Limerick Blooms At Award Ceremony

27 towns and villages throughout County Limerick were last night honoured for their participation in the inaugural ‘Limerick in Bloom’ competition.

Patrickswell was named overall winner while Kilmallock, Oola and Strand were named winners of their respective categories. Limerick County Council, in conjunction with Shannon Development, launched the competition earlier this year as a motivational mechanism for the many small local based groups throughout the county to enhance the visual impact of their settlements by means of flower, tree and shrub planting.

Speaking during last night’s awards ceremony at the Woodlands House Hotel in Adare, Cllr. Francis Foley, Leas Cathaoirleach of Limerick County Council, stated, “Limerick In Bloom is truly a celebration of community spirit, teamwork and an awareness of the natural environment. Such attributes are alive and well here in County Limerick and are evidenced by the participation of 27 towns and villages in this year’s competition.” He said that the success of the competition was a fine example of what could be achieved when the local authority and local groups came together for the benefit of communities across the County.

“Each of the participating communities should be congratulated for helping to make County Limerick a more attractive location to live, work and visit”, added Cllr. Foley. Commenting on the competition, Josephine Cotter-Coughlan, Director of Services, said, “The concept of promoting community involvement in the improvement and enhancement of the local environment has been developed and strengthened over the years by Limerick County Council. This has further been enhanced through the considerable involvement of community groups, tidy towns committees, residents associations and local businesses in the first ‘Limerick in Bloom Competition’.”

Adjudication took place during July and considered such factors as colour, size, variety, location and appropriateness of the various planting schemes along with the management of litter. The judging panel included Mr. Luke Griffin, who is the Vice-Chairman of International Entente Florale and a former Chairman of the International Entente Florale Jury.

Categories were based on population size with a first, second and third prize in each category of EUR1100, EUR550 EUR300 respectively. Category 1 catered for towns and villages with a population in excess of 700. First was Strand (83), Loughill/Glenbrohane (82) came second while Croagh/Kilmeedy (80) finished in third place. Category 2 was for population centres of between 300 and 700 people with Oola (82) finishing first, Broadford (81) in second and Foynes (80) in third place. Category 3 featured villages with a population less than 300. Kilmallock (79) came first, Bruff (78) was second and Askeaton (75) finished third. Patrickswell (84), which featured in Category 1, was named overall winner and received a cheque for EUR1,500.

FULL RESULTS:

Category 1
Askeaton Heritage and Tidy Towns Committee - 75
Bruff Tidy Towns - 78
Hospital Tidy Towns - 62
Kilfinnane Tidy Towns - 74
Kilmallock Tidy Towns - 79
Newcastle West Tidy Towns - 73
Patrickswell Tidy Towns - 84

Category 2
Athea Tidy Towns - 79
Foynes and District Community Council - 80
Glin Development Association - 65
Knocklong Tidy Towns - 79
Oola Tidy Towns - 82
Broadford Development Ltd - 81

Category 3
Ardpatrick Community Council - 79
Croagh Community Council - 80
Glenbrobane Tidy Towns, Garryspillane - 82
Kileedy Parish Community (Ashford) - 68
Kilfinny Community Council - 70
Kilmeedy Community Group - 80
Muintir na Tire – Templeglantine - 70
Strand Community Development Ltd - 83
Tournafulla Tidy Towns Committee - 61
Carrigkerry Development Group - 62
Colmanswell Community Council - 62
Loughill Community Development Association - 82

Residents Associations
Sharwood Residents, Newcastle West - 58
Glenside Residents Association, Annacotty - 85

Overall Prize
Patrickswell (84)

Further information on ‘Limerick In Bloom’ is available from the Community and Enterprise section of Limerick County Council on 061-496454.

Alien Invaders Land In Limerick

Accelerated global warming evidenced by record temperatures and rainfall levels is having a profound impact on Limerick's wildlife with increasing varieties and numbers of alien invaders landing on our shores, it has been claimed.

A new six part documentary series, due to be broadcast on TG4 later this month, features over a dozen foreign species never before featured on Irish television. ‘Coimhtíoch Gan Cuireadh’ or ‘Alien Invaders’ takes a broader look at Irish wildlife and recounts the fascinating stories of how some of Ireland’s alien species ended up in Ireland. The species include the Chinese Mitten Crab, Bank Vole, Mourning Dove, Emperor Dragonfly, Natterjack Toad, Slow Worm, Trigger Fish and Slipper Lobster.

According to Newmarket-on-Fergus resident John Murphy, Wildlife expert and Director of Waxwing Wildlife Productions, ‘The documentary features species of wildlife many people rarely if ever encounter even though they are present all around them. One such species, the Greater White-toothed Shrew (pictured left) this year most likely slipped into the country in the roots of large imported continental-sourced trees. This mammal is thriving in counties Tipperary and Limerick and will spread throughout the country like the bank vole has done.’ Mr. Murphy added, ‘some of these invaders are relative newcomers to our country, while others have been with us for some time. These Aliens take the shape of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, plants, fish, marine life and freshwater aquatic life forms.’

He explained that increasingly extreme Mediterranean climates had resulted in a dramatic rise in the numbers of exotic species of birds and maritime fish arriving and settling in Ireland. ‘We are seeing more and more cases of alien species of birds appearing on our shores. The arrival and spread of the Collared Dove, Cattle Egrets and the melodic Blackcap are prime examples of this growing trend. Meanwhile, during filming on Inish Bofin in County Galway this year we documented the first every sighting in Ireland of a Mourning Dove, which had arrived from the USA’ commented Mr. Murphy.

Mr. Stan Nugent, Editor and Producer of ‘Alien Invaders’, stated that the documentary provided real evidence of how some foreign species were having a detrimental impact on the Irish environment and on native wildlife. He continued, ‘During filming we examined the presence of Chinese Mitten Crabs along the River Suir, which unlike the River Thames does not possess a tidal barrier to stop the invasive species from progressing hundreds of miles up stream. If left unchecked, these silent raiders will colonise our river systems to the detriment of other species. They will eat anything that comes their way including our native Crayfish and fish spawn. They put pressure on existing stocks of native fish stocks such as Brown Trout and Salmon. Mitten Crabs also live in holes, which they burrow out of the riverbank. This accelerates bank erosion.’

Mr. Nugent said that alien fish species were also appearing along Ireland’s coast in greater numbers. The Grey Triggerfish is a warm-water species with a normal range in the tropical Atlantic and the Mediterranean. However, in more recent times during summer months when the seas are at their warmest, they can be found in the waters around Ireland. The same can be said of sea creatures like the Slipper Lobster, which have only been caught in recent times in Lobster pots in the south of the country.

Meanwhile, the upcoming documentary focuses on the origins of many of Ireland’s newest wildlife species. The slow worm, which can only be found in the reclaimed meadow fringes of the Burren, where they were reportedly brought into Ireland by ‘new age hippies’ from Britain during the early 1970's. Elsewhere, it is widely believed that the Bank Vole was introduced to Ireland in the 1920s during work on the Shannon hydroelectric scheme when large machinery for this development was shipped from ports in the north of Germany to Foynes on the river Shannon and some other Irish ports.

Facts Uncovered By ‘Alien Invaders’ About Ireland’s Counties (more info available on request – see Notes To Editor below):
Antrim: Trigger Fish and other marine invaders may soon be common off the Antrim coast
Armagh: How long will it be before Little Egrets and other Mediterranean birds nest in Armagh
Carlow: Chinese Mitten Crabs could MARCH into Carlow
Cavan: The Red Grouse and Hen Harrier are threatened by the spread of Spruce plantations
Clare: Bank Voles were introduced to Clare during the construction of the Ardnacrusha Hydroelectricity Scheme
Cork: Dace, an alien species to our rivers, were accidentally introduced to the Blackwater in Cork in 1889 by an English pike angler
Derry: Trigger Fish and other marine invaders may soon be common off the Derry coast.
Donegal: Bird species like the Fulmar may disappear from County Donegal if fish stocks continue to decline
Down: How long before Alien Slipper Lobsters are caught off the Down coast
Dublin: Emperor Dragonflies may soon reach a pond near you
Fermanagh: Zebra Mussels, which are spreading throughout the Shannon-Erne waterway, originated in the Caspian Sea and came into Ireland on the hulls of pleasure boats
Galway: First ever sighting of a Mourning Dove in Ireland took place on Inish Bofin Island this year
Kerry: Ireland’s only Toad can only be found in isolated parts of Kerry
Kildare: Emperor Dragonflies may soon reach a pond near you
Kilkenny: Chinese Mitten Crabs could soon colonise the River Nore and threaten the native Crayfish
Laois: Greater White-toothed shrew, which appeared in Ireland for the first time this year, may soon be appearing in Laois
Leitrim: Alien flying insects may soon be seen around the lovely lakes of Leitrim
Limerick: The Greater White-toothed Shrew, which arrived in Ireland from the continent this year, is spreading rapidly throughout Limerick
Longford: The American Grey Squirrel was introduced to Longford and decimated its Red Squirrel population
Louth: Trigger Fish and other marine invaders may soon be common off the Louth coast
Mayo: The Great Skuas, which breed in the high Arctic, are being seen more frequently off the Mayo coast, and could become a menace to our breeding seabird colonies
Meath: Country hedgerows provide perfect breeding ground for bank voles
Monaghan: The Red Grouse may soon disappear from the countryside
Offaly: The native Pygmy Shrew is being threatened by the arrival of the Greater White-toothed shrew
Roscommon: Little Egrets making Roscommon their home
Sligo: How long before Alien Slipper Lobsters are caught off the Sligo coast
Tipperary: Ireland’s newest alien species is discovered in the Premier County
Tyrone: Emperor Dragonflies may soon reach a pond near you
Waterford: Chinese Mitten Crabs are colonising the River Suir and threatening native Irish fish
Westmeath: Snipe and Grouse disappearing from Westmeath
Wexford: Bird species like the Fulmar may disappear from the Saltee Islands if fish stocks continue to decline
Wicklow: Bank Voles could become a food source for Red Kites

‘Alien Invaders’ will be broadcast on TG4 for six weeks starting on Friday 26 September at 8.30pm. The series will culminate with a new book to be published in November. For more on ‘Alien Invaders’ see www.waxwingfilms.ie.

Robbery in West Limerick

Gardaí in Limerick are investigating an armed robbery that took place at a service station on Main Street in Foynes shortly before 11pm last night.

According to the Irish Times, a woman, who was in her car outside the service station, was approached by a man who took her out of her car and led her into the service station shop at knife point.

The man was then joined by two other raiders, both armed with shotguns. Two shots were fired during the robbery but nobody was injured. The raiders left the shop on foot with an undisclosed amount of money.

Community Smoke Alarm Scheme To Be Extended Across County Limerick

A Community Smoke Alarm Scheme successfully piloted in Foynes last year is to be extended to the remainder of County Limerick.

Under the scheme, Limerick County Fire Service intends to oversee the installation of 1000 smoke alarms in homes across the county by the end of 2008. The initiative, which forms part of the national Fire Service Change Programme, is also aimed at making County Limerick householders more aware of fire safety routines and potential fire hazards.

“Through this scheme vulnerable households are identified to have alarms fitted at no cost to the household”, explained Niall McMahon, Assistant Fire Officer.

Commenting on the successful rollout of the scheme in Foynes, Officer McMahon stated, “Foynes fire fighters visited every home, with the exception of those known to have newly installed mains powered alarms, offering to check smoke alarms and replace and install any alarms which may have been faulty or missing.”

He continued, “During each visit the fire fighters offered advice on fire safety for those who required it and aided vulnerable members of the community in accessing services to improve the standard of fire safety in their homes. The feedback from homes, which have been visited, has been very positive, with householders praising both the scheme and the fire fighters. Due to the success of the pilot scheme in Foynes it is currently being rolled out to other areas of Limerick County.”

To date there has been a positive response to the announced rollout from West Limerick areas, including Athea, Mountcollins, Tournafulla and Strand. In excess of 350 alarms have been distributed to local groups in these areas. Limerick County Fire Service is now hoping that other areas of the county will come forward and avail of the scheme.

According to Mr. McMahon, “Over the coming months we hope, with the assistance of the community sector, to identify vulnerable households with no working smoke alarm. It is intended that each home visited will be fitted with two self-contained 10 year smoke alarms, which are being provided free of charge by the Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government.”

“All voluntary agencies and community groups in the county are invited to contact Limerick County Council to avail of free smoke alarms for members of their community who would benefit most from the installation of working smoke alarms within their homes. It is hoped that volunteers from each community group shall carry out the installation of alarms”, he concluded.
Limerick County Fire Service will provide training for community groups on how to correctly install and advise homeowners on the maintenance of the alarms. Members of the fire service will also oversee the installation of the alarms. For further information on the Community Smoke Alarm Scheme contact the Community and Enterprise Department of Limerick County Council on 061-496454 or Limerick County Fire & Rescue Service on 061-496270.

Above Image: Volunteers from West Limerick receiving their free smoke alarms