Page 23 - Simon Bourke News Today

For many rural Irish communities the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic lives on. Older residents, mentally scarred by a virus which claimed thousands of their peers, have yet to fully recover, yet to regain the confidence to live life as they once did. As a result, a new epidemic has emerged in Irish society, an epidemic of loneliness, a disconnect in societies which once thrived on human interaction.

At first it seemed like an impossible dream, something beyond his capabilities. But through hard work. dedication and the guidance and assistance of his friends and family, Dermot Asple has achieved the dream, defied the odds, and is now a published author. His book, entitled My Life, was launched in the Wexford Arts Centre last week and, as the title suggests, tells the story of a life which has had many ups and down during Dermot’s 46 years.

With just weeks to go until Santa Claus sets out from the North Pole with sackfuls of presents for the children of Co Wexford a special beacon has been erected on the Rosslare Harbour RNLI watch box to ensure he doesn’t lose his way. This Christmas lighting tracker has been installed at the box every year since 1930 after it was discovered that there is a navigational black spot on The Bank in Rosslare Harbour that causes major problems for Rudolph.

A year-long wait for a new swing to be provided for children on the autism spectrum has left a Gorey councillor questioning the inner workings of Wexford County Council. Detailing the council’s inability to deliver on straightforward projects across the Gorey Kilmuckridge district, Councillor Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin said pupils at Scoil Íosagáin in Coolgreany were suffering due the bureaucracy of both local and national government.

While Christmas is a time of happiness and celebration for many of us, it can also be a difficult, lonely time for many others. With this in mind, the ASK mental health campaign is returning on December 30 with a special dawn walk event at Min Ryan Park from 7 a.m.

As Irish people, guilt is embedded into our psyche. It’s a Catholic thing, a throwback to the days when you were made confess your sins to a strange old man in a wooden box. Everywhere we went, everything we did, the guilt followed. Any successes, any triumphs, were tinged with guilt, a sense that it was immoral to feel good about yourself, to feel proud.

Santa was joined by Mrs Claus and his elves in Rosslare Harbour last week for the turning on of its Christmas lights in an event which was attended by young and old alike. For the fourth Christmas in a row the local community was treated to a display of festive lights courtesy of an initiative conceived and implemented by local resident Enda Murphy.

Rehearsals for the Wexford School of Ballet & Performing Arts’ (WSPBA) annual Christmas production are well under way as students prepare to take to the stage at the National Opera House on December 16 and 17. Sparkle All the Way is “bursting to the brim with Christmas cheer and happiness” and features costumes from London, special effects, and “stunning choreography” which will “dazzle audiences”.

While the designs for a €200m overhaul of Rosslare Europort were discussed in the port’s waiting area, and contracts for a development which aims to revolutionise Wexford’s economy were formalised, a quiet, solemn group of approximately 200 people marched outside.

A High Court case taken the operator of a farm in Killnick, which was convicted under the Air Pollution Act last year, has been adjourned until February of next year.