Team Limerick Cleanup 5 – Richard Lynch, ilovelimerick (far right) pictured with the founders of Team Limerick Cleanup, JP Mc Manus, Paul O’Connell and Helen O’Donnell celebrating the 5th birthday of TLC5. Picture: Conor Owens/ilovelimerick.

Volunteers and sunshine out in force for Team Limerick Cleanup 5

The sun shone brightly on Team Limerick Cleanup 5, as a record-breaking near-21,000 volunteers took to the streets of Limerick city and county for Europe’s largest one-day tidy-up.  

Celebrating what is a milestone year for the much-loved community event, sponsor JP McManus and ambassador Paul O’Connell led the army of volunteers, who came from every town in Limerick and this year featured members of the victorious 2019 All Ireland Limerick hurling team, Munster rugby legends, community/residential groups, businesses, charities and well-known faces locally.   

Team Limerick Cleanup 5

JP Mc Manus and Paul O’Connell visited Tait House Community Enterprise for TLC5 2019. Picture: Conor Owens/ilovelimerick.

Declan Hannon, Dan Morrissey and Aaron Gillane were among the All Ireland champion hurlers to help tidy their local communities, as well as rugby referee, Joy Neville; while ahead of Munster’s huge semi-final clash with Saracens tomorrow, Heineken Cup winners Jerry Flannery and David Wallace also participated in the clean-up, which is sponsored by JP McManus Benevolent Fund and managed by Limerick City and County Council. 

Commenting on Team Limerick Cleanup 5, Paul O’Connell said; It’s amazing to break the 20,000 volunteers’ number and I’d like to thank every person who gave up their time today to help make Limerick a cleaner place. It’s been quite a journey over the past five years and Team Limerick Clean-Up has so much potential beyond just a one-day tidy-up. I’m hugely excited to see what the next five years will bring.” 

Sponsor JP McManus echoed O’Connell’s words and reflected on an amazing 12 months for Limerick city and county. “To think this time last year, we were out tidying, and Limerick hadn’t won an All-Ireland since 1973. You can really feel the extra energy and excitement about the place here today, particularly with the hurlers out in force, tooIt’s been an amazing effort by all volunteers and I extend my thanks to everybody out here today.” 

This year, Team Limerick Cleanup 5 stresses the sustainability message more than ever – prevention is the best cure when it comes to littering and looking after the community. In the lead up to today’s event, Team Limerick Clean-Up ran the ‘Design A TLC Bottle’ competition for primary schools across the county. All entries were on display at the Hunt Museum, Limerick city centre and Team Limerick Clean-Up will be pressing ahead with further sustainability initiatives in the months ahead.  

JP McManus visited several areas in Limerick to see the tidying efforts first hand, including Tait House Community Enterprise, St Munchin’s and Moyross Community Centres, and Our Lady of Lourdes.  

Team Limerick Clean-Up is an initiative sponsored by the JP McManus Benevolent Fund and supported by Limerick City and County Council. Endorsed by Paul O’Connell, the official partners include Mr Binman, the Limerick Leader, Limerick Post and Limerick Live 95. 

For more information on Team Limerick Cleanup 5 click here 

For more stories featuring Team Limerick Cleanup, click here 

See What’s Happening in the Latest

I Love Limerick Chronicle Column

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Limerick Chronicle Column Tuesday November 7 pg 30 I Love Limerick 

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Limerick Chronicle Column Tuesday November 7 pg 31 I Love Limerick

 

Castleconnell winner of the Limerick Going for Gold competition 2015

Limerick Going for Gold 2015, which for the first time included the communities across Limerick City and County, featured a prize pool of over €76,000, courtesy of the JP McManus Charitable Foundation.
the JP McManus Charitable Foundation.

Castleconnell were named as the overall winner in the Challenge category at Limerick Going for Gold Competition 2015, receiving a €10,000 prize.

I had the honour of taking on the role of Master of Ceremonies for the event, which raised awareness of environmental issues, got people involved in their own areas and made a physical difference in communities.

JP McManus presented Castleconnell at the Limerick Going for Gold Competition 2015 with their cheque and trophy, thanking them for their role in their community.“There’s a great passion here, of people and a love for the county. Everybody embraces everybody.“I feel very privileged and honoured to be here and everybody’s a winner here. I can see Limerick getting cleaner and brighter, I am very happy to be from here,” McManus said.

Over €76,000 was awarded to Limerick communities who raised awareness of environmental issues, got people involved in their own areas and made a physical difference in communities. Through four categories – Challenge, Limerick in Bloom, Best Front Garden and Tidy Towns Incentive categories – Limerick communities were awarded with monetary prizes and were commended on their “fantastic” work.

Awards were also presented on the night in Endeavour and Residential Areas categories. Limerick Mayor Liam Galvin was in attendance on the night, acknowledging the role of communities and sponsors in the Going for Gold initiative.

The Challenge Category winners at the Limerick Going for Gold Competition 2015, whose finalists were chosen by public vote following radio and newspaper coverage, included Kilteely, Broadford, Anglesboro, Rathkeale, Hospital and O’Malley Keyes, each receiving an award of €1,000. Croom and Caherdavin came in joint fifth place in the Challenge category, each receiving an award of €2,000.Kilfinane, reaching fourth place, were presented with a cheque for €3,000 by Gerry Boland. South Limerick City received an award of €5,000, coming in third place in the Challenge category.

Check out the Limerick Going for Gold Facebook page here

Read more about the Going for Gold competition here

JP McManus Fund finances programme for students with disabilities at Mary Immaculate College

JP McManus finances MIC students with disabilities, the JP McManus Fund recently announced details of its intention to provide much needed funding to the Certificate in General Learning and Personal Development (CGLPD) programme at Mary Immaculate College (MIC) Limerick.

The CGLPD programme, which has been in existence in the College since 2013, has as its main aim to enhance the quality of life of young adults with intellectual disabilities by providing third level opportunities.  MIC, the only provider of teacher education in the country to offer this accredited programme, receives no public funding towards the programme as current national policy has yet to recognise that adults with intellectual disabilities are entitled to study at a higher education campus.

Anne O’Byrne, Lecturer in Inclusive Education, MIC, first investigated the possibility of hosting this programme at MIC in 2009 as according to her “Traditionally, young adults with intellectual disabilities have not been given the opportunity to participate in third level education. While third level education is a valuable pursuit for young adults in society, it has not generally been afforded to this group, who historically have occupied marginalised identities. A third level education experience allows students to develop and mature in an educational and social context and assists with future employment prospects”.

The two year programme is devoted to the academic learning, personal growth and career development prospects of the student whereby the full development of each student’s potential, dignity and self-worth is embraced. The programme, according to Prof. Michael A Hayes, President of MIC; “is an example of what can be accomplished by thinking ‘outside of the box’. This initiative represents a radical reconceptualisation of third level education. Mary Immaculate College has been to the forefront of the development of inclusive practice at preschool, primary and post primary levels and this initiative represents an opportunity to apply those values, skills and attitudes to our own third level setting”.

While the programme in CGLPD programme has direct benefits for the students enrolled on the programme, there are also many benefits for the students’ peers and the larger student body at MIC. According to Prof. Teresa O’Doherty, Dean of Education, MIC, this programme has potential for far greater impact than would be possible on other campuses as it is situated within a Faculty of Education which is home to 1400 pre-service teachers and 300 early childhood educators. “The exposure and engagement of MIC’s total student body to the programme will have ramifications for approaches and attitudes to the inclusion of young children within Irish schools and crèches nationally” she said. “As teacher education providers we need to challenge all our students to be advocates for inclusion, we need to enable them to view inclusion as a normal way of working each and every day. Equity and equality must motivate our work and theirs in the classroom, and they need to be prepared adequately to live out their commitment to inclusion within schools”. 

According to Prof. O’Doherty international research has shown that one of the greatest barriers to successful inclusion is the attitude of teachers. “Teachers need to have positive attitudes, tolerance and understanding of inclusion and diversity. They need to be convinced of the benefits of inclusion and develop a sense of responsibility for all learners.  The continued provision of the CGLPD programme on the MIC campus will have a cascading impact on the schools and early childhood settings in which they will ultimately work”.

Speaking on her hopes for the programme Anne O’Byrne said “We at Mary Immaculate College believe that this programme will increase access to work life experiences as well as nurturing educational and social outcomes for students with intellectual disabilities and further extend their personal capacity to become self-determining human beings.  My hope is that this programme will cause us all to reflect on the dignity of the person, what it is to be human, and to accept, quite simply, that who we are is enough”.

The JP McManus Benevolent Fund supports local community initiatives and non-profit organisations throughout the Mid-West of Ireland. To date it has awarded an impressive €11,367,667 to community, healthcare, local infrastructure and education development projects.  Prof. Hayes, paid tribute to the JP McManus Benevolent Fund saying “We are indebted to the JP McManus Benevolent Fund for their generous funding of €200,000 towards this programme, ensuring its future for the next four years.   MIC’s Mission Statement commits ‘to promote equity in society and to provide an environment where all have freedom and opportunity to achieve their full potential’.  This funding further enables us to deliver on our commitment to inclusivity”.

Continuing he said; “We believe that the learning from this initiative will inform inclusive policy and practice at third level in the future locally, nationally and internationally”.  He concluded by paying tribute to the programmes partners, the Brothers of Charity in Ennis, Enable Ireland in Limerick, St. Cronan’s Association Ltd., and St. Joseph’s Foundation.

Commenting on behalf of the JP McManus Benevolent Fund, Ms. Sue Ann Foley, Chairperson, said;“We are delighted to support such a wonderful initiative like CGLPD.  A programme like this serves to benefit not only the students and their families, but the wider community involved. Supporting educational initiatives is an important criteria for the Fund and we look forward to monitoring the progress of those involved.”

Although further philanthropic funding will be required to fully meet the resource requirements of the CGLPD programme the College is confident it will secure the necessary funds and the programme will continue as planned with the next intake commencing in September 2015.

For more information, check out JP McManus’s Benevolent Fund website here
Check out JP McManus’s Benevolent Fund Facebook here
Check out Mary Immaculate College’s website here
Check out Mary Immaculate College’s Facebook here
Check out Mary Immaculate College’s Twitter here.
Read more about JP McManus’s Benevolent Fund here and Mary Immaculate College here.