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Nov 30

PHOTOS: Pathway to Recovery is a highlight of Be Well Limerick Week

by richanthon in News 0 comments 2905 0

Siobhán Wilmot, Mental Health Welfare Officer Limerick Youth Service, Richard lynch, ilovelimerick, Jen Ronan, jenronan.com Bobbi-Marie O’Callaghan, LYS, Andy Yu, LYS, Dr Eddie Murphy, Clinical Psychologist and Adam Coleman, thisboyknows.com. Picture: Cian Reinhardt/ilovelimerick

Running from Monday, October 31 to Sunday, November 6, Be Well Limerick Week is a youth-led mental health initiative that promoted positive mental health and well-being organized by the Limerick Youth Service. The week aimed to equip young people with a mental health and well-being first aid kit, tackling the stigma sometimes associated with mental health and promote a help-seeking culture. A talk with a leading mental health expert and a number of interactive and diverse workshops were just part of the busy programme.

This past Friday evening saw a variety of speakers at the Savoy Hotel share their personal experiences with mental health issues. Titled Pathway to Recovery, the evening included contributions from young people who addressed the crowd with tips on how to cope with mental health struggles.

Guest speakers included Richard Lynch of I Love Limerick, Operation Transformations’ Eddie Murphy, Jen Ronan, mental health advocate and blogger and Limerick Youth Services volunteers Bobbi-Marie O’Callaghan and Andy Yu.

Richard shared his own mental health journey at the event on Friday evening, speaking candidly of his time in New York, dealing with addiction and the emotional turmoil that results. Richard talked about using wild nights out as a form of escapism to escape the inner pain he was feeling, saying he has learned that, “if you’re partying to make yourself feel better, you shouldn’t be partying at all.”

Andy Yu, a volunteer from Limerick Youth Services gave tips on battling mental health problems commenting, “talking is your greatest weapon, your voice is meant to be heard.” The inspiring Jen Ronan spoke about her journey saying, “If you have a dip in your mental health, it’s not a bump, it’s not a detour – it’s part of the path”.

Limerick Youth Service remains committed to supporting and encouraging young people to be active participants in shaping their futures.

For more information on Limerick Youth Services, click here.
To read more about LYS, click here.

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Photos: Cian Reinhardt / ilovelimerick

Nov 30

PHOTOS: Spar Panto Beauty and the Beast launched at King Johns Castle

by richanthon in News 0 comments 2971 0

The Spar Panto Beauty and the Beast cast in full costume for the launch of the show in King John’s Castle. Picture: Sean Curtin / True Media.

The star-studded cast of the SPAR Panto Beauty and the Beast, were out in force today to launch this year’s show which runs at University Concert Hall, Limerick from December 19. Set against the stunning backdrop of King John’s Castle in Limerick’s Mediaeval Quarter the fairytale cast, in full costume, looked very much at home.

Limerick comedian Karl Spain, most recently seen in RTÉ’s Celebrity Operation Transformation, joined other newcomers to this year’s panto at University Concert Hall -Aoibhin Garrihy and Tom O’Mahony – together with the host of long serving familiar faces which already include RTÉ’s George McMahon, Richie Hayes and Leanne Moore.

Hailed as “achingly funny” (The Sunday Times) Karl is a regular performer at Kilkenny Cat Laughs, the Galway Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He has performed in Australia, the US and South Africa and has toured with Kevin Bridges and Ed Byrne. Aoibhin Garrihy became well known to Irish audiences as Neasa Dillon on Fair City and Lyndsey Conklin in BBC’s The Fall with Jamie Dornan. She recently appeared on stage at University Concert Hall in the sellout performance of Landmark Production’s Ross O’Carroll-Kelly’s play Breaking Dad. Ex-MMA fighter turned comedian Tom O’Mahony starred alongside the legendary Rik Mayall in RTE’s record-breaking hit comedy Damo & Ivor as the intolerable toff, Tarquin. He has since been a regular on Irish TV shows including Republic of Telly and Irish Pictorial Weekly.

The rest of the much loved UCH Panto gang are also back for what will be a completely hilarious take on this tale that is as old as time! Fair City’s George McMahon will play the selfie-obsessed Gaston, who professes to love the beautiful Bell, played by Leanne Moore, almost (but not quite!) as much as he loves himself! Richie Hayes will make sure the fun factor is high, playing Gaston’s loveable side kick Gascraic.

West End star, John Brannoch returns to his native Limerick to take on the role of the Beast. John has recently starred as Rudolpho in Matilda the Musical and is currently touring New Zealand in Pricilla. Dame Myles Breen returns for what will be his 20^th consecutive year starring in a Panto, with hilarious Ilovelimerick.com founder Richard Lynch becoming Montyesque as he asks Belle to Say Yes to The Dress!

The SPAR Panto, Beauty and the Beast, at University Concert Hall is now on sale with all seven school shows already sold out and limited availability on some performances in the general run.

There will be a Sensory Friendly performance on Friday 6^th January at 2pm. This show will be a little brighter and a little quieter, without any sudden, loud noises. There will also be plenty of room for audiences to move around and get comfortable, all of which will make it more accessible to some families.

SPAR, one of Ireland’s largest convenience retail groups, announced its title sponsorship of the 2016 University Concert Hall, Limerick Panto in August of this year. Representatives from all ten of the local stores involved were on hand to celebrate today’s launch. A SPAR “Hut”, set up in the courtyard of King John’s, provided the perfect pit stop for Gaston and Co. to refuel on their way to free Belle from “the Beast’s” imposing Castle.

Speaking at the launch, Colin Donnelly, SPAR Sales Director said “SPAR is delighted to be the title sponsor of the 2016 University Concert Hall, Limerick Panto. SPAR stores are at the heart of Irish communities and events such as the UCH panto breathe life into local communities. This year the pantomime is expected to be one of the biggest and best yet. We wish everyone involved the best of luck.”

Director of University Concert Hall, Sinead Hope, welcomed invited guests to King John’s Castle for the launch saying “SPAR are the first title sponsors of our panto and I think it speaks volumes for how far we have come in the past 4 years – to be here, launching our 5^th production, and to have one of Ireland’s largest convenience retail groups joining forces with us. From starting as an unknown entity 4 years ago, we have since sold over 80,000 tickets and the Panto at University Concert Hall is now a “Must See” Christmas show and a guaranteed fantastic family day out!”

The Spar Panto Beauty and the Beast will be running from Monday December 19 until Sunday January 8.

Tickets for the Spar Panto Beauty and the Beast will be from €17.50 Matinee and Evening Shows

For more information visit www.uch.ie or call their box office 061 331 549

For more stories on the Spar Panto Beauty and the Beast click here

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Photos: Cian Reinhardt / ilovelimerick

Oct 14

Limerick Going for Gold 2016 winner is Glin!

by richanthon in News, Old Posts 0 comments 2778 0

Limerick Going for Gold 2016 winner is Glin!

The West of Limerick is awake and celebrating after Glin was announced as overall winner of Limerick Going for Gold 2016.

There were jubilant celebrations in The Strand Hotel this evening (Tuesday 11 October) as the residents of the village claimed the top prize.

Richard Lynch of ILoveLimerick.com hosted the event and said,”I am honoured to be involved with this initiative for the past 5 years. It is my favourite event of the year!”

Limerick Going for Gold’s mission is to make Limerick a brighter, better, cleaner place to live, work and visit. Limerick Going for Gold 2016 winner

The competition fosters and nurtures community spirit and it’s plain to see in every town, village and estate that it’s flourishing.

A total of twelve communities made the final of the Limerick Going for Gold Challenge Category. Limerick Going for Gold 2016 has a prize pool of over €76,000, courtesy of the JP McManus Charitable Foundation.

Prizes were also awarded in five other Going for Gold categories, including Limerick in Bloom, Best Estate/ Residential Area and Endeavour Award.

Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Kieran O’Hanlon congratulated the participating communities: “It’s through the hard work and the commitment of the local communities that ensures that Limerick Going for Gold continues to be a tremendous success. Who would have thought that the competition, which began in 2010, would have grown so much and captured the imagination of everyone, and become the success that it is.”

“I would like to that Limerick City and County Council and the JP McManus Charitable Foundation for organising the initiative, as well as the event supporters and sponsors including Limerick’s Live 95FM, The Limerick Leader and The Limerick Chronicle, The Limerick Post, Parkway Shopping Centre, I Love Limerick and Southern Marketing Media and Design.”

“Going for Gold’s mission is to make Limerick a brighter, better, cleaner place to live, work and visit and every community who participated in this campaign, as well as the event sponsors and supporters continue to contribute to that mission,” added Mayor O’Hanlon.

The Challenge Category final was made up of 12 groups from Limerick city and county who were decided by a combination of local judging and results from the national Tidy Towns Competition.

Finalists were chosen by popular vote on Live 95FM over a five-week period. The finalists were Hospital, Kilteely, Murroe, Newcastle West and Patrickswell.

They were joined by seven wildcards – Adare Bruff, Croom, Feenagh, Glin, Moyross, and Rathkeale – which were selected by the Limerick Going for Gold judging panel of David Hurley (reporter with The Limerick Leader), Nick Condon (Tidy Towns Adjudicator) and Gerry Behan (retired Director of Service, Limerick County Council).

Following visits to each of the locations and lengthy discussions between the judges, this year’s Limerick Going for Gold 2016 winner is Glin.

They receive the top prize of €10,000, with Kilteely receiving €7,000 for second and Adare getting €5,000 for third.

All finalists receive prizes to help them continue their good work.

Going for Gold 2016 Limerick in Bloom Category’s Overall winner was Ardpatrick (€5,000) with Strand in runners-up position (€3,000).

Prizes were also awarded to Tidy Towns groups based on their Tidy Towns score.

Rockhill received €3,000 for being the Most Improved Tidy Towns group.

Glenbrook Glendale Glendale Lawn scooped the €2,000 first prize in the Estates/ Residential Area category.

Endeavour Awards of €1,000 each to encourage and/or support ongoing work on the environment were presented to Limerick Youth Service Centre, Back2New Upcycling, Newcastle West and PALLs, Probation and Linkage in Limerick Scheme Dock and the Adapt Shop on Sarsfield Street for their joint Upcycling Initiative.

The Garden Competition Category was sponsored by the Parkway Shopping Centre and featured a prize fund of €1,000 in shopping vouchers. Roger Beck from the Parkway Shopping Centre presented the top prize to Mrs Nellie Barrett, Ballintubber, Newcastle West.

Speaking at the ceremony, Gerry Boland of the JP McManus Charitable Foundation said: “Individuals, Tidy Towns Groups and Residents’ Associations from across Limerick city and county have once again come out in numbers to support this initiative. One hundred and forty four groups participated this year and your participation and the voluntary work that you are doing creates a real sense of community in your local areas.

Gordon Daly, Director of Service Operations with Limerick City and County Council said: “Going for Gold is one of the premier community awards in the country and that is down to the supporters and sponsors of the competition, the generosity of the JP McManus Charitable Foundation, and, in particular, the hard work and dedication of the large number of volunteers across our communities in Limerick. We are delighted that this annual event affords the opportunity to recognise the contribution they make to enhancing the quality of life in Limerick.”

List of Categories, winners and awards:

Going for Gold Challenge
1st Place          €10,000           Glin
2nd Place        €7,000             Kilteely
3rd Place         €5,000             Adare
4th Place         €3,000             Patrickswell
5th Place         €2,000             Newcastle West

Finalists (each receive €1,000)
Bruff
Croom
Feenagh
Hospital
Rathkeale
Moyross
Murroe
Limerick in Bloom
1st Place          €5,000             Ardpatrick
2nd Place        €3,000             Strand
3rd Place         €2,000             Knockainey

Highly commended (each receive €1,000)
Annacotty
Athea
Galbally
Doon
South Limerick City and
Foynes

Garden Competition (trophies and vouchers from Parkway Shopping Centre)
1^st place                       Mrs Nellie Barrett, Ballintubber, Newcastle West
2^nd Place                      Christine Ronan, Pallasgreen
3^rd Place                      Gerry Ryan, Rosbrien

Endeavour Awards (€1,000 for each organisation listed)
Limerick Youth Service Centre
Back2New Upcycling, Newcastle West
PALLs, Probation and Linkage in Limerick Scheme Dock and the Adapt Shop on Sarsfield Street for their joint Upcycling Initiative

Tidy Towns Incentive
Highest scores across the following categories (€1,000 each)
Tidiness and Litter Control                 Castleconnell
Sustainable Waste Management       Kilmallock
Wildlife & Natural Amenities             Broadford and Mountcollins
Landscaping and Open Spaces           Ardpatrick and Adare
Most Improved in each Municipal District (€1,500 Each)
Limerick Metro                       Gouldavoher
Adare/ Rathkeale                    Rathkeale
Newcastle West                      Athea
Cappamore/ Kilmallock          Glenroe

Most improved overall in Tidy Towns 2016 (€3000)
Rockhill
Estates/ Residential Area
1st Place          €2,000             Glenbrook Glendale Glendale Lawn
2nd Place        €1,500             Caherdavin
3rd Place         €1,000             Monaleen Park

Highly commended (each receive €500) Limerick Going for Gold 2016 winner.
Cappamore Estates
Castletroy View Residents Association Limerick Going for Gold 2016 winner.
Kyleafea/ Caemore Court Residents Association
Meadowbrook Residents Association
Rosmor Residents Association
Spring Grove Residents Association
Verdant Crescent Residents Association
Woodlawn Residents Association

Bressie talk on Mental Health at the Castletroy Park Hotel

by richanthon in Awareness, Healthcare, Inspirational, News 0 comments 2793 0

On Thursday, September 29, Niall Breslin aka Bressie, a role model and advocate for mental health in Ireland gave a talk on mental health and well being at the Castletroy Park Hotel. The Bressie talk at Casteltroy Park Hotel was a huge success with a full house of around 400 people listening to his keynote speech.

Bressie is an Irish musician and former Westmeath Gaelic footballer and Leinster Rugby player. Breslin found success as the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter with pop band The Blizzards, as a co-writer and producer with XIX Entertainment and as a solo artist. He was the winning coach on the first and third seasons of The Voice of Ireland.

Before the Bressie talk at Castletroy Park Hotel, Bressie spoke with I Love Limerick correspondent Holly Kenny about mental health and well-being on a variety of topics such as, the evolution of Mental Health in Ireland, the connection between physical and mental health, how music and creativity help when battling anxiety and depression and the next step for the progression of mental health services in Ireland.

Niall Breslin gives a talk on mental health to a capacity crowd at Castletroy Park Hotel Picture: Cian Reinhardt/ilovelimerick

When asked about his own role models for mental health in the 90’s, Bressie spoke about how mental health was misunderstood, “Things I remember quite acutely, one of our heroes growing up would have been Kurt Kobain and when he took his own life all of us in school were asking the teachers ‘what happened?’. I mean, we didn’t understand what suicide was.”

The conversation turned to the importance of embracing the talents and passions of an individual. Bressie spoke about his own musical history with his band ‘The Blizzards’, “When I play an instrument, I’m not thinking about anything else. Whether it’s piano, guitar or I’m writing music, you go into the present which is the holy grail for anybody. If you can be present, you can actually embrace the moment and not worry about the past or the future – and that’s a cliché thing to hear but until you do things that you love or are passionate about, that’s when you will truly understand.”

Following the interview, the I Love Limerick team sat to listen to the speakers for the evening. The first speaker, Jen Ronan from See Change Ireland, gave a humorous speech about her past and complications she endured when dealing with her mental health issues over the years. Considering it was her first time doing public speaking, Jen stole the hearts of the crowd with her endearing, quirky personality.

After Jen’s speech, Bressie came up on the stage to talk about the spectrum of Mental Health while also touching on some political issues regarding the need for more governmental mental health resources.

Niall Breslin gives a talk on mental health to a capacity crowd at Castletroy Park Hotel Picture: Cian Reinhardt/ilovelimerick

Bressie spoke about growing up with anxiety and the difficulties of getting support and the pressure of presenting yourself in a positive light even though you’re going through hell on the inside. He also spoke about the importance of being good to your body and how that can reflect on your mental health. After changing his diet, eating healthier and staying away from alcohol his anxiety improved. He also spoke about the importance of facing your fear when trying to overcome anxiety by telling a story about his fear of swimming, and how he confronted it by learning how to swim and signing up for an open water swimming competition.

He said that schools needing to embrace young people’s talents instead of pushing them to do courses that they don’t want to do.

Lastly, Bressie gave five simple tips for the audience to practice at home for 10 days.

First, stay away from toxic people and environments.

Second, practice self-compassion.

Third, say 30 thank you’s from when you wake up and be grateful for life.

Fourth, have 30 mindful moments a day, pay attention to the little things in life, the comfort of a cup of tea or how snug you feel in a blanket.

Last but not least, stop judging people, because you have no idea what that people could be really going through.

Follow Bressie on Twitter here.

Visit Bressie’s Mental Health website A Lust for Life here.

For more news on Mental Health in Limerick from I Love Limerick click here.

Sep 27

Limerick CDKL5 Charity Walk 2016 is a success

by richanthon in News, Old Posts 0 comments 2718 0

The Limerick CDKL5 Charity Walk 2016 took place Saturday, September 24. The aim of the walk was to raise awareness of this rare neurological condition as well as raise some funds towards research for a cure.

Richard Lynch pictured at last years CDKL5 Awareness Day 2014 with Jonna, Emma, Maia and Brendan Malone. Picture: Oisin Mc Hugh

Richard Lynch pictured at CDKL5 Awareness Day 2014 with Jonna, Emma, Maia and Brendan Malone. Picture: Oisin Mc Hugh

Maia Malone, a 9-year-old girl from county Limerick suffers from this rare neurological disorder. As a result of the condition Maia has severe daily seizures, which are not tamed by medication, she also suffers from gastrointestinal problems, visual difficulties, sleep disturbances, apraxia, bruxism, and she cannot talk or look after herself. Maia needs around the clock care by her family and those around there.

All members of the public were welcome to take part in the Limerick CDKL5 Charity Walk 2016 which started at 1pm on Saturday September 24. The group gathered in Limerick’s People’s Park at the tree planted at last year’s event before walking to Arthur’s Quay and returning to the park. Participants were provided with a wish ribbon that they can place on the tree at the beginning of the event.

Speaking at the event Maia’s Mum, Jonna said: “By raising awareness we are hoping that when people know more about CDKL5 and more doctors hear more about it, other children will get to be diagnosed sooner than Maia, Maia was four years of age before she got the diagnosis. The diagnosis has helped us to understand Maia’s condition a bit better.”

Jonna Malone and her daughter Maia pictured at the Limerick CDKL5 Charity Walk 2015 with Richard Lynch. Picture: Johnny Baynes for ilovelimerick.

“We are raising a little bit of funds today but that is not the main point of today, today is about awareness raising but the funds that are raised will go towards research for the condition. In Europe, they are doing very positive research about protein replacement therapy that maybe will be a cure for the condition, at the moment there isn’t one; but in time. Any money raised today will go towards funding the research.”

“When more people know about the condition it might be easier to have the diagnosis received quicker for other children. In this world, you have to shout for help if your child has a disability. By having the awareness that this is what our lives are like, it makes it a little easier.”

Another mother from Limerick named Graznya Musial whose four-year-old daughter Malgosia also suffers from the condition attended the event and said, “My daughter needs 24-hour care and it’s really reassuring that there are other families in similar situations to us.”

Both mothers have daughters with CDKL5 and met through the Irish CDKL5 Facebook page and met for the first time in person on the day of this year’s walk.

Also in aid of CDKL5 is ‘The Ultimate Firewalk’ that takes place in Bray, Co. Wicklow on September 30, just one week after the annual CDKL5 walk in Limerick.

CDKL5 is a rare X-linked genetic disorder that results in early onset, difficult to control seizures, and severe neuro-developmental impairment. CDKL5 is classed as rare disease however, more and more children and indeed adults are being diagnosed every day.

The CDKL5 gene provides instructions for making a protein that is essential for normal brain development. Although little is known about the protein’s function, it may play a role in regulating the activity of other genes, including the MECP2 gene (or Rett Syndrome). The CDKL5 protein acts as a kinase, which is an enzyme that changes the activity of other proteins by adding oxygen and phosphate atoms (a phosphate group) at specific positions. Researchers have not yet determined which proteins are targeted by the CDKL5 protein.

Most children affected by CDKL5 suffer from seizures that begin in the first few months of life. Most cannot walk, talk or feed themselves, and many are confined to wheelchairs, dependent on others for everything. Many also suffer with scoliosis, visual impairment, sensory issues and various gastrointestinal difficulties. As time has gone on it appears that there might be other symptoms that play a role in the condition.

Ten years ago, Professor John Christodoulou led an Australian research team that studied the DNA of three children from the same family and found a common genetic abnormality occurring on a gene that would later become known as CDKL5. His research was published in the prestigious journal, The American Journal of Human Genetics 2004. Glyn was one of the three children at the focus of Dr. Christodoulou’s study.

Glyn’s Legacy was in his DNA, which helped scientists to begin to identify what we now refer to as a CDKL5 Disorder. Unfortunately, Glyn passed on June 17, 1997, before his disease-causing gene was discovered, but his tragic, short life had an important impact on the children who have since been diagnosed with the same devastating disorder.

You can find more information on CDKL5 here.
Check out the CDKL5 Facebook here.
Read more about our previous coverage of Limerick CDKL5 Charity Walk here.

While you wait for Limerick CDKL5 Charity Walk 2016, check out our YouTube coverage of the Limerick CDKL5 Awareness Walk 2015 below.

PHOTOS: Pathway to Recovery is a highlight of Be Well Limerick Week

PHOTOS: Pathway to Recovery is a highlight of Be Well Limerick Week

PHOTOS: Spar Panto Beauty and the Beast launched at King Johns Castle

Limerick Going for Gold 2016 winner is Glin!

Bressie talk on Mental Health at the Castletroy Park Hotel

Limerick CDKL5 Charity Walk 2016 is a success

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