StreamScapes Project, Doohamlet

Well done to everyone who participated in the 'Streamscapes' project in Doohamlet in June 2015. The event was run by Monaghan County Council ad facilitated by Doohamlet Tidy Towns and the DDCDA. The aim was to increase awareness of the range of wildlife to be found in our waterways, how water quality affects it and what we can do to improve water quality.

The day started out with a workshop with 5th and 6th class students from All Saints National School. An evening session was then held for all members of the public and we were delighted that over 50 people turned up on a bright sunny June evening. The event took place at Doohamlet Community Centre and Community Garden. Kick sampling was done in the river running through the Community Garden (known as Major Lough Stream) and a wide range of fish, insects and invertebrates were found, including stonefly and mayfly nymph, young trout, eels and evidence of large crayfish (and alas their predators, as what was found was some shell remnants!). Overall we are proud to have found that the species found indicated a water quality rating of 4.4 out of a possible 5.

The workshops were run by the friendly and knowledgable staff of the Coomhola Salmon Trust, based in Cork, We were also delighted to hear they had very positive feedback about Doohamlet, where they based themselves for their week long visit to Monaghan;

"'StreamScapes’ produces aquatic & biodiversity awareness initiatives as part of wider efforts to stimulate public engagement in water quality issues around Ireland.

Monaghan County Council and the Department of Environment produced a pilot project on public engagement on water, and invited ‘StreamScapes’ to be the delivery agent for this aspect of the project. As both Doohamlet National School and Community Association (Tidy Towns) were part of this project, the StreamScapes Team decided to base themselves in Doohamlet for the week.

This proved to be a delight...we stayed in Connolly’s Guesthouse (also B&B and nice Lounge Bar) in the village where our hosts Alexis and Marion Connolly provided us with a comfortable, bright and airy self-catering apartment for the week.

Doohamlet National School was the first stop for the project on Monday morning, 8 June, and the StreamScapes teaching staff (Stephanie & Aaron) took the enthusiastic students down to the local stream to learn about the biodiversity and the ‘bio-monitors’ which live in the stream.

In the evening a Field Trip was produced for a large group of Tidy Towns and Community Group members and local interested residents, followed by a meeting in the Doohamlet Community Centre. It was clear to see how active the local group is; a fantastic community centre and the group had taken an overgrown section of stream next to the centre, cleared it and replanted it with sensible plantings, provided stream-side path and benches and a very clever ‘Insect Hotel’.

We enjoyed our time in Doohamlet immensely and would recommend it to anyone for a great holiday base...in the heart of County Monaghan!"

Many thanks to Bernie O'Flaherty and Aileen Gavin and all at the Environment Section of Monaghan County Council for giving us the opportunity to run this very enjoyable and informative workshop in our community, and thanks to Mark Boydan and his team at Coomhola Salmon Trust.

Photo 1: Doohamlet National School students surveying and sampling their local stream. Note river walk, ‘Insect Hotel’, and community centre in background.

Photos 2 & 3: Doohamlet Community Association taking part in evening field trip and discussing local water quality issues.

Important information about the Eirgrid North-South Interconnector;

Eirgrid has lodged an application for planning permission for this development with An Bord Pleanala. The 10 week statutory public consultation period has commenced. This development proposes to erect pylons and overhead cables on the Ballybay side of Doohamlet. This will not just impact farmers and landowners who live along the route - it may have wider implications for our community.

'On 16th June 2015 a ten-week period of statutory public consultation commenced in respect of the planning application for the North-South 400kV Interconnection Development. The application documentation, including the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Natura Impact Statement (NIS) is available for public viewing/downloading on the dedicated planning application website at www.eirgridnorthsouthinterconnector.ie.

The documentation will be on public display during this ten-week period at the offices of – •An Bord Pleanála, 64 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1 •Meath County Council, County Hall. Navan, County Meath •Cavan County Council, Cavan Courthouse, Farnham Street, Cavan, County Cavan •Monaghan County Council, County offices, The Glen, Monaghan, County Monaghan The documentation is also available for viewing at EirGrid’s Project Information Centres, the locations of which can be seen on the right hand side of this page. All three Information Centres will be open from Tuesday 16th June until Monday 22nd June (excluding Saturday and Sunday) and again at the end of the consultation period, from Monday 17th August to Friday 21st August. During the intervening weeks they will be open during the days and hours stated on the right hand side of this page.

Submissions or observations in respect of the application can only be made to An Bord Pleanála and must be received by An Bord Pleanála no later than 5.30 p.m. on Monday 24th August 2015'.

A €50 submission fee applies to every submission - why not consult with neighbours or friends and combine your submissions to reduce the submission fee....

We urge everyone to have a look at the proposed development, and if you have any concerns to make a submission to An Bord Pleanala. The closing date for submissions is 25th August 2015 - more information is available here;

Doohamlet Community Text Alert Scheme
Over 150 people have already signed up for Doohamlet's Community Text Alert Scheme! The scheme will be launched on the 4th March 2015 at 8pm in Doohamlet Community Centre. Guest speakers on the night will include Ms Vanessa Clarke of Muintir Na Tire, Sgt. Ken Coughlan, Cavan Monaghan Crime Prevention Officer Noel Harraghy and Community Liaison Garda Orla Nelson. Refreshments will be served afterwards - everyone welcome! Subscription to this service is just €5 and new members can join by contacting any of the committee members. More information is available here;
Text Alert Scheme Constitution
Policies & Procedures
Text Alert Scheme Terminology
Text Alert Scheme Information

Doohamlet Insect Hotel Project

In 2014 the DDCDA successfully received funding from Monaghan County Council's Local Agenda 21 Environment Partnership Fund 2013/2014 to undertake an environmental awareness project in the village. We aimed to build new habitats for wildlife in an effort to raise awareness of biodiversity and habitat loss in our area. As part of our Local Agenda 21 Environmental Awareness Project we have decided to focus on insects, but Why? Only 26 land mammal species are native to Ireland Ireland has 375 fish species in its coastal waters About 400 bird species have been recorded in Ireland. There are an estimated 11,500 species of insect recorded in Ireland. Many more remain to be found! Insects form a major part of our natural environment and are a key part of the local foodchain and ecosystem. A large insect hotel and signboard in the Community Garden explains the project and explains how you can create your own insect hotel, while 9 smaller insect hotels have been placed around the village to raise people's awareness of the project. Have you been able to find all 9 of them?? Many thanks to Monaghan County Council who funded the project, Paul Markey and James Rushe for their help in building the insect hotels, and to Eamonn Connolly and the Community Employment Scheme for their assistance in erecting them.

New Piece of Art for Doohamlet Village

If you would like to be involved in the development of a new piece of art to be featured in our village, we invite you to come along to a meeting on Tuesday, 23rd September at 7pm in the Golden Jubilee Hall (Doohamlet Community Centre).

Opportunity for Artists - Building Peace Through The Arts

The Doohamlet District Community Development Association is delighted to announce we have been successful in securing funding from the 'Building Peace Through The Arts - Re-Imaging Communities' programme for the first stage in commissioning a piece of art in Doohamlet Village!

We are now seeking to recruit an artist to facilitate the first stage. For details of this post, please see:
http://visualartists.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ToR_Artist_Facilitator.pdf

For more information on the 'Building Peace Through The Arts - Re-Imaging Communities' programme, please see 
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland's website or
 http://www.artscouncil-ni.org/images/uploads/funding-documents/Re-Imaging_Communities_Brochure_2013.pdf

Castleblayney Christmas Market

CASTLEBLAYNEY CHRISTMAS MARKET


A group of traders in Castleblayney have decided to run a unique and exciting venture in the town in the run up to Christmas.

One of the main features of this is a ‘Traditional Christmas Market’ in the town on Sunday 8th of December, from 2pm til late. On the day, there will be a variety of entertainment along the street, as well as an array of delicious food and hot beverages to warm you up as you enjoy the atmosphere and the Christmas music. The idea is that any participating businesses will take a stall to display and sell their wares. This will also apply to any local crafts people. Castleblayney has much to offer shoppers and this initiative taken by the Castleblayney Traders is a fun and unique way of highlighting the great offers available when you shop local!

The committee have asked that anybody who has a business in and around the Castleblayney locality who is interested in taking part to contact committee member Amie Cumiskey with details of your business. All applications will be considered at the next committee meeting and spaces allocated accordingly. For crafts people, only hand crafted and homemade/ home baked produce please. Contact Amie on 042 97 46980 or alternatively e-mail castleblayneytrade@yahoo.com

There will be a small charge for your stand at the ‘Christmas Market’, and there are also a limited number of canopies available to hire at a cost of €20 so make sure to contact Amie to book your place. Interested parties are asked to get in contact as soon as possible.

So visit Castleblayney on the 8th of December for a nostalgic experience which is sure to warm the cockles of your heart and get you in the mood for the festive season.

Santa Claus is coming to town....

Santa Claus is coming to Town.... (or should that be the village?)


Santa turns on the lights of the village Christmas tree with his very special helper elf, local All Star Colin Walshe, on Sunday, 8th December at 5pm at Crossroads Shop.

Visit Santa at his new grotto behind Connollys B&B, before joining us for refreshments in Connolly's Lounge. And it's all FREE!

Everyone welcome!

We'd like to thank everyone who makes this event possible - our Committee members and volunteers, Connolly's B&B and Bar, Crossroads Shop, tea, sandwich and refreshments makers, etc etc. You're all guaranteed a visit from Santa this year for being so good. The rest of you better be good for goodness sake :)

2013 AGM

The DDCDA's AGM Will be held on Tuesday, 5th November 2013 at 8pm in the Community Centre.
Donal Traynor of UCIT (www.ucitltd.com) will be our guest speaker - he will talk about how sporting and community organisations can access loans to undertake new projects.
An overview of the organisations activities over the past year will be given - this includes the very successful "Crossing the Border" project, held in co-operation with REACT Armagh.
Everyone is welcome to attend -  refreshments will be served.

Castleblayney Historic Fair Day, 28th September 2013

Please find below details received from the Committee of Castleblayney 400 about upcoming events planned for Castleblayney Historic Fair Day which will take place on Saturday, September 28th 2013. We will publish any more information about the upcoming Fair Day here on our blog. It promises to be a very memorable day, with activities for all age groups. We wish everyone on the Committee and all those involved every success for the day, and we hope there'll be a big turnout from Doohamlet to support this unique event!!!

"Historic Events planned for Castleblayney 400 Fair Day
 
As the 28th September is coming closer, Castleblayney Town Council are busy preparing lots of activities for the public to enjoy on the day.
 
We are very excited to announce that we have acquired a very historical display, which depicts the
signing of the Ulster Covenant, which on the day of our Fair Day, of September 1912, will celebrate its 101 year anniversary.  The display will be available for viewing in the Library in Iontas from next week up until the end of September.                                                                                                                                             
This archive of the Ulster Unionist Council, held by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland,
contains just under half a million original signatures and addresses of the men, who on 28th
September 1912, signed the Ulster Covenant, and of the woman who signed the parallel Declaration.
In total, the Covenant was signed by 237,368 men, and the Declaration by 234,046 women.        
                                
The Ulster Covenant was part of a response by Ulster Unionists to the efforts of successive Westminster governments to settle the running score of the ‘Irish Question’ by giving Ireland a limited measure of local autonomy known as ‘Home Rule’.
 
We are also pleased to announce a talk on ‘Local History’ by local politician and historian Gary Carville. This talk will take place on Friday the 27th September - more details next week.. 
 
There are also a number of events confirmed for the actual Fair Day on September 28th. John Keenan from Lisdoonan is supplying lots of vintage machinery and other artifacts on the day for visitors to the town to enjoy.  He will be also showcasing his collection in the car park of St Mary’s hospital for the patients and visitors to enjoy.
 
There will also be a group from Trim, Co Meath in the town on the day who will be holding workshops about ‘High Nelly’ bicycles and how to repair them.  They will also have a selection of spare parts available to purchase.  So go out to the shed and dust the cobwebs off that poor old bicycle and give it a new least of life.  You never know, you may also get a new lease of life when you throw your leg over the bar!!!
 
Angela Hanratty from Castleblayney College has been busy researching games that would have been
enjoyed by young people circa 1900, and along with a selection of her students from the school, will
be on hand on the day to demonstrate a wide selection of games and encourage the crowd to join in,
this will create a excitement, as well as being educational for everyone.  At last Monday’s meeting she praised Deirdriu McQuaid from Monaghan County Library and Pauline Tilson, education officer from the County Museum who have been most helpful and are willing to loan us some games for this historic event.  A notice has also been sent out to local schools with information about the competition being run by our committee in association with the County Library.  The competition consists of composing a poem about the ‘Olden days’ for older students and an art competition for younger students.  The closing date is Friday the 20th of September and we are looking forward to seeing all of the entries.
 
A group of people from Granemore, Co Armagh will be joining in the festivities on the day by organising a ‘Road Bowls’ competition starting a mile and a half outside the town, and making their way into the town, up through Lake View and back to the Castle gates for prize-giving.  Anybody interested in joining in, please be at the back of the Market House at 11:30 on Saturday morning, 28th September.

We also wish to remind any budding bakers, jam-makers, knitters, carpenters and anyone else
who makes or bakes to come along on the day and sell your wares.  If you feel that you wouldn’t
have enough to justify a stall, then maybe you could join with another small enterprise and share
a table.  All we ask is that your produce is hand-made or home-baked and that you dress up in old
fashioned clothing on the day, just to enter into the spirit of things.  A limited amount of clothing
can be loaned out on the day, but pre-booking is essential.  Contact Cathal on 086 0341654 or email
castleblayney400@gmail.com to book your place or for further details

Also follow us on Facebook @ Castleblayney Four Hundred."

Eirgrid Final Re-Evaluation report Submission, September 2013

Below is the most recent submission by the DDCDA on behalf of the Community, dated 1st September 2013;

Dear Sir/Madam,

Re: Final Re-Evaluation Report, May 2013

The Doohamlet District Community Development Association (DDCDA) represents the community of the village and environs of Doohamlet, County Monaghan.

We welcome the fact that Eirgrid will not seek permission for ‘micro-siting’ of towers in it’s application to An Bord Pleanala, as this will allow concerned citizens an opportunity to fully understand the impact of the proposed development.

Following the Community Meetings held locally in May 2013, we have concerns that some of the assessment criteria considered at the “Preferred Route Corridor” stage have not been equally applied within the more detailed “Line Design” stage. It appears that landscape and environmental design considerations are prioritised at the higher “Preferred Route Corridor” level, while at “Line Design” stage technical and landowner considerations have been prioritised. For example, we note that in our area alterations to the tower locations are proposed as a result of a development granted planning permission in 2011. We wonder whether this amendment is resulting in bigger impacts to our area in terms of the landscape, environment etc. An open and transparent basis for prioritisation and consideration of constraints within the Line Design is required.

Furthermore, an informed assessment of the proposed development cannot be fully made until the Environmental Impact Assessment has been completed and details of proposed mitigation measures and any subsequent line changes are proposed.

The DDCDA remains concerned that the proposed development will negatively impact residents and members of our community and that our landscape and environs are being sacrificed for the protection and prioritisation of other areas. 

Yours sincerely,

 ____________________

Teddy Duffy

Chairperson, Doohamlet District Community Development Association

 

Castleblayney Age Friendly town - Public Meeting, 30th September 2013

Do you, or does someone you know, have difficulties in accessing facilities and services in Castleblayney Town. Castleblayney "Age Friendly Town" is a new project aimed at addressing accessibility issues in the town, particularly for older people. They are hosting a public meeting where you can have your say on Monday, 30th September from 10.30am - 12.30pm in the Glencarn Hotel. Everyone welcome - please let anyone you know who may be interested in this project know about the meeting.

Monaghan Ecological Group Meeting, 23rd August 2013

Invitation to Monaghan Ecological Group Meeting, 23rd August 2013
		Monaghan Ecological Group “Celebrating Transition” in The Ballybay Wetlands Centre on Friday 23rd August at 7pm.
		A chara,   Monaghan Ecological Group (MEG) would like to invite you to attend their social & networking event “Celebrating Transition” in The Ballybay Wetlands Centre on Friday 23rd August at 7pm.   Everyone is needed and anyone can be involved. We are always looking for new partners and projects.   The event will provide an opportunity for representatives of business, local organisations, public life and individuals to come together in an informal setting to learn more about the work of MEG and how they can get involved.     The event will open with an address from Davie Philip, founder of organisations Cultivate and FEASTA (Foundation for the Economics of Sustanability). Cultivate is a practical sustainability organisation, based in Cloughjordan Eco Village and Dublin, which aims to provide education and training for community sustainability.   Following the address, you will be able to enjoy a local food buffet provided by local suppliers and producers including: Camphill Farm, Ballybay; Mulberry Meadow Farm, Clontibret; Bumble Beez, Monaghan; Charley Meats, Monaghan.   There will be a number of optional break - out sessions on the evening, where you can learn more about the various projects MEG is currently engaged in, and how you can be involved. These will focus on Transition vision & ethos, Allotment Projects, Local Economic Trading Scheme (LETS).   We hope to see you on Friday the 23rd, for what promises to be an enjoyable and interesting evening in beautiful surroundings. Please RSVP to Mícheál at monecogroup@gmail.com or 086 3483896.
		About  MEG MEG is a recently established Transition Town Initiative, which acts as an umbrella group seeking innovative local responses to the challenges of peak oil and climate change. MEG is being represented by its co – founder, Mícheál Callaghan, in the social entrepreneurship programme Wave Change, supported by Social Entrepreneurs Ireland. MEG is currently working with Ballinode Tidy Towns to develop community allotments in the village and is also working with TRADA Ireland to establish a Local Economic Trading Scheme (LETS) in the region. Our work aims to generate awareness and discussion around the opportunities that exist to re – imagine our local community and provide new jobs, skills and knowledge, to enable Monaghan to flourish in a future with less oil. MEG is set to be re – branded to Transition Monaghan. Come along on the 23rd for a preview of our new logo!
		If you have any queries or comments please don’t hesitate to get in contact.     Looking forward to seeing you.   Le meas,     Mícheál Callaghan Co-Founder

This project has been funded by

Monaghan County Council’s

Community Development Fund 2013

               

 

Diversity of Sports Fun Day for young people aged 12-16 years.

Eirgrid community meeting

Eirgrid will be having a drop in evening for local people and communities in Cremartin GAA Centre on Tuesday 21st May between 4.30pm and 8.30pm.

Submission to Eirgrid Final Re-Evaluation Report

Following the publication of Eirgrid's Final Re-Evaluation Report in April 2013 and their responses to the issues raised by the DDCDA in Appendix B of the report, we have made the following submission;

C/O Eirgrid NS Project Manager,

Block 2, Floor 2, West Pier Business Campus,

Dun Laoghaire,

Co. Dublin

3rd May 2013 

Dear Sir/Madam,

Re: Final Re-Evaluation Report, May 2013

The Doohamlet District Community Development Association (DDCDA) represents the community of the village and environs of Doohamlet, County Monaghan.

Further to the publication of the Final Re-Evaluation Report in April 2013 the DDCDA notes that while the Final Re-Evaluation Report attempts to respond to the issues raised,  many of the concerns raised by our Association (Submission FS-16) are to be dealt with in the Environmental Impact Statement, the Preferred Project Solution Report, the preferred line design and at the detailed design phase. Without evidence at this time that these issues are suitably being taken into account, we feel it is premature to comment on Eirgrid’s response at this stage.  

The DDCDA remains concerned that the proposed development will negatively impact residents and members of our community and that our landscape and environs are being sacrificed for the protection and prioritisation of other areas.  

Yours sincerely,

Chairperson,

Doohamlet District Community Development Association

Eirgrid Public Engagement, May/April 2013

Eirgrid has advised it is having a public engagement in relation to the North-South 400kV Interconnector.

Having undertaken a re-evaluation of the project, Eirgrid has determined that the proposed scheme should proceed in a largely similar guise to that previously proposed, namely that;

• The project should be a 400kV overhead line;
• The previously proposed substation near Kingscourt will not be included in the new planning application;
• The indicative line route for the overhead line is similar to the previously proposed line route but incorporates some modifications.

The next stage of the project will involve consideration of anyt feedback that you may have and the production and publication of a further report called the "Preferred Project Solution Report". This report will also be the subject of further public and landowner consultation.

To find out more about the scheme to date and the next stage of the process, go to Eirgrid's North-South Interconnector webpage.

The final re-evaluation report is also available to download - a response to the submission made by the Doohamlet District Community Development Association is included in Section 2.17 SUBMISSION FS-16 (Page B-47).

Feedback will be accepted up until the 27th May 2013 - to inform the public a series of information days will be held in April and May in Cavan, Carrickmacross and Navan;

• Tuesday 23rd April, 1pm - 8pm, Town Hall Cavan
• Wednesday April 24th, 1pm - 8pm, Town Hall Cavan
• Thursday April 25th, 1pm - 8pm, The Workhouse, Shercock Rd., Carrickmacross
• Friday April 26th, 1pm - 8pm, The Workhouse, Shercock Rd., Carrickmacross
• Monday April 29th, 1pm - 8pm, Navan Education Centre
• Wednesday May 1st, 1pm - 8pm, Navan Education Centre

The DDCDA encourages all local people to make themselves aware of the current Eirgrid proposals and to check the indicative line of the route to see whether there is any potential increased impact on them.

Community Information Night about Crime Prevention and Community Text Alert

A very informative night was held in Doohamlet Community Hall on Wednesday the 17th April.

Sgt. Noel Harraghy, Crime Prevention Officer for the Cavan Monaghan Garda Division, assisted by Garda Paul Durley of Castleblayney Garda Station gave an eye-opening talk about crime in Cavan and Monaghan, ways to protect and secure your home, and information about staying vigilant and watching for suspicious activity. For some ideas on what was discussed, see An Garda Siochana's Crime Prevention Leaflets.


Vanessa Clarke, Liaison Officer with Muintir na Tire gave an overview of their Community Text Alert Scheme - an initiative aimed at making Community Members aware of suspicious local activity, keeping the Community up to date about local news and events, and promoting participation in the Community.

The DDCDA would like to thank our guest speakers who gave such valuable advice and information. We will now consider how we can best roll out a Text Alert Scheme in our Community - watch this space for more info! 

NEW WOMENS GROUP

New Opportunity for Women in Community to come together and learn a new skill and have good craic.  Launch of Women's Group to happen on Thursday 11th April from 10-2pm, come along and drop in for a taster session of what we have to offer.  This is a chance for women to have some ME Time, learn new skills and gain more knowledge.  We are starting off with a creative class in sewing, making anything from fabric for example, wall hangings, personalised gifts from family and friends, cushions, photos being transfer onto fabric, etc.

After 6 weeks there is opportunity to try something new and it for the women of the group to decide on their needs and wants.  

So hope we have a good turn out on 11th April 2013 from 10-2pm, could be the start of more amazing ventures for the participants!!

St Patrick's Day Event

‘Crossing the Border’ Project

Would like to invite families along to St Patrick’s Day Parade

in Monaghan to parade starting at 3pm with entertainment and food afterwards.

Everyone very welcome. 

 This is a cross community event for people of all religions and cultural backgrounds to experience the parade and Irish Culture. 

If interested or require more information please contact Donna McILroy Project Worker

Office Number: 02837526869

Northern Mobile: 07563483229

Southern Mobile: 0879009690

Email: donna@reactni.org

 Website:    www.reactni.org         www.doohamlet.com  

 www.facebook.com/ArmaghREACT             www.facebook.com/DDCDA