ON RETIREMENT

Feicim le déanaí go bhfuil a lán fógraí ins na páipéirí ag lorg múinteoirí do na scoileanna. Beidh fáilte roimh chuile dhuine atá ag éirí as an múinteoireacht dul i leith le Cumann Múinteoirí Scortha atá in aice leo.

Tá sé fíor tábhacht dúinn go léir teacht le chéile le caidreamh le chéile, le labhairt le chéile, agus ar ndóigh le spraoi a bheith againn le chéile. Mar a deir an seanfhocail, “Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na ndaoine”. Támid cosúil le teaglach mór. Claoi leis an comhairle seo agus beidh tu ceart go leor

Teach me to slow my pace,

to leave behind the frantic bustle.

Help me to unwind.

Past history now, the need to toil

and strive, but grant, Lord,

that I do not lose the drive

for self-improvement.

Help me still to find some useful

way to exercise my mind.

Give me some heights to scale,

New skills to learn, new friends

to make, fresh causes for concern.

Grant that I may enjoy

the sweet delights of grandchildren,

Without the sleepless nights,

Help me to help where needed, otherwise

let me resist the temptation to advise.

Teach me to find the time,

Lord, to be still, but let me not

Have too much time to kill,

and if old age and I come face to face,

help me to greet it kindly,

with good grace.

WE ARE SURVIVORS

(For those born before 1940..)

We were born before television, before penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Zeerox, plastic, contact lenses, videos, frisbees and the pill. We are before radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams, and ball point pens: before dishwashers, tumble driers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip-dry clothes and before man walked on the moon.

We got married first and then lived together. (How quaint can you be?) We thought ‘fast food’ was what you ate in Lent; a ‘Big Mac” was an oversized raincoat and “crumpet’ we had for tea. We existed before house husbands, computer dating, dual careers and when ‘meaningful relationships” meant getting along with cousins and “ sheltered accommodation ’was where you waited for a bus.

We were before day-care centres, group homes and disposable nappies. We never heard of FM radio, tape decks, electric typewriters, artificial hearts, word processors, yoghurt and young men wearing earrings. For us ‘time sharing’ meant togetherness, a ‘chip’ was a piece of wood or fried potato. ‘Hardware’ meant nuts and bolts and ‘software” wasn’t a word.

Before 1940 ‘made in Japan’ meant junk, the term ‘making out’ referred to how you did your exams: ‘stud’ was something that fastened a collar to a shirt, and “going all the way” meant staying on a double-decker bus to the terminus. Pizzas, Mc Donalds and instant coffee were unheard of. In our days, cigarette smoking was ‘fashionable, ‘grass’ was mown, ‘coke’ was kept in the coal house; a ‘joint’ was a piece of meat you had on a Sunday, and ‘pot’ was something you cooked in. ‘Rock music’ was a grand mother’s lullaby and ‘Eldorado” was an ice cream.

We who were born before 1940 must be a hardy bunch when you think of the ways in which the world has changed and the adjustments we had to make. No wonder we are confused and there is a generation gap to day…. BUT by the grace of God we have survived! Alleluia!!

Caroline Kelly shared this piece with us on our trip to Strokestown Park.

Local / European Elections

Don’t forget to lobby all candidates canvassing for the above elections

1. On the drastic cuts in Education.

2. The Medical Card Universality

3. Draw attention to the sacredness of the other free schemes for over 70’s - we want to continue to enjoy them in the future – Free Travel, Free TV Licence / Phone / Line Rental / Electricity Allowance

The tone of the discussion should be professional, cordial and friendly. The aim is to enlist the Public Representative as an ally and as an advocate of our cause.

Social Programme - Autumn 2009

Cumann Múinteoirí Scortha na Gaillimhe

Lecture : “These Have I Loved – Medieval Churches’ by Donal Taheny

Date/Time : Sept. 15^th 2009 at 11am in the Galway Education Centre.

Outing: Inchagaill, Lough Corrib, Ashford Castle by boat ‘Corrib Queen” from Oughterard Pier.

Date/Time: Tuesday September 1^st at 11am.

Fare 10euro. Pay on the day. The fare is subsidized by the RTA, Galway.

Computer Lessons: Beginners Course at Galway Education Centre.

Tutor: Brendan Smith.

Dates/Time: September 10^th , 17^th , 24^th and October 1^st, 8^th , 15^th from 9.45am to 11.45am.

Note: There are no vacancies on this course. An advanced course is planned for 2010.

Presidents attend A.G.M.

Presidents attend Galway A.G.M.

“Ní neart go cur le chéile”

The old Irish proverb states there is strength in unity. Tá an tádh dearg linn go bhfuil RTAI agus muintir INTO ag síor obair as lámh a chéile ar son múinteoirí uilig na tíre. Bhí sé de phribhléid againn gur fhreastail Ita Sweeney, Uachtarán RTAI agus Máire Ní Chuinneagáin, Uachtarán Cumann Múinteoirí Éireann ar ár gcrinniú cinn bliana i nGaillimh. Támid fíor bhródúil gur as an Iarthiar an bheirt acu.

Ita said in her address that this is “the best of times and the worst of times’ to be in a leadership role. Máire has to deal with the drastic cuts in Education in our latest budget while Ita has the problem of the withdrawal of the automatic right to a medical card at the age of 70.

I know that both presidents are committed to pursuing the policies of their respective organizations with courage and skill.

Many members congratulated our very efficient General Secretary on the detailed Newsletter published in May outlining all the possible scenarios relating to obtaining and keeping existing Medical cards, Free schemes, Social Welfare Credits and members Travel Insurance. We also welcome the recently published articles on matters of interest to all our members.

We all enjoyed a delicious lunch after our deliberations and we all look forward to the coming social events planned for September.

Mary Kyne ( Runaï)

Pictures from Strokestown Park Outing. May 5th 2009

Trip to Strokestown Park House and Garden

Members of the Oughterard Senior Group and Retired teachers from the Galway Association of which I am a member spent a very enjoyable day at Strokestown Park, walled garden and Famine Museum. Strokestown Park was the family seat of the Pakenham Mahon family from 1653 until 1981when the last member of the Pakenham Mahons, Olive, left Strokestown to live out the remainder of her days with her family in England.

The House

The house was designed by the renowned architect Richard Cassells, who designed Leinster House Dublin. Thomas Mahon represented Roscommon in Grattan’s Parliament in Dublin and his son Maurice acquired a seat in the House of Lords after supporting the Act of Union 1800. Denis Mahon a cousin of Maurice inherited the estate in 1845 just at the start of the Great Famine1845-1848

Major Denis Mahon initiated emigration schemes whereby tenants from the Estate were given passage to Grosse Ile in Canada. Given the conditions on board ship, the fact that the passage took from six to eight weeks, and the weakened state of those who were included on the scheme, there was a huge death toll and the Landlord was held responsible in the minds of those who remained on the estate. In November 1847 Major Mahon was shot dead as he returned to Strokestown Park after attending a meeting of the Board of guardians to Roscommon Town. He was the first landlord to be assinated during this period. His daughter, Grace Catherine, who married Henry Packenham was on her honeymoon at the time of her father’s death, never returned to the house, choosing to live instead in the Isle of Wight. It was her son Henry who took an interest in the estate. He carried out several renovations. The house is unique to day in that it retains its original furnishings and you can browse freely through the stately surroundings.

The Gardens

The 4acre 18^th century walled pleasure garden has been fully restored to its original splendor. The garden served both as a source of fruit and vegetables for the house as well as a suitable retreat for the family and their guests. An ornamental pool, tennis court and croquet lawn were features of the old garden. To day there is a complex of glass houses and potting sheds. The walls were flued so that in winter, fires could be lit, the heat from which could be carried through the walls of the building, protecting the tender young plants from the frost. They grew melon, pineapple, bananas, tomatoes peaches, plums and pears. The garden boasts at having the longest herbaceous border in Britain and Ireland.

The Famine Museum

The Famine Museum uses a combination of original documents and images from the Strokestown Park collection to explain the circumstances of the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s. The collection includes actual letters written by the tenants on the estate at the time of the famine. The aim of the Museum is to educate and provoke discussion of this most tragic time in our history.

1922 – 1976

Olive Mahon inherited the estate on the death of her father Henry. By this time Olive had her share of personal tragedy. In July 1914 she married Edward Stafford King Harmon from the Rockingham estate in Boyle. Edward went missing at the Battle of Ypres in the First World War. Olive was pregnant with her first child at the time and because she had a girl and not a boy, it meant that she could not inherit the Rockingham estate, which like many others was a male entailed estate. Olive married again in 1921 an English army officer who was sent to Strokestown to investigate an ambush carried out during the War of Independence. From 1950 onwards Olive and her husband spent all of their time at Strokestown. She was known as “The Lady of the Manor”. 1976 Jim Callery, a native of the town land of Cloonahee which was part of the Mahon Estate and the Directors off Westard Garages bought the estate after discovering documents in the house written by tenants of the town land of Cloonahee during the famine pleading with the landlord to provide some form of relief for them as their potato crop had failed and they had no food. Jim Callery and his co directors realized the significance of what they unearthed and they decided to restore the estate.

So many of our big houses have been allowed to fall into ruin and we must all be eternally grateful to everyone involved in the restoration of this magnificent Estate.

The Estate is open to the public from April until October. Our group from Oughterard and our retired teachers formed new friendships on the day and please God we will have many more days together again.

Mary Kyne.

Teachers' visit to Hong Kong

Mary on the Move – Shenzhen - Hong Kong

It was a pleasant contrast from the burnt dusty earth of Beijing to come to Mission Hills golf complex comprising of 12 championship courses designed by world famous golfers. Mature trees, lush green grass and tropical shrubs adorned the manicured golf courses. The courses are floodlit so that players can play in the fading light of the evening sunset. This is a golfer’s paradise. The China Open is held here. There is a golf academy attached where young caddies are trained and accompany golfers in their buggies, dressed in their uniform colourful attire. The non golfers in the party relaxed in luxurious surroundings by the pool. This is not my idea of a holiday so I went to a Folk and Cultural Park called “The Splendid of China” with friends.
It was a theme park like Bunratty Castle, showing ancient traditional houses, temples, pagodas, settlements, ancient windmills, a replica of Chairman Mao’s house, the burial site of the famous terracotta warriors and all famous monuments including the Great Wall. We crossed over the border into Hong Kong.

Hong Kong was very much a far-flung outpost of the Chinese empire until European traders started importing opium into the country from India. The Chinese people became addicted to the “foreign mud” as it was known. The Chinese army destroyed a huge British shipment of the stuff. The British retaliated, defeated the Chinese army and hoisted the Union Flag in 1841on Hong Kong Island.

Noodle Soup with fried egg and two slices of ham - delicious even if it does not look it!!

Hong Kong suffered at the hands of the Japanese and Koreans. On December 18th 1941 shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbour they sprung a surprise attack on the Royal British Air Force. They were unprepared and their air defenses were destroyed. Japanese law was quickly enforced and their currency and language became the official language of Hong Kong. To reduce the population of the island thousands of Chinese were repatriated back into rural China and some were sent to concentration camps. This continued until the atomic bomb hit Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan with devastating affects 1945. The Japanese surrendered.

Hong Kong then established itself as one of the world’s most dynamic manufacturing and financial services. In 1997 China took over from Britain at a ceremony presided over by Prince Charles and Margaret Thatcher, the British Prime Minister. Hong Kong retained its free market economy as well as its social and legal systems for 50 years.

Hong Kong is expensive. We visited Victoria Peak, which affords splendid views of the bustling city from cable cars, picturesque Repulse Bay, Kwun Yam shrine where the surrounding area is filled with an amazing assembly of deities and figures from gold fish and monkey god to statues of the emperor Tin Hau. We crossed over Longevity Bridge – it is supposed to add three days to your life. We visited the town of Aberdeen. We rode sampans (traditional boats) to view the last remaining houseboats of the region. This village will make way for huge highway. We spent a few hours in Ocean Park – a huge amusement and educational theme park complete with roller coasters and other rides. Dolphins and seals entertained the crowd with their acrobatic feats within the park.

We also saw the amazing Panda Bear eating his daily diet of bamboo shoots. There is little chance

of seeing this beautiful creature in the wild as there are only about 1000 living in the remote regions of China.
I took the metro across to Kowloon where I spent a few pleasant hours browsing through the History and Science museum – well worth a visit.

Hong Kong is a city of opposites with its opulent hotels and crumbling tenements – a city of class and sleaze. My trip to China was really confined to cities and I regret I didn’t see the countryside. Perhaps another time!

Mary Kyne