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I Love Limerick Chronicle Column

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Limerick Chronicle January 2 Page 1

 

 

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Limerick Going for Gold 2017 #LoveyourLimerick photo competition with Luke Culhane

A new category has been added to this year’s Limerick Going for Gold 2017. #loveyourlimerick Photo Competition aims to attract wonderful photographs of communities, places, and towns throughout Limerick city and county.

There will be a junior category for those under 21 who enter this category. A cash prize of €500 will be awarded to the winning photographer who submits best overall #loveyourlimerick 2017, with an additional €500 awarded to his/ her community.  Runners-up prizes will also be awarded. 

#loveyourlimerick

Film maker Luke Culhane, Limerick Person of the Year launching the #loveyourlimerick campaign. Picture: Alan Place.

Luke Culhane, Film maker and our current Limerick Person of the Year lends his support to the #loveyourlimerick Photo Competition.  The 14-year-old, who campaigned against cyber-bullying with his ‘Create No Hate’ video that reached international acclaim.  Luke was also Grand Marshall in this year’s Limerick’s St Patrick’s Day parade. Last week I had the honour of creating a video promo with Luke for the #loveyourlimerick campaign and you can see it now on ILoveLimerick.com and all our social media.

To enter the Limerick Going for Gold #loveyourlimerick Photographic Competition email a high-resolution image (1-10  megabytes) to [email protected], use the hashtag #loveyourlimerick and upload on either Instagram or Twitter. Indicate your age if you are under 21

A cash prize of €500 will be awarded to the winning photographer who submits best overall #loveyourlimerick 2017, with an additional €500 awarded to his/ her community.  Runners-up prizes will also be awarded.

More than 140 applications have been received for Limerick Going for Gold 2017.

All of these groups have already received Limerick Going for Gold Environment Improvement Grant funding ranging from €200– €2,000 to assist them with their environmental work and help with the overall aim of Limerick Going for Gold which is to make Limerick a cleaner, brighter, place to work live and visit.

These groups are also in with a chance to win an award in the Limerick Going for Gold Grand Final that will take place in October. Judging of all the Limerick Going for Gold entrants is ongoing and will take place up until mid-September.

Other categories in this year’s Limerick Going for Gold competition include Limerick in Bloom, Residential Areas (including Estates), Challenge Category, Tidy Towns Incentive Category and Best Front Garden Competition, sponsored by the Parkway Shopping Centre. More info on Limerick.ie.

To enter the Limerick Going for Gold #loveyourlimerick Photographic Competition:
A cash prize of €500 will be awarded to the winning photographer who submits best overall #loveyourlimerick 2017, with an additional €500 awarded to his/ her community.  Runners-up prizes will also be awarded.

For more on Limerick Going for Gold 2017 click here

 

See What’s Happening in the Latest

I Love Limerick Chronicle Column

You can view the article by clicking on the preview.

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Limerick Chronicle Column Tuesday October 17 pg 44 I Love Limerick 

 

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Limerick Chronicle Column Tuesday October 17 pg 45 I Love Limerick

Limerick Going for Gold 2017 #LoveyourLimerick photo competition with Luke Culhane

A new category has been added to this year’s Limerick Going for Gold 2017. #loveyourlimerick Photo Competition aims to attract wonderful photographs of communities, places, and towns throughout Limerick city and county.

There will be a junior category for those under 21 who enter this category. A cash prize of €500 will be awarded to the winning photographer who submits best overall #loveyourlimerick 2017, with an additional €500 awarded to his/ her community.  Runners-up prizes will also be awarded. 

#loveyourlimerick

Film maker Luke Culhane, Limerick Person of the Year launching the #loveyourlimerick campaign. Picture: Alan Place.

Luke Culhane, Film maker and our current Limerick Person of the Year lends his support to the #loveyourlimerick Photo Competition.  The 14-year-old, who campaigned against cyber-bullying with his ‘Create No Hate’ video that reached international acclaim.  Luke was also Grand Marshall in this year’s Limerick’s St Patrick’s Day parade. Last week I had the honour of creating a video promo with Luke for the #loveyourlimerick campaign and you can see it now on ILoveLimerick.com and all our social media.

To enter the Limerick Going for Gold #loveyourlimerick Photographic Competition email a high-resolution image (1-10  megabytes) to [email protected], use the hashtag #loveyourlimerick and upload on either Instagram or Twitter. Indicate your age if you are under 21

A cash prize of €500 will be awarded to the winning photographer who submits best overall #loveyourlimerick 2017, with an additional €500 awarded to his/ her community.  Runners-up prizes will also be awarded.

More than 140 applications have been received for Limerick Going for Gold 2017.

All of these groups have already received Limerick Going for Gold Environment Improvement Grant funding ranging from €200– €2,000 to assist them with their environmental work and help with the overall aim of Limerick Going for Gold which is to make Limerick a cleaner, brighter, place to work live and visit.

These groups are also in with a chance to win an award in the Limerick Going for Gold Grand Final that will take place in October. Judging of all the Limerick Going for Gold entrants is ongoing and will take place up until mid-September.

Other categories in this year’s Limerick Going for Gold competition include Limerick in Bloom, Residential Areas (including Estates), Challenge Category, Tidy Towns Incentive Category and Best Front Garden Competition, sponsored by the Parkway Shopping Centre. More info on Limerick.ie.

To enter the Limerick Going for Gold #loveyourlimerick Photographic Competition:
A cash prize of €500 will be awarded to the winning photographer who submits best overall #loveyourlimerick 2017, with an additional €500 awarded to his/ her community.  Runners-up prizes will also be awarded.

For more on Limerick Going for Gold 2017 click here

 

See What’s Happening in the Latest

I Love Limerick Chronicle Column

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Last Thursday Mayor Kieran O’Hanlon honoured me with a Mayoral Reception at City Hall with friends and family present as recognition for my work with I Love Limerick. In attendance, Limerick Person of the Year Luke Culhane, style queen Celia Holman Lee, fitness guru Leanne Moore, Senator Maria Byrne, singer Emma Langford, actor Myles Breen, blogger Sharon Tucker, community activist Helen O’Donnell and representatives from various charities and communities.

I was very honoured to be recognised by the city as this city is not only my birthplace, but I could never ever imagine living anywhere else. It’s my home and my life.  I have been doing I Love Limerick for 9 years and I can’t believe it will be a decade next summer!

I have been involved every year in the Limerick Pride Festival since 2008. In 2008, I produced Limerick Pride and made the event a weeklong festival. I wanted it to be integrative and inclusive so I called it I Love Limerick. The theme of that year’s Pride was of Limerick people loving one another and loving our city. When you logged onto ilovelimerick.com it actually took you to LimerickPride.ie. That was the birth of I Love Limerick.

Mayoral Reception

Pictured here with Limerick Person of the Year Luke Culhane who made the Cyberbullying video ‘Create No Hate’ which went viral worldwide. Picture: Dermot Culhane.

It developed into a community website dedicated to reporting and promoting positive news about Limerick people, communities, charities and events. I Love Limerick was set up to help people, to give people a platform that normally wouldn’t have one. I started the project in an effort to counteract the negative press Limerick was getting in the national media at the time; little did I know the adventure I was undertaking. I have been so blessed to meet so many incredible people, to work with so much talent and to given the chance to make a difference and do something positive.

Highlights of the last nine years include interviewing my idol Terry Wogan, doing the last interview ever with the last living Knight of Glin, winning Limerick Person of the Year in 2011 and being part of the success of the many charities and community groups that I do voluntary PR for.

Money and fame don’t motivate me. If they did I would be living in Dublin or I would be still in New York where I lived for over 15 years. The most important thing for me is my family and I could not imagine being apart from them. My parents passed away in the last years and I used to care for them full time. Now I live in a house with my partner Hugo, between my brother and sister homes and all their children and it’s heaven! It’s just what my parents wanted, for us to all be together. The highlight for the Mayoral Reception was that my eight year old niece Lucy and my six year old nephew Ryan were there as it’s something they will remember always.

My thanks to Mayor Kieran O’Hanlon who is so very kind to me and who said, “When I first spoke to Richard, I knew what he was doing for Limerick and that made me happy as Richard does a lot of work for a lot of communities in Limerick and he only puts out positive news because he love’s Limerick and we all love Limerick.”

Picture: Cian Reinhardt/ilovelimerick

I intend to keep working hard. The emotional payback from the work is immeasurable. I don’t care about money. I know I need it to survive so I am doing my best to make a living and also continue volunteering with I Love Limerick. Fortunately, loyal fantastic talent surrounds me since the beginning such as Dolf Patijn, Orla Clancy and Jonathan Baynes. My right arm for the last 4 years has been my videographer, Aisling O’Connor. I am so grateful to everyone who works with us, as you are only as good as the people you work with.

I do love Limerick. It’s been so good to me and the people inspire me every day. All the hard work has been worth it and I would do it all over again. Limerick is really about the people who make up this great city and county. I am Limerick, You are Limerick, We are Limerick. Thank you Limerick, I Love you. Richard x

 

Pictured was Richard Lynch, ILoveLimerick.com, Luke Culhane, Micheal Goulding, CEO of Novas and Roisin Lafferty, Director of Kingston Lafferty design at the DFS design evening. Photo: Oisin McHugh

Over 100 people turned out in style for the DFS design evening in the Limerick store last night on Thursday the 23rd.

Roisin Lafferty

Pictured was Roisin Lafferty, Director of Kingston Lafferty design speaking to people who had turned out for the DFS design evening. Photo: Oisin McHugh

Attendees were treated to a lively presentation packed with design tips and secrets from DFS Ambassador and award-winning interiors expert Roisin Lafferty, Director of Kingston Lafferty design. Many guests availed of the opportunity after the presentation for one on one style advice from Roisin and her team.

Roisin has previously expressed her happiness at the choice to support Novas through this one of a kind event, “Novas Limerick offers an invaluable service to the community of Limerick. Homelessness is a cause very close to my heart and I am honoured to be able to aid such an important charity. This event shows the importance of a happy home for everybody.”

Guests also enjoyed canapés and drinks, including Wild Orchard juices, from Hook and Ladder, a complimentary copy of Image Interiors and Living magazine and 10% off everything in-store.

The evening was run in association with local charity Novas, who are the largest provider of homeless services in the mid-west region. It was a huge success with €1094 raised for the charity. 

Roisin Lafferty

Pictured, from left, was Moya Farrell, Beckey Russell and Roisin Lafferty, Director of Kingston Lafferty design speaking to people who had turned out for the DFS design evening. Photo: Oisin McHugh

Deborah Geraghty of Caherdavin won a sofa and Louise Creamer an Interior Design Consultation with Create at Kingston Lafferty design. Limerick people are already looking to the next DFS event.

Novas is thrilled to be associated with this event with Communications Manager Una Burns stating that, “we try to provide homes for families and single people every day and an event like this highlights the importance of a happy home for everybody. We are extremely grateful to DFS and to Roisin Lafferty for hosting this lovely evening and for decorating our DIAL service in the city.”

Novas are a local non-profit organisation working with single adults, families and children who are disadvantaged and socially excluded, primarily homeless people or people at risk of being homeless. More than half of these were from Limerick. The organisation provides a range of services in the city including temporary accommodation, a family service, an out-of-hours service, long-term housing and a street outreach.

To read more stories about Novas click here

For more information on charity events in Limerick click here

Pictured at the Limerick Person of the Year Award 2016 were Claire Culhane, Richard Lynch, Grace Culhane, Luke Culhane, winner of the Limerick Person of the year Award 2016, Olive Foley and Dermot Culhane. Picture: Cian Reinhardt/ilovelimerick

 

The 14-year-old Limerick boy, Luke Culhane, whose viral video warning against cyberbullying and the late Anthony Foley – posthumously receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award – were today the top recipients at the Limerick Person of the Year 2016 awards.

The creation of a powerful video – ‘Create No Hate’ – saw Luke Culhane, from Castletroy View, selected as the January award recipient and made enough of an impact to have him selected all of 12 months later for the Limerick Person of the Year 2016.

Limerick person of the year 2016

Luke Culhane, whose viral video warning against cyberbullying went viral was named Limerick person of the year 2016. Photo: Sean Curtin True Media.

A budding filmmaker and blogger, Luke was motivated to create the video after being a victim of cyberbullying himself and, with over 500,000 views, its success was such that the story was picked up by Sky News, BBC, MTV, Fox, RTE and UTV, among others.

The international admiration for his efforts stretched all the way to December when he was named Young Person of the Year by prominent French newspaper Mon Quotidien.

Accepting the award, Luke Culhane said: “Thank you so much to everyone that supported the video, the main thing is that helped loads of other children after I Skyped a school in South Africa it inspired them to make their own video. It’s not just me that won, it’s the whole of Limerick.”

Today’s event, held at the Clayton Hotel, Limerick, also saw Olive Foley, wife of the late Anthony Foley, receive a Lifetime Achievement award on behalf of her husband, whose death on October 16th last led to one of the single greatest outpourings of sadness ever experienced across Limerick.

The legendary Shannon, Munster and Ireland No. 8 Anthony moved with his family from Murroe to Killaloe when he was 3 years old but had an indelible connection with Limerick over the years.  He was schooled at St. Munchin’s, where he first gained prominence as a schools rugby star, before going on to become the most coloured captain in the history of Shannon and Munster rugby.

Speaking at today’s event, Limerick Leader Editor Eugene Phelan said:  “It’s fair to say that the two recipients today were utterly inspirational in very different ways but we are here with mixed emotions in relation to them today.

“We all marvelled at Luke’s courage and, indeed, technical ability in putting this video together. It relates to an area that all of society is exercised and very concerned about but when it is a 13-year-old member of that society, as he was then, we are all humbled by what he did.  Luke is clearly a leader and I suspect that this is the start of what will be a hugely successful career in film and one that, will no doubt, leave its mark in a very positive way on society.”

Speaking of the award to Anthony Foley, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Kieran O’Hanlon said: “With regard to Anthony Foley, all of us who love rugby and sport generally were totally shocked by news of his death. I don’t think I have ever seen anything like the collective sense of loss that greeted this.   He was an incredible man both on and off the field.

Limerick Person of the Year 2016

The 14 year-old Limerick boy, Luke Culhane, whose viral video warning against cyberbullying and the late Anthony Foley Ð posthumously receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award – were today the top recipients at the Limerick Person of the Year 2016 awards. Photo: Sean Curtin True Media.

“We all celebrated his rugby achievements and got so much joy here in Limerick from that.  But the other side of Anthony was what he did off the field, his charity work and just how he held himself as a person. He was arguably the most modest sports star and this is an acknowledgement that he totally deserves.”

Speaking at the event, Olive Foley said:  “I’m pretty sure Anthony would be recoiling with the attention here today.  He was very proud of his association with Limerick and from a sporting perspective will always be associated with Munster and Shannon, with many of his greatest rugby moments here in Limerick.

“We know that everyone here misses him and it goes without saying that we do. But we really appreciate the fact that he is thought of and remembered so fondly, including with this Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Now in its 16th year and sponsored by The Limerick Leader, Southern Marketing Design & Media and the Clayton Hotel, the Limerick Person of the Year Award was set up to honour the achievements and success of local people.

Pat Reddan, General Manager, Clayton Limerick Hotel said: “We are delighted to sponsor such an event that showcases the very best of Limerick and the people who call it home, they truly are all inspirational.”

Congratulating all nominees, Dave O’Hora of Southern Marketing Design & Media said: “each of the nominees have in their own way made an outstanding contribution to the cultural, sporting, business and community scene in Limerick, today Limerick celebrates and it should.”

Past winners of the title include philanthropist JP McManus, world champion boxer Andy Lee, rugby stars Paul O’Connell and Tony Ward, author Donal Ryan, transatlantic rower Paul Gleeson and Thomond Park developer Pat Whelan.

The Limerick Person of the Year 2016 judging panel consisted of Eugene Phelan, Editor of The Limerick Leader; Conn Murray, Chief Executive of Limerick City and County Council; and Cllr. Kieran O’Hanlon, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick.

For more information on Create No Hate click here

To read past stories on Limerick Person of the Year click here