of exploring the island looking at local flora and fauna. The emphasis will be on identification of birds, butterflies, flowers and seashore animals and plants, with evening talks, slide shows and socializing.
The week will include an introduction to the geology, flora and fauna of
· June 3rd - Sean O’Brien, of Skibbereen, Traditional Musician
The news just gets better and better. You music aficionados out there will be delighted to hear that Sean is booked to appear at the Club on the 3rd of June. Sure to be packed so get there early for a seat.
· June 11th to 12th - Beginning Birdwatching
Bird Identification & Observation Skills
· June 18th -
An amazing scoop for
· June (end) : O'Driscoll Clan Gathering
· July 2nd to 3rd - Beginning Birdwatching
Bird Identification & Observation Skills
· July 18th to 22nd - Digital Photography and Digiscoping
Course Leaders: Eugene Archer & Dick Coombes, Fee - 195.00 euro
The aim of this course is to introduce participants to field techniques and equipment used in nature photography. The emphasis will be on composing good quality photographs in a wide range of situations using participants own equipment. Basic photographic equipment is required and participants are encouraged to bring a tripod if they have one. They will also need to supply their own stock of film and cover processing costs. Film will be processed and returned to the island to facilitate assessment towards the end of the course, (restricted to print film).
· July (late) Lifeboat Day
· August 3rd,
· August 13th to 14th - Beginning Birdwatching
Bird Identification & Observation Skills
· August 22nd to 26th - Birds, Butterflies & Flowers
Late summer/Autumn Birds, Butterflies and Flowers on
Course Leaders Geoff Oliver & Steve Wing , Fee - 195.00 euro
A week of exploring the island looking at local flora and fauna. The emphasis will be on identification of birds, butterflies, flowers and seashore animals and plants, with evening talks, slide shows and socializing.
The week will include an introduction to the geology, flora and fauna of
· September 2nd, 3rd, 4th, International Storytelling Festival
· September 5th to 9th - Migration and Seabirds
Course Leader: Dick Coombes, Fee - 195.00 euro
This is a stunning time on
Dick’s course offers an insight into the world of migration and the joys of sea-watching delivered in a humorous and enthusiastic manner. The course will include a variety of topics ranging from identification techniques for birds in the hand and in flight, to survey and counting methodologies, the work of the observatory, and the effect of weather on birds and migration. This course is suitable for those interested in understanding bird migration as well as those who have learned the basics and are keen to develop their skills and knowledge.
Important Notice: Before Travelling please 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 June issue of the Newsletter.
Calendar of events will continue in the next newsletter.
7. Development, Infrastructure, Jobs
(7a) Naomh Ciaran II
The Naomh Ciaran II, our island ferry, will be taken from the water for serving and painting in April. The Mystic Waters, a red and white boat, will be used as the island ferry temporarily.
(7b) New
Plans for this very exciting and much needed facility can be viewed at the Comharchumann office.
(7c) Fish Farm
The Fish Farm has been taken over by Neptune Resources of the
http://www.globalocean.co.za/index.htm
(7d) Pottery & Tourism Office
The ‘Bothán’ has been given a new coat of paint to see it through the summer and will now be replaced next winter.
(7e) Jobs on
Email the Co-op for more information: Email here
(7f) Solar Heated Water at the Camp site.
The solar panels have now been installed and are working well. Solar heated showers, now that’s the way to save the planet.
(7g) New Harbour Master
Fachtna has become the new Harbour Master. We wish him well in his new appointment
8. Genealogy
(8a) Driscoll DNA Project
The use of DNA has recently emerged as a genealogical tool. One of the
goals of the DRISCOLL DNA Project is to discover if the O'Driscoll of
Cape Clear Island, Spain and those of Charleston , South Carolina
related to one another as they are all supposed to lineally descend from
the O Driscoll Mór.
Accordingly we offer at no cost to two different male O'DRISCOLL of old
Cape Clear
further information check our website at:
Click the link to visit the Driscoll website
9. Here (in the island) and There (somewhere else)
(9a) Mark Miles, the new MD of the Fish Farm.
We extend a warm welcome to Mark, who is now a permanent resident on the
Oh! He is also a mean hand at chess, which is a bit of a worry for Risteard, and John Kelly, who have fancied themselves as the best on the island for much too long now.
Thanks to the
10. Links to Cape Clear
View back copies of the Newsletter and lots of pictures of
Back Copies of the Newsletter on Line
Our island web site, with lots of links, pictures, places to stay on the island etc.
Emara Community Portal, contains regular news about
11. Poetry & Storytelling
11a. Chuck Kruger
We thank Chuck for the following two poems:
A Break
We slipped out the jagged mouth
of
from high season, from telephone calls
and tourists, our two-person
open-cockpit kayak like a restless tongue
testing the deliciousness of sea.
Half a mile out, with a growing sense
of calm and purity,
we suddenly heard the rudest snort,
rested paddles on the coaming,
peered around to figure out
the nature of the interruption.
Another snort, another, and alert at last
we watched a herd of breaching
bottlenose dolphin flowing past
on either side, arcing and snorting
sometimes mere paddle-length
from our matchstick craft.
Next we knew one leapt ten feet up
and floated there horizontally,
then dove with playful smacking splash
back into the kingdom come of sea.
When they’d disappeared into the west,
we drifted for a while on ebbing tide,
paddled into mouth of harbour, home
with only dolphins on our mind.
I Pick Asparagus to Dolphins
I pick asparagus to dolphins,
let me tell you why:
The smallest pasture of the townland I named Synge,
the old Irish name mute with the Fineens.
One tenth of an acre, it overlooks
and due south on out to sea.
Were I ever to build a hunkered-down house,
for us,
I’d place it beside Synge,
picture it perfectly related to the sea.
Any tourist with a camera up our road
stops there – and clicks,
and I click too,
the F-stop in my eye ever ready
for my heart’s film.
Were it developed at my death
you’d find a leitmotif of harbour view,
and you.
I pick asparagus to dolphins,
let me tell you why:
Seven trenches dug, I parked the tractor beside
Synge’s wall
and forked over fork on fork of humus-black
rotted goat manure, some two tons’ worth.
Packing the clingy, worm-rich dung,
pulling in the earth,
mounding it,
spread-eagling the asparagus crowns out
over each of the forty-nine mounds,
covering the stringy roots,
I was half-way through before I took a break.
There, where the inner harbour widens suddenly between
Black Rock Point and
I zoomed in on a herd of dolphins
frolicking back and forth that quarter mile.
After half an hour, I capped my lens, went back to work
every few minutes looking up, focusing,
and they were there,
rhythmically surfacing, arcing, diving
down, ten fifteen dolphins filling me with peace.
This year that asparagus will be mature.
I pick asparagus to dolphins
and to you.
(11b) The Way of the Animals by Joseph Campell.
The controversy over footpaths and rights-of-way has raged for years and yet we are missing a trick. Surely, we should welcome responsible people, and the vast majority are responsible, into the countryside. Those of us privileged enough to own large swathes of land need to work with local groups and get the land opened up for all to enjoy. To hoard land and to refuse people the God-given right to walk on the earth, is the same, nay worse than, banning music and dance. A recent report highlights the fact that not a single farmer in
We have to thank An Oige, the Irish Youth Hostel Association, for permission to print the following extract from their weekly newsletter.
‘Recently I was asked by one of our walk leaders,’ a voluntary worker, if I would join her on a walk in Wicklow where a landowner was very uncooperative towards hill-walkers. Luckily, on this walk we did not meet the landowner and the walk was enjoyed by some 30 members.’ ‘It seems sad that this situation is happening in many parts of our country, and I emphasise “Our Country”.
A few years ago, 48 members enjoyed a wonderful walking holiday in
‘Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people. We know the sap which courses through the trees as we know the blood that courses through our veins. We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the juices in the meadow, the body heat of the pony, and man, all belong to the same family.
The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our ancestors. If we sell you our land, you must remember that it is sacred. Each ghostly reflection in the clear water of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water’s murmur is the voice of my father’s father. The rivers are our brothers. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and feed our children. So you must give to the rivers the kindness you would give any brother.
If we sell you our land, remember that the air is precious to us, that the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also receives his last sigh. The wind also gives our children the spirit of life. So if we sell you our land, you must keep it apart and sacred, as a place where man can go to taste the wind that is sweetened by meadow flowers. Will you teach your children what we taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth, befalls all the sons of the earth.
This we know: Our God is also your God. The earth is precious to Him. To harm the earth is to heap contempt on the Creator. Our destiny is a mystery to us. What will happen when the buffalo are slaughtered? The wild horses tamed? What will happen when the secret corners of the forest are heavy with the scent of many men and the view of the ripe hills is blotted by talking wires? Where will the thicket be? Gone! And what is to say goodbye to the swift pony and the hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival.
When the last Red Man has vanished with his wilderness and his memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, will these shores and forests still be here? Will there be any of the spirit of my people left?
We love this earth as a new-born loves its mother’s heartbeat. So, if we sell you our land, love it as we have loved it. Care for it as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you receive it. Preserve the land for all children and love it, as God loves us all.
As we are part of the land, you too are part of the land. This earth is precious to us. It is also precious to you. One thing we know: There is only one God. No man, be he Red Man or White Man can be apart. We are Brothers after all.
(from ‘The Way of the Animals’ by Joseph Campbell)
12. Sport & Games
(12a) Table Tennis Club
Every Tuesday and Friday at the Old Coastguard Station (An Oige).
8.00pm – 10.00pm. Younger children with parents on Friday.
(12b) Chess Club
Every Tuesday evening at the Old Coastguard Station (An Oige). All are welcome 8pm – 10pm.
(12c) Soccer
Every Sunday 1pm at the sports field. All are welcome – girls, boys, young and old.
13. Thank You to:
Elanor O’Driscoll and family
The Co-op has now taken over the lease for the island ferry. We offer our most sincere thanks to the family for keeping the ferry going since the passing of our sadly missed and great friend Concubar.
Liam Weddick
A great job done managing An Club. It will not be the same without you. Now you have so much more time for your fishing. Be careful up on the roof and best wishes from us all.
14. Whales, Dolphins, & Porpoises etc.
‘Dolphins in South Harbour’ was the cry from the ever-vigilant Chuck Kruger and work stopped instantly as we all dashed to the frayed edge of the beach to watch them leaping from the sea over by Cuas an Uisce. Earlier the same week Otters could be seen scampering along the pebble beach.
We are planning whale-watching trips to coincide with the expected arrival of the wonderful Basking sharks. Click the link to see a slide show of our latest whale- watching trip in December 2004.
Slide show of Whales and Dolphins
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