Tinahely Women’s Network

Our International Women’s Day celebrations were certainly a great tribute to the morning and evening core groups and above all the Arts Committee who made all that hard work look so easy. The exhibition is still a topic of conversation, and many women came away from the evening celebrations saying how long it was since they came away from an event humming the tunes they had enjoyed hearing being sung with such verve and enthusiasm.

APRIL 4th
Some members may already have met the two young women who formed Rampant Productions last year. They are Katie Holmes (Aughrim) and Sinead O’Loughlin (Ballymanus) they attended the evening celebrations for IWD. Their theatre/literature company is dedicated to producing work and projects in both art forms and would like to come to address our meeting. They envisgae a link up with TWN and through a Q & A session we can establish if and how we could work together. They have a strong attachment to women’s issues and will tell us about their plans.

They are both recent postgraduates from NUI Galway, with an MA in Arts Policy & Practice and an MA in Theatre & Drama. It sounds very interesting and it’s different.

Core Group; Tina C., Mary O’ Donovan & Veronica.

A.G.M. 10TH MAY
Please make sure you have this date in your diary. This is the last official meeting of the TWN year. Members will have the opportunity to select paid up members to work on the committee. TWN is now very vibrant, and is of direct benefit to women who have just moved to Tinahely and surrounding areas. It offers women the opportunity to hear guest speakers, meet up with friends and make new contacts.

For the 2011/2012 year there are three vacancies
Chairwoman, Secretary and a Co-Ordinator. So why not volunteer?

Annual subscription of €10 for 2011/2012 will be due on 10th May.

February 7th
The ladies of the Tinahely Guild of the ICA entertained us to an evening of set dancing, songs and poetry. It was well attended and enjoyed by all. Several women expressed an interest in learning set dancing. Some travel to Gorey for lessons but, would prefer to attend classes locally.

PROGRAMME FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY MARCH 8TH

10.30 – 12.30 COFFEE MORNING - POSTCARD ART EXHIBITION
Everyone is welcome to attend and join in the celebrations.

Core group: Margarete, Fionnuala, Caroline, Jenny & Betty.

Starting at 8 p.m. that evening we will continue our celebrations. The core group, Pat, Helen, Susan & Deirdre, have great plans. While we are enjoying a light supper we can listen to stories of women in Irish folklore, exchange stories of the changes in the lives of Irish women, talk about those who sowed the seeds in the early day of the women’s movement and take time to toast our own personal achievements. An evening not to be missed.

April 4TH
RAMPANT PRODUCTIONS
Last year two women, Katie Holmes (Aughrim) and Sinead O’Loughlin (Ballymanus) formed Rampant Productions, a theatre/ literature company dedicated to producing work and projects in both art forms. These two women are recent postgraduates from NUI Galway with an MA in Arts Policy & Practice. & an MA in Theatre and Drama Studies. They have expressed interest in working with TWN with the view to developing a piece of theatre. They are interested in coming to one of our meeting to introduce us to Rampant Productions. They will tell us about their strong attachment to women’s issues, talk to us about their plans, and during a Q & A session we can establish if and how we could work together.

We need a core group for that evening, so talk to Joy.

MAY 9TH A.G.M.
Commencing at 8 p.m. we will select the new committee for 2011/2012

At present, the chairperson, and secretary will be retiring. Please give some thought to working on the committee, as TWN plays an important part in the lives of women in Tinahely and surrounding areas.

Dolores, Joy, Sadie, Eileen & Nuala.

Saturday, January 29th
10.30am - 1pm
Courthouse Arts Centre

The TWN arts committee have organised an informal workshop on Saturday, January 29th to get members involved in this year’s International Women’s Day postcard art project.

We’re encouraging everyone to drop in, have a cup of tea or coffee and learn how they can make their own postcard. Stay a few minutes or the morning - it’s up to you.

We’ll have examples of postcard art and materials for you to play with but we’re also looking forward to hearing your own ideas. Bring along anything you might like to work with - photos, cloth, paper, text etc. A pair of scissors and a pencil are always handy!

Please ask other women outside of the TWN to drop in as well and feel free to bring your kids if you wish.

To get as many people involved as possible there will be no admission charge but donations for tea and coffee will be very welcome.

Current submission can be viewed here: http://postcardartproject.wordpress.com/

The first three months of the TWN year have been memorable for all the wrong reasons. We lost out on the Christmas wreath master class in December due to the snow. Our coffee morning on December 13th was not well attended, mainly because of compacted snow and ice. Our Nollaig Na Mban evening had to be abandoned for a number of weather related reasons which led to a low number of bookings.

JANUARY 29TH
The TWN arts committee have organised a Postcard workshop/coffee morning on Saturday, January 29th from 10.30am until 1pm in the Courthouse Arts Centre. Drop in and learn how to make your own postcard for this year’s International Women’s Day project. For more details have a look at the notice that accompanies this newsletter. And don’t forget to check out our website http://postcardartproject.wordpress.com/ and pass it on!

FEBRUARY 7th
This meeting promises to be a big hit. We are privileged to have the ladies of Tinahely guild of ICA boot camp entertain us, and at enormous expense they also will be bringing the finalists of the Tinahely X Factor. Sounds great. Come early to ensure a good seat. The show starts at 8 p.m.

MARCH 8th
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY - CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
We are looking for a core group to organise the morning session. Details at our February meeting.

In keeping with tradition we will officially commence our celebrations with our coffee morning from 10.30 – 12.30.and we look forward to welcoming all residents of Tinahely and surrounding areas. It will also give everyone an opportunity to visit our global postcard art exhibition.

We will continue with our evening celebrations starting at 8 p.m. with what we hope will be in keeping with the theme of women in Irish folklore, have those stories with you. We will not be including supper, just a glass of wine and nibbles.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Our AGM will take place on Monday 9th May and with only three meetings left, to date, there are two vacancies to be filled.

We will need to elect a Chairperson and a Secretary for the year 2011/2012.

Please give this some thought. If you know of women whom you feel would welcome the opportunity to work as part of the team, discuss it with them and ask their permission to nominate them.

The membership fee of €10 will be due that evening

BRING SOMETHING – TAKE SOMETHING
If you have books or anything you have enjoyed and now feel you would like other women to enjoy owning, bring it along, however, if it is not taken by the end of the evening we will be asking you to bring it home again.

R. I. P.
It was with great sadness that we heard of the passing of our only honorary member, Margaret Synge. Margaret was an inspiration to many women in our community and beyond. She had a great love of gardening, music and arts. In her 90th year, she died peacefully in her home on Sunday 19th December. May she rest in peace.

Dolores,Joy,Sadie, Eileen & Nuala

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day we’ve organised a Postcard Art Project.

The first step, creating a website has been completed and we’re now eager to receive some postcards!

The postcards will be unique and individual art pieces and there is no restriction on the medium as long as the postcard will travel safely through the post. Drawings, paintings, photographs, paper, cloth…it’s up to you. For full details take a look at the website http://postcardartproject.wordpress.com/

Let’s make this project a real celebration of this special day and try and include women from around Ireland and the world. If you know a woman or women’s group that would like to be involved please direct them to the website. This is an art project but the participants don’t have to be artists, they just have to be women!

We’re hoping to organise an informal and fun workshop in early February to create some postcard art together. A weekend morning or afternoon would probably suit the majority. A quick decision on the date will be made at the January meeting.

Thanks and Merry Christmas from the TWN Arts Committee

Season’s greetings and every good wish for 2011 to all members

We lost two meetings in 2010 due to snow and ice, and as we chatted over our coffee on Monday 13th December, several women were using the phrase “mini ice age”,- who knows – perhaps there is some truth in it. Eitherway, the weather during December scuppered everyone’s plans. We were particularly disappointed to have missed Maggie and Margarete’s master class on wreath making on December 6th, but, we hope to re-schedule it sometime early next year.

COFFEE MORNING
Again, attendance was disappointing, but, we agreed that we should give it another try maybe in February, if that does not work then we should abandon the idea. Over coffee and some homemade cakes, (made by Avril) we shared many useful household hints, exchanged funny stories and made the most of the icy morning.

We are starting the New Year with a WOW evening.

On Thursday 6th January commencing at 8 p.m. we will celebrate in true TWN style -NOLLAIG NA MBAN.

Members and guests will be treated to a drinks reception, followed by supper. Storytelling based on folklore surrounding Nollaig na Mban, & entertainment, will set the pace for the remainder of the evening. Place are limited so early booking is advisable. Cost is €10 for members and €15 for guests. Subscriptions may be handed in to Deirdre Minogue’s shop in Tinahely. The deadline for bookings is 31st December.

We also think it would be great is everyone would wear something pink on that evening.

This is an evening not to be missed, so make sure your name is on the list.

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SINCERE CONGRATULATIONS
Let’s all join in wishing Sadie Phelan who will make history in 2011. She has recently been elected the first Lady President of Wicklow Sailing Club. What a great success story.

We look forward to seeing everyone on January 6th 2011.

Dolores, Joy, Sadie, Eileen & Nuala

Well, November was certainly a busy month. We enjoyed the table quiz, and during that same evening the Community Garda for the Tinahely area, reminded to be more vigilant when opening the door to strangers/ bogus callers and to taking another look at security inside and outside our homes. This was a timely reminder.

The table quiz created a great sense of competitiveness and eventually table two were declared the winners.

Sincere thanks to Mary O’C. for organising the quiz and to Hazel and Betty for ensuring there was no cheating and that the correct score appeared on the score board. It was great fun and a challenge.

The following Monday November 8th we held our coffee morning. It was intended for those women who cannot attend the evening meeting and to give local women an opportunity to enjoy a chat, and a coffee. Approx. 15 women came, mostly TWN members and members of the Monday Art class. While it was never intended to be a fund raising exercise we barely covered out costs. We agreed that €2 would be the minimum for the donation box.

We will be holding another coffee morning on Monday 13th December from 10.30 – 12.30. Do try to come along. Unless numbers increase we will have to re-think the whole idea.

DECEMBER 6th
Once again, due to popular demand Maggie has volunteered this time to demonstrate how to make a festive wreath. Commencing at 8 p.m. we will be treated to a master class followed by a practical session, so please bring along your own, ribbons, raffia, holly and other decorations, of course, do not forget your SECATEURS. Maggie will have incurred a cost to allow you start your wreath so please bring along your donation to offset the costs.

Our December meeting will close off the calendar year of events.

JANUARY 6TH 2011 NOLLAIG NA MBAN CELEBRATIONS
This is the first year TWN will celebrate this special event in Irish folklore.

At 8p.m.we will have a drinks reception, followed by supper, a selection of desserts and after that we will be treated to, poetry readings, singing, and storytelling. It promises to be a lively, highly participative evening with the WOW factor. Make sure you have it in your new diary.

Cost will be €10 for members and €15 for non- members. All bookings must be pre-paid, and the deadline is 6th December this is to allow our core group time to prepare. Bookings cannot be guaranteed after this date. IT IS IMPORTANT YOU ADHERE TO THIS DEADLINE. It will streamline everything for our core group, who are our caterers.
To add to the occasion we are asking everyone attending to wear something pink.

HELP NEEDED.
We are trying to source plug in “HOT PLATES” for that evening. If you have, or can borrow any equipment for keeping food hot it would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Susan Gorman at 087 644 85 95 or email susangorman@eircom.net

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If you have any stories relating to Nollaig Na Mban and would like to share them we would be delighted to include them in our programme.

Looking forward to seeing you all on December 6th.

Dolores, Joy, Sadie, Eileen & Nuala

If you are receiving this for the first time you are very welcome.

Our meeting in October was memorable, thanks to Tina M., Maggie and Margarete. The theme for the evening was “A celebration of the beauteous and bountiful store of autumn. Eating, drinking and decorating with the fruits of the summer labour”.

The walls were decorated with autumnal wreaths which was very welcoming. Vases of seasonal flowers, pumpkins in different colours and sizes added to the occasion. Tina talked us through the various edible flowers growing in her garden, Margarate & Maggie introduced us to homemade pumpkin bread and we tasted a selection of their delicious homemade relishes, chutneys and jams. It received a very positive reaction from everyone, who commented on their attention of detail, the amount of time they each spent preparing, & cooking, it was greatly appreciated.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS
It has been brought to our attention that the Tinahely Times will not be published in November so it would be a great help it members would ensure that women in their area are aware of;

NOVEMBER 1st
Commencing at 8.30 approx. come along and join us for our table quiz night it promises to be great fun. Bring a friend.

A BREAK WITH TRADITION
We have invited Garda Bernard Cloney, Community Officer, based at Baltinglass Station to come to give a short address on “Feeling Safe in your Home”. We are awaiting confirmation of his visit which will commence at 8 p.m. sharp on 1st November. This is in answer to calls from some members who are living in isolated areas and will also serve as a reminder to members to be vigilant with regard to strangers approaching the house.

COFFEE MORNINGS NOVEMBER 8TH & DECEMBER 13th
We will re-activate our coffee morning events. The main purpose is to give those members who cannot attend our evening meetings the opportunity to meet other members and to catch up with friends. Coffee will be served from 10.30 – 12.30 in the Courthouse. So, remember the dates, and bring a friend.

DECEMBER 4th
This will be a very special pre-Christmas event. Lots of ideas for decorating the house and hopefully we will have sufficient time for some practical work. Full details at our November meeting.

BRING SOMETHING & TAKE SOMETHING
If you have something which you have enjoyed and now feel other women would enjoy owning then bring it along, books are always welcome. However, if they are not taken by the end of the evening you must take them back home.

Dolores, Joy, Sadie, Eileen & Nuala

If you are receiving this newsletter for the first time, you are very welcome.

Thank you to Anne, Mary, Barbara & Tina M. the core group for the September meeting. The selection of pumpkins, & the flower arrangements created an autumnal welcome to the start of another year and the choice of mini shortbreads & biscuits were very much appreciated.

Twenty seven women attended the meeting and from the start it was very lively as we tried to put some shape on the list of events to be held during the year. Core groups from September to January are now in place with table a quiz, games and the Christmas party planned. It was an evening when lots of new ideas floated from one side of the room to the other. Members decided that for the winter months our meeting would commence at 8 p.m. so please note the new time for the October meeting. We also discussed the finger food/ nibbles each core group provide. On occasions women feel disappointed that not all the food is eaten, and to ease the pressure most were in agreement to just provide biscuits, tea/coffee or a glass of wine. Needless to say, we can easily revert back to a more substantial spread for special occasions. Meanwhile, our budget for each core group will be €20.

We also discussed the possibility of a monthly coffee morning, preferably a Monday, ideal for those women who cannot attend an evening meeting, and it will soon be part of our schedule of events. We will have times, dates and outline at our next meeting.

CORE GROUPS

October 4th Maggie, Margarete, Tina M. Theme for evening

“A celebration of the beauteous and bountiful store of autumn”
Eating drinking, and decorating with the fruits of the summer’s labour”

November 1st Grania, Hazel, Betty (topic to be decided)

December 4th Mary (Quiz Night)

January 6th 2011 Susan, Deirdre, Helen & Pat (Christmas Party)

HOSTING A MEETING

We are taking this opportunity to encourage members to consider either hosting a meeting or being part of a core group. It is a great way to make friends. Let Joy know if you would be available to host a meeting next year.

Our main emphasis this year will be The Arts, and as we prepare to celebrate the centenary of International Women’s Year, on 8th March 2011 (Tuesday) Tina of the Arts committee gave us a glimpse of how we will be celebrating this special event. We might even spread the celebrations over a weekend. We will have a monthly report as to how plans are progressing. Thank you Tina.

MEMBERSHIP FEE

Membership fee is €10 and is overdue. Contact Eileen at our next meeting. Also check with Sadie to ensure we have your current email address and mobile phone number.

Always good to visit our blog http/twn.blogs.ie to give us feedback, your comments are always welcome. Again, sincere thanks to Irene Lundgaard who once again has offered to manage our website.

Bring Something – Take Something will re-start in October. If you have books, or anything you have enjoyed and now feel you would like other women to enjoy owning, bring it along, however, if they are not taken by the end of the evening we would ask you to bring them hone again. The suggestion box situated at the entrance is there for you to let us have ideas for events, day trips, arts, cookery. Make sure you have your say.

See you all on Monday October 4th. At 8 p.m ”

Committee meeting will be held on the same evening commencing at 7 p.m.

The committee of 2010/2011 extend a warm welcome back to all our members.

Our visit to Broomfield Equestrian Centre ended our 2009/2010 year on 24th May. The event was well supported and members, their friends and families enjoyed the occasion. The evening was warm and sunny and all were in awe of Joan Salmon and her achievements. Our visit coincided with a fund raiser for a young lad of three years of age living in the area who recently had a brain tumour successfully removed. We raised €150 that night and as agreed at our AGM, TWN contributed €150 which meant that a total of €300 was forwarded to Temple Street, Hospital. early in June.

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While we were enjoying the summer holidays Tina C. and the team continued their work by ensuring the TWN Local Services Directory was kept up to date, and has appeared in the most recent edition of the Tinahely Times. Once again, a big”Thank You All” for continuing the work.

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The committee for 2010/2011 is:

Chair: Dolores Cullen Vice-Chair: Joy Fitzgerald
Secretary: Sadie Phelan Treasurer: Eileen Keogh
Co-Ordinator: Nuala O’Dowd

Arts Committee; Tina, Fiona, Barbara & Hema.

The core group for the first meeting on September 6th will be: Anne O’Sullivan,
Mary O’Donovan & Barbara Rocks. We look forward to our first get-together and of course to extending a TWN welcome to new members. To those members who were unable to attend many meetings last year we missed you and we sincerely hope you will be able to find time to attend more frequently, this year. A reminder to core groups that our budget for expenses for each meeting will be €25, (unless we are celebrating a special event). It is important that receipts for expenses for the night, no matter how small, are given to Eileen who will have no problem in reimbursing you. The committee do not favour any member being out of pocket.

Core groups for the remainder of the year will be selected during the September meeting.

REMINDER

Annual membership fee is still €10, and is now overdue. Eileen will be pleased to accept your subscription. The €3 entrance fee has not increased.

Please check that Sadie has your current email address and mobile telephone number. It is amazing the number of women who have told us that a text message is a welcome reminder of the meeting date.

Our now well tried and tested item of “Bring Something – Take Something” will also re-start in September, so, if you have books or anything you have enjoyed and now feel you would like other women to enjoy owning, bring it along, however, if they are not taken by the end of the evening you must take them back home again.. The suggestion box also proved successful last year, so let us know your preferences whether it is arts, cookery, health issues, a quiz or basket weaving, let us know. The box will be at the entrance.

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In 2011 we will be celebrating the centenary of International Women’s Day, so let’s put all our energies into making the occasion a special event.

Sincere thanks from us all to Irene Lundgaard who once again has volunteered to manage our web site. Don’t forget to make use of our blog,http/twn.blogs.ie and let us your feedback, your comments are always welcome.

Why not invite a friend to come along? .We look forward to a large attendance and to an enjoyable evening, as we outline our plans for the year ahead.

See you all on September 6th, at 8.30 p.m.