CAHIR NOTES 13TH JANUARY 2010 OLDER PERSONS PARTY Cahir Garda District would like to remind all Older Persons that they are invited to The Older Persons Party in Cahir House Hotel on Friday 15th of January, 2010 at 5pm. The Party will begin at 5.00pm when Refreshments will served and Spot Prizes Raffled. There will also be Music, Dancing, Story Telling and plenty of Laughter. The Band will finish around 10.30pm. Neighbours/ Family who bring an older person to this party are also invited to stay and enjoy the evening if they wish to do so. If you require transport to this event, please ring Cahir Garda Station on 052 74 45630 and leave your Name/Address/Phone Number for the information of the organising committee. We will try to arrange Transport for you between 4pm and 4.45pm on the evening of Friday the 15th of January 2010. This is the 10th Anniversary of The Older Persons Party and Cahir Gardai, Cahir Community Alerts and Neighbourhood Watches look forward to seeing you all at this increasingly popular event. CAHIR ACTIVE RETIREMENT ASSOCIATION. Week ending 08 01 10. Please have your list of suggestions for holidays and day excursions ready for the next monthly meeting Wednesday 3rd February, 2010 at 2.30pm in the Catherine McAuley room of the Day Care Centre in Cahir. This list will facilitate the committee to plan our activities early for the year. It is also the time of the year renew membership of our Retirement Association. Interested and prospective members are welcome to attend our meetings and get to know the extent of our motivating activities. Due to adverse weather conditions Januarys monthly meeting had to be cancelled, also the popular weekly card game. We sincerely hope to have our next card game on Friday 15th January at 8pm and once more meet old and new friends again. Information regarding Cahir Active Retirement Association may be obtained by contacting The Secretary at cahiractiveretirement@gmail.com or by Phone on 052 74 441892. DUNESKE NEWS We're back in the swing of things now and if you are ready to join our Duneske Family call now or drop in for a tour where you can meet with one of our instructors and have all your questions answered. Book in for an assessment now as limited spaces are available you will also get a tailor made programme to suit your every need. All weather bookings for the New Year are now being taken. Duneske classes have resumed. Pilate’s instructor Eimear will begin her 8 week course on Monday 18th January at 10.30am. Booking is essential. For further details please call Eimear on 086 8184218. Opening times of Duneske are Monday-Friday, 7.30am-10.30pm, Saturday, Sunday & Bank Holidays from 10am - 6pm. Contact us on 052 7445517 for more information. CAHIR DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY LOTTO There was no Jackpot winner of draw on the 6th January, 2010. The numbers drawn were 5, 9, 22 and 24. The draw was witnessed by Carmel Dwyer. The 5 Lucky Dips winners who each received €30 were; Sean Walsh, Ballydrehid, Cahir, Patricia O’Brien, Cahir Abbey Upper, Cahir, Eileen Doyle, Clogheenafishogue, Ballylooby, C & H Murnane, Lisava, Cahir and Kathleen O’Donoghue, Mountain View, Cahir. The next draw will take place on Wednesday the 13th January 2010 at 12 noon The Jackpot will be €1,450. Tickets are available right up to the last minute at the Enterprise Centre. Profit’s servicing community projects in Cahir. BACK TO SCHOOL Cahir Boys National School, Our Lady of Mercy Primary School and Colaiste Dun Iascaigh will now all reopen again for all students on Thursday 14th January 2010. I hope you all enjoyed your extended holidays and the snow. Cahir Castle coated in snow recently CHRISTMAS RAFFLE FOR MEALS ON WHEELS The draw for the Christmas Raffle in aid of Meals on Wheels took place on December 22nd last and the results were as follows; First prize of a Hamper was won by Kathleen Fitzgerald, Second prize of a Christmas Cake was won by Barry Cusack of Ballylooby, Third prize of a Voucher for a meal for two was won by, Pat Lonergan, Fourth prize of a Bottle of Vodka was won by Lisa Guidera, Fifth prize of a Bottle of wine was won by Donal Burke of Kaylong, Sixth prize of a Christmas Pudding was won by Margaret Daly and the Seventh prize of a Box of biscuits was won by Breda Ryan of St. Marys Street. Congratulations to all. Cahir Meals on Wheels would like to thank the following kind Sponsors; John Quirke Jewellers for a ham, Oakpark Foods also for a ham, SuperValu for a Turkey, all the other Sponsors and all the helpers too. The Committee would like to wish everyone who helped in any way during the past year a Prosperous New Year. GAELIGE, IRISH CLASSES Irish classes for adult beginners or revisers will take place in Cahir, in the old V.E.C building on Church Street, starting on 25th January. The classes will begin at 8pm and finish at 9.30pm. Former attendees welcome .For any enquiries please call Marie Ui Chathain on 087 2782071. Early booking is advised. GYM CLASSES Due to adverse weather conditions, Gillian O’Keefe has informed me that Community Games Gymnastics will now resume on Tuesday 19th January. Classes will take place from 5.30-6.30pm and 6.45-7.45pm at The Convent of Mercy Primary School, Cahir. There are still a few vacancies, so come along for an hour of fun. IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS It seems that due to the prolonged spell of cold and icy weather, many people have had problems leaving their homes, often running out of supplies of fuel and groceries. Not only that but also some people have been isolated for a long time. Hopefully there will be a thaw by the end of the week, but if you are in this situation or you know someone that is, here are some phone numbers that may offer advice or assistance. Age Action 01 475 6989 Alone 01 679 1032 Miuntir na Tire 086 600 0751 For your information, Supervalu in Cahir offer a delivery service so if you need some groceries or fuel you can contact them on 052 74 41515. WATER PROBLEMS It seems that also due to severe weather conditions and frozen and burst pipes locally, there is a water shortage. Please do not leave you tap running to try to avoid the pipes freezing, as this will make the water situation much worse. If you have a burst pipe or no supply please contact the County Council in Cahir on 052 74 25399 or Clonmel on 052 61 34455 to report the problem and they will advise you. Meanwhile conserve your water. CONGRATULATIONS Congratulations to Maria Geraghty on her recent Engagement to Micheal Walsh. Best wishes from Jane, Sean, Kevin and Baby Mai. BIRTHDAYS Belated Happy Birthday to Ryan Chamberlain who was 9 years old last weekend. With love from Mum, Dad, your sisters and all of your family and friends. Happy Birthday to my sister Cristina Lisle ,who celebrates her birthday on Friday 15th January. With love from Mum, Nigel, your brothers and sisters, their partners, all your nephews and nieces and all your friends. Happy Birthday to my mum Chi Chi Caplice, who celebrates her birthday on Sunday 17th January. With lots of love from your 7 children and their partners, your 17 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren, all of your extended family and many friends. Happy Birthday wishes also to Catherine Caplice who celebrates her birthday on Monday 18th January. Love from Paul, Jessie, Aisling, Leah, all of your family and friends. SNOW AND ICE DRIVING TIPS Just in case the snow and ice are still around when this paper comes out, here are a few important driving tips. 1. Slow down: As simple as it may sound, this is the single most important tip. Although you may be driving through a 50km/h zone, that doesn’t mean it is safe to travel at that speed. Reduce your speed according to the conditions and you're already one step to getting home safely. When driving through corners, drive smoothly and brake before the turn but not through it. Turn on your car’s lights to increase your visibility to other road users. 2. Give room: As it takes you a lot longer to slow down while driving on snow or ice, you’ll need to leave a lot more room between yourself and the driver in front. 3. Driving up hills: Motorway off ramps, driveways and hills in general are always difficult to navigate in icy conditions. Accelerating hard and spinning wheels isn’t going to get you anywhere however. The trick is to build up enough speed as you approach the incline and carry the momentum forward. If your car’s wheels start to spin once you have started driving up the hill, you’ll need to ease off the accelerator gently and try to regain traction. The slower your car’s wheels are spinning and its engine is revving, the more torque is applied to the road, which is what you want. Once your car stops on an icy hill, there’s very little chance you’re going to make it to the top. Although it might seem strange, it also helps to drive out of the tracks left behind by previous vehicles and can result in better traction. 4. Driving downhill: Driving down an icy hill can be even more dangerous than going up one. The biggest mistake that drivers make while doing this is by slamming on the brakes. Try to coast down the hill slowly by letting your car’s engine do the braking, while gently dabbing the brakes to control your speed. Always brake gently and gradually to avoid skidding, and if your wheels start to lock up ease off the brakes. 5. Getting Stuck: Like driving up a hill, try not to spin the car’s wheels. This will only add to the problem by digging the car deeper into the snow. Turn your steering wheel from left and right to push snow away from the wheels and gently accelerate out. If this doesn’t work, then you should use a shovel or spade to clear snow out of the way of the wheels and from under the car, and pour gravel or sand in front of the wheels if possible. Rocking the car back and forward by selecting first gear, driving slightly little forward and repeating the same with reverse can help. Beware however; this can damage the gearbox on certain cars, so make sure to check your car’s owner’s manual. 6. Know Your Route: Plan your journey before leaving the house. Remember bridges, back roads and flyovers tend to freeze first in cold conditions. If you are driving on a wet road, but know the temperature is below freezing, then be aware that you may encounter black ice. Of course I’m writing this on Sunday 10th January and by the time this paper is printed, the snow and ice may be just a memory. But on that day, motorists were advised not to make any unnecessary journeys and to remember that breaking distance is 10 times greater in icy conditions. So stay well back from the car in front of you if you must drive. QUOTE OF THE WEEK If you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull side. Author Unknown. READERS NEWS AND VIEWS Due to weather conditions many events have been cancelled and therefore there is not really much news to report. Hopefully by next week all will be back to normal. I know that the snow can cause problems, but I just love it. Do mind yourselves walking on icy footpaths, I have heard of some awful injuries during the Big Freeze. If you have any news, views or notes for the Cahir page, you can contact me on 086 1022014 or email me on caplicetaylor@hotmail.com. By Sunday, because that is when I do the notes. Thank you.