Page 20 - Simon Bourke News Today

A campaign launched by one of Ireland’s leading providers of home care services is seeking to dispel the many myths surrounding the care sector and highlight the stories of those receiving care so that they can remain living in their own home.

The sacrifices of a man who lost his life for practising his religious beliefs were remembered as a solemn ceremony in Tomhaggard on Christmas morning. This annual event commemorates the life of Father Nicholas Mayler, the former parish priest of Tomhaggard and Tacumshane, who was killed by British troops while celebrating Mass at a Mass Rock on Christmas Day, 1653.

Having recently been named as a School of Sanctuary, a place which welcomes and includes all students, Loreto Wexford has underlined its commitment to creating a safe space for all by taking part in Think Languages Day. A nationwide initiative involving transition year students from 180 schools, Think Languages Day is an annual celebration of languages and culture funded by the Department of Education to support a strong, growing economy while also promoting a multicultural and inclusive society...

With studies showing that winter storms increase the likelihood of litter washing up on our beaches, those taking winter strolls in coastal areas this festive season are being encouraged to take part in a nationwide initiative to keep those beaches clean.

The man at the helm may have changed but the 52nd edition of the Kilmore Parish Journal once more chronicles a wide range of activities in the parish with comprehensive reports on the activities of the many clubs and organisations which continue to thrive in Kilmore. Following the retirement of Seamus O’Brien, who edited the journal for a decade, Ger Walsh takes over editorial duties, becoming just the third person in the history to hold the position alongside Seamus and the late Hillary Murph...

A project set up by the grandsons of famous Wexford women Min Ryan has moved a small step closer to completion thanks to the communities of The Rocks and Rosslare Harbour. The 100 Million Trees Project was established by Richard and David Mulcahy last year and aims to, as the title suggests, plant 100 million trees in Ireland over the next decade.

While it wasn’t the coldest Christmas on record the Irish Sea is never a pleasant place to be in winter, but that didn’t stop the scores of brave souls involved in the 38th annual swim in Rosslare Strand this year. Gathering from 11.30 a.m. on Christmas morning they waited for the signal and entered the water en masse at 12 noon as they raised much-needed funds for St Mary’s Day Care Centre in Tagoat.

Entrepreneurs from across the country will descend upon Enniscorthy early next year as part of an initiative organised and run by local sustainability hub, Greentech HQ. Partnering with the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) Greentech will host a Sustainability Founder Weekend, the first event of its type in Ireland, during a weekend in the first quarter of 2024.

Attendees at a film premiere in the Wexford Arts Centre received a special message from the Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, the Palestinian ambassador to Ireland. Originally scheduled to attend the premiere of Not Just Your Picture, a film which documents the lives of Ramsis and Layla Kilani following an airstrike in Gaza in 2014, Ms Wahba Abdalmajid was unable to make the event and so recorded a heartfelt message thanking the people of Wexford for their continued support for those impacted by the war.

A freak weather event which tore through a Wexford house “like a train” has left sheet metal and debris scattered across fields and ditches up to a kilometre away. Occurring during Storm Gerrit, a severe wind, which locals in the village of Duncormick described as being like a tornado, ripped through the home of Daniel Lambert in the early hours of Thursday morning.