Tubbercurry Notes - 11th April 2007

Vincent Woods the author of "At The Black Pigs Dyke" is to attend Phoenix Players award winning production of his play. Don’t miss your last opportunity to see this award winning production in St. Brigids Hall Tubbercurry on Tuesday 17th April at 8.30pm before the group take the long road to New Ross to compete in the All-Ireland Confined Drama Finals. The group have had a very successful festival run winning numerous awards in all the festivals they have competed in and winning the festivals in Kiltyclogher, Claregalway and Tubbercurry. Indeed the group won the Premiere award at the Western Drama Festival Tubbercurry for the best play of the festival in the open and confined sections, in the process beating the hugely acclaimed production of "All My Sons" by K.A.T.S under the direction of Paddy Henry (formerly of Charlestown DG). K.A.T.S are one of the leading qualifiers for the open All-Ireland Finals in Athlone and the Phoenix Players travel to New Ross with a real fighting chance of lifting an All-Ireland crown. Vincent Woods the Author of "At The Black Pigs Dyke" has been keeping an eye on the groups progress and has just confirmed to Peter Davey the director that he is flying in from France to attend the groups farewell performance on the 17th. It is indeed an honour for the group that the author is travelling to see the groups farewell production of his renowned play.

Tubbercurry Chamber of Commerce and Industry announce they are hosting a Chamber Buffet and Social for April 21st starting at 8.00pm to officially launch the new Tubbercurry website – Tubbercurry.ie. The function takes place in Cawleys Hotel and tickets at €30 each can be got in Gillespies, Cawleys, or Barrys Pharmacy. The website is an exciting new development for the community and will be a major window for the town as a whole going forward. Anybody wishing to post their business or community activity on the site can get further details from Chamber President Mary Barry Leonard.

Cllr Michael Fleming recently submitted a question to Sligo Co. Council Area meeting in Tubbercurry in relation to improvement works at the Tubbercurry Sewerage treatment plant when he asked "In the light of recent E.P.A. report, which highlighted Tubbercurry Sewerage Treatment Plant, have any plans been implemented to carry out necessary improvement works?" The reply said Sligo County Council and the Environment Protection Agency have been in ongoing communications in relation to the Tubbercurry Wastewater Treatment Plant. A number of measures are being put in place both short-term and long-term to address the issues at the plant. Short-term measures which are in accordance with the Direction issued by the Environmental Protection Agency include; camera surveys of the sewer network in the town; installation of screens on the storm overflows; ongoing monitoring of effluent discharges; by-passing of the grass plots within the works, and other minor works to the storm by-pass on the Imhoff tank and the media in the percolating filters. In the longer-term a Client Representative has been appointed for the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant. They are currently preparing Tender Documents for the project and it is anticipated that the tender process will commence in the latter half of 2007 with construction to commence in 2008. In response to the reply he received Cllr Fleming stated that while he welcomed the fact that Sligo County Council has been in Communication with the E.P.A to allay the fears of people of Tubbercurry area, who have been calling for improvements to this treatment Plant, which Cllr Fleming has been campaigning for over a number of years. In the longer term, it does not appear that progress has been improved in any way, the tender process can be very slow, while development continues, there is an urgent need for the construction of this water Treatment Plant. In the light of the scare caused by the quality of water in Galway, Cllr Fleming is calling on the Minister for the Environment and the Dept. of the Environment to speed up the Funding for this facility which has been put on the long finger for a number of years. Tubbercurry is the second largest town in Sligo, with a major increase in population, and further prospects of Development. Therefore construction of this Water Treatment Plant is an essential service for this community. There has been major fears of possible pollution resulting from the existing treatment plant over many years now stated Cllr Fleming. The reply received from Council engineers now confirm those fears, so urgent works are now required.

Christy and Esther Wimsey and family are extended best wishes in their new house at Tullinaglug. They moved out last week from their home of 25 years in Connolly Park.

South Sligo Spring Walking Festival at Lough Talt over week-end of April 21st and 22nd. Further details Breege Mullarkey Ph. 91 81 313, Breda Monaghan 91 81291 or Therese Sheerin Ph. 91 81120.

Killala – Achonry Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes 23 – 28 August 2007. All incl. cost €669. Contact Killoran Travel Ph. 91 85111.

The Easter Holiday Week-end passed off quietly in Tubbercurry with no major incidents to report. Quite a few visitors were home to visit family and glorious weather helped everybody maximise time in gardens, walks, and leisure activities. The dry weather at this time of year facilitates bog and forest fires and people should be extra vigilant that they do not start fires which can get quickly out of control.

Tubbercurry Inaugural Litter Action Day a Success. There was a sizable turn-out in Wolfe Tone Square for the first Litter Action event in Tubbercurry last Tuesday evening. This high-profile event is to be a regular occurrence aimed at not only keeping the town as free from litter as possible, but to also encourage awareness within the community of the Tidy Towns 2007 project and increasing local participation. "We were delighted to see so many young people turn out for the first Tubbercurry Litter Action event. But we always need more volunteers of all ages and everybody is more than welcome to come along and help." Said a spokesperson.At the end of the clean-up 14 large bags of litter were collected from centre of the town. The transformation was very apparent upon completion and all agreed that the combination of litter clean-up and the late evening April sunshine made the town look very attractive indeed. The next Litter Action Day will be April 17th at 6:30pm in Wolfe Tone Square and will be heavily advertised locally, in the media, and on tubbercurry.ie in the lead up to the event.

The Next Tubbercurry Tidy Towns meeting will be at Teach Laighne on Humbert Street at 8pm on Tuesday April 10. Everybody is welcome to come along. Thomas Sheridan - Secretary Tubbercurry Tidy Towns Committee, contact No: 086-8347912.

County Sligo LEADER Partnership is holding an information morning in St. Brigid’s Hall, Tubbercurry on Wednesday 24th April from 11am – 1pm. All are welcome. Information will be available on State benefits and entitlements; Adult education and training opportunities; Finance and debt management; Support for setting up a small business; CV preparation and interview techniques; Supports and services in the locality; Funding opportunities. If anyone requires further information on the event please contact Claire on 071 91 20636

As part of the Strategic Objectives of Sligo County Council in supporting the Arts through the 'Community Arts Act Grants Scheme', local artist Thomas Sheridan has been selected to liaison with the Tubbercurry Chamber of Commerce, along with residents and business owners to develop and successfully implement a visual colour and design scheme for the Wolfe Tone Square area of Tubbercurry. The artist has developed a visual plan and artistic strategy for the locale, showing the suggested paint/colour schemes for individual buildings in the overall context of "The Square" and its surrounding streets. This proposal also includes an outdoor historic art gallery portraying the events of the 1798 'Year of the French' through a series of paintings, which will be located at various locations around the Square and nearby streets. The proposal centres on making the Square in Tubbercurry the largest outdoor art gallery in the country. The plans are currently on display at Teach Laighne and all Tubbercurry residents are most welcome to come along, to view the display and present their comments.

Cllr Gerry Lundy who sits on the Border Regional Authority reports from a meeting last week in relation to the Tubbercurry By Pass. It seems there have been moves lately to progress the By Pass a stage further and upgrade its status from a 2 + 1 route to a 2 + 2 route. This revision of design is on going at present and the Environmental Impact Statement is being completed so that the project can be moved to the Compulsory Purchase stage. This is welcome news for the hand pressed local community and commuter. The Tubbercurry By Pass is part of the Western Corridor which runs from Donegal to Cork and one of the worst bottlenecks on the whole route is at Tubbercurry. We will watch with interest how the National Roads Authority moves progress to the next stage.

All Roads lead to New Ross, Co Wexford 19 April. Phoenix Players will be performing in the All Ireland Drama Confined Finals in New Ross, Co Wexford on Thursday 19th April. There will be a farewell performance in St Brigids Hall, Tubbercurry on Tuesday 17th April at 8.30pm. This will be your last chance to see the group performing their award winning play "At the Black Pigs Dyke" before they head for the All Ireland Final. For a great nights entertainment don’t forget Tuesday 17th April at 8.30pm, St Brigids Hall, Tubbercurry.

Tubbercurry Business Survey – Members of the business community are requested to return completed survey forms to Miss Geraldine Timlin, Teach Laighne or Mrs Mary Barry Teeling St by Friday 6th April – the information is urgently required to assist in the future planning of our town.

11th Annual South Sligo Hospice walk takes place Sunday May 6th from Cloonacool – Tubbercurry – 10km approximately – Sponsorship cards available from John Gillespie or Derek Sherlock, Teeling St., Tubbercurry. Get your walking shoes on!

The 1st South Sligo Ultimate ‘Stars in your Eyes’ heat takes place on Friday April 13th in Mickey Macs, Tubbercurry in aid of Tubbercurrys Old Fair and Heritage Day. Organised to raise the profile of the week’s events and improve the quality of content, it will run for Four Friday nights and will be held in each pub weekly supporting the event. Acts from Murphys Hotel, Killinascully, Mickey Macs, Foleys and the Forge Bar will fight it out for the final places which will be held on May 4th. Votes may be bought on the night for only €1 for ‘your’ winning act, leaving the Acts with the most votes going through to the final stage. Contact 087 9664117 for further info.

The Annual South Sligo Spring Walking Festival will take place on Saturday, 21st and Sunday, 22nd April 2007. There will be three walks each day. The short walks will suit those who prefer a leisurely pace while the medium and long walks will be more challenging and offer enjoyable hill walking. For further information contact Breege Mullarkey 0719181313 Breda Monaghan 0719181291 and Therese Sheerin email: theresesheerin1@hotmail.comProject supported by Peace11 Extension programme

Womens Mini Marathon 2007 – Bothar, the Development Aid Agency are currently recruiting people to take part in this years Women’s Mini Marathon on their behalf and to raise much needed funds to help with their work in the Developing World. Anyone interested in taking part or would like further details should contact the Bothar Sligo office on 071 91 20100 without delay. The Event takes place on Bank Holiday Monday 4th June. Closing date for receipt of entries is Saturday 24th April.

Urban Artistic Design Exhibition is on display in the foyer of Teach Laighne.This is an artist's impressions of best practice for buildings in Tubbercurry and some ideas for outdoor paintings in the town.Tubbercurry Chamber of Commerce engaged local artist Thomas Sheridan to draw up some guidelines for improving the appearance of the buildings in the town;Thomas has included tips on how to highlight features of the buildings and has drawn a "Sunlight and Shade Map" of the town,with suggestions for which areas would be suited to bright colours depending on their situation in the map.

North Connacht College, Sligo Rd., Tubbercurry Tubbercurry is enrolling for courses starting in September 2007. Anything from a 2 year professional Beauty Therapy training to 1 year courses in childcare, nursing studies, business and many more. Call for a brochure on 071 91 85035, or indeed visit the college. A web site is being developed wait for further details to be released soon!

The Rural and Social Scheme is indebted to the Tidy Towns Committee for its acknowledgment of its staff dedication and ongoing involvement in a variety of improvement works in Tubbercurry. Staff are delighted to learn that now that the days are getting better and brighter that others will join their continuing endeavours to maintain and improve the town. They wish to reassure all concerned that the hard work so evident over the past two years will continue.

Sligo Co. Fleadh will this year be held in Gurteen hosted by the local C.C.E. Branch from the 1st to the 3rd June. It is most important for all competitors to take note that all entries with relevant fees should be sent to the Fleadh Secretary, at Coleman Centre, Gurteen by Friday April 27th and no late entries will be accepted. For more information ring 071-9182599.

An updated version of The Official Driver Theory Test is available for use in Conlon House, if interested please call the Centre 071 9186926.

Computers available for use in Conlon House, if interested please contact the Centre. 071 9186926.

Sligo v New York - May 13th 2007 - All Roads lead to the Gaelic Park, New York next May. Sligo fans will be going out to support their team on the 10th May from Shannon. They will be staying for 4 nights in the Holiday Inn, Midtown - Manhattan. Seats are Limited. Contact Killorans Travel Tubbercurry at 071 9185111 or Ballaghaderreen at 094 9861450. And support the Black and White.

Take a trip to Medugorje on Saturday June 2nd for one week. Flying from Knock to Split. Spiritual director Fr. Tommy Johnston. For information phone Dominic Lynch anytime on 0719185392 or 087 2483212.

Flora womens Mini Marathon: Bank Holiday Monday 4th June '07. The Diabetes Federation of Ireland - Western Regional Office Sligo are looking for volunteers to Walk Run or Jog this years marathon. Application forms are available in The Evening Herald on Thursday and Saturday from March 1st. If interested in joining in the fun contact Bernie on 071 9181171.

Tubbercurry Women’s Group meet every Wednesday evening at Teach Laighne between 7pm and 9pm. New members always welcome. Throughout the year the group will be doing various craftwork. Contact Angela on 094 925 1773 or Sandra on 071 912 0610.

Grow, the Mental Health support group, meet every Wednesday night in the Resource House from 7.30pm to 10.00pm. If you would like any more information in relation to the group or about GROW you can call the Sligo office on 071 915 3623 or 086 851 6939.

Saturday evening mass in the Church of John Evangelist, Tubbercurry will remain at 7pm throughout the Summer months while in Cloonacool it will remain at 8.00pm.

Traditional Irish Music Classes Commence on Monday 16th April at 6.00pm in Teach Laighne.