Blog Awards Ireland 2014 ~ We’ve made it to the shortlist!

This morning I discovered our blog had made the Short List in The Blog Awards Ireland 2014 in three different categories. What a great start to a dull and dreary Tuesday morning! It has been shortlisted in the following categories Best Eco/Green Blog   Best Science Technology Blog  Best Blog of a SME.  The quality of blogs in every category is very high this year and it’s great to see that so many of the blogs that I read on a regular basis have also been short listed in the various categories.

blog_buttons_SHORTLIST I want to say a quick thank you to all of the fantastic people who follow and read my blog and have made it a success – I hope you will continue to read and help to grow the blog  for years to come!  Also a big thank you to the 180 judges that volunteered their time to read the blogs over the past number of weeks and who deemed it worthy to be included in a list with other great blogs.  Congratulations to all who made the Short Lists, and to all who were nominated… that’s no mean achievement in itself.

Wishing everyone the very best of luck in the next round!

 

 

The Cornmill at Corfad

If you travel northwards along the road between Cootehill and Ballybay you will come across an old mill wheel – the last remaining part of the cornmill at Corfad.

Patrick Watters, a native of the area penned the following piece depicting his memories of the working cornmill and how he, as a young child would travel there with his father in the early hours of the morning on a horse and cart  to bring the oats to the cornmill to be ground.

The Cornmill at Corfad
Photo Credit: Ann Harney

The Cornmill at Corfad

 

 If you ever travel northwards, from Cootehill to Ballybay,

You will pass by an old mill wheel, falling to decay,

It’s the last remaining relic, of an age now past and gone,

Where the farmers of the neighbourhood would go there with their corn.

I remember well long long ago when I was just a lad,

I’d go there with my father, to the cornmill at Corfad.

He’d tackle up the horse and cart and load the bags onto,

And start out early in the day, to be well up in the queue.

Sometimes we’d be first or second or maybe at the back,

But all that really mattered was to be home before the dark.

~~~

When arriving at the mill, you drove in round the back,

Where the farmers helped each other to unload the golden sacks.

The bags were hauled up to the top, to a place they called the kiln

To be dried there on a special floor, before going through the mill.

The mill was built of solid stone, and stood three storeys high,

And looking back down memory lane, it seemed to touch the sky.

Way up on top was a great big cowl, with a long projecting fin,

Which sensed the changes in the breeze, and turned it from the wind.

When all was set to go, the sluice was gently lifted to let the water flow,

To fill the buckets of the wheel, and empty out below.

~~~

That great wheel began a turning and turned the works within,

The miller started at his trade another day for to begin.

The corn it worked down through the mill starting at the top,

And when it reached the bottom, it was ready for the pot.

Sometimes a bag or two was brought to make a special brew,

The miller got the message. He knew what to do,

And knew that when the brew was made, he’d get a bottle too.

Then in the evening time when the last bag had gone in,

The sluice was gently lowered, and all was peace within.

~~~

In Summer time when things were slack it got an overhaul,

The millstones trimmed and parts renewed and cleaned from wall to wall.

Now when you stop along your way, and see that great big wheel,

It’s hard to realise now, it once ground oaten meal.

Well things are always changing, nothing now stands still,

The grass it now grows o’er the site of that old mill.

And when you stop and look. It sure would make you sad,

The wheel is all that’s left now of the cornmill at Corfad.

 

 

Written by: Patrick Watters 2002

 

 

Enthusiastic response received on the future of Ireland’s energy policy

Over 1200 submissions were received on the future of Ireland’s energy policy according to Minister for Energy Alex White. 

He welcomed the large number of submissions and said the Paper had stirred an enthusiastic debate on Energy policy in Ireland across a diverse range of stakeholders.

Enthusiastic response received on the future of Ireland’s energy policy
Credit: www.dcenr.gov.ie

The Green Paper called for guidance on the route forward. Over 1200 submissions were received by yesterday’s closing date, demonstrating the strong interest in choosing the best route forward. Minister White said  “I am very grateful to all of the stakeholders interested in energy for taking the time to respond to the Green Paper.  My Department will be considering each of the valuable contributions.  Specifically, my officials will, over the coming months, be focussing on identifying and analysing the key issues raised across all the submissions”.

Following on from the written submissions, further engagement with stakeholders will commence in the Autumn to ensure that all of the issues identified in the submissions are fully understood. It will be critically important to ensure that the assumptions on which the White Paper will be written are tested and accurate.

Enthusiastic response received on the future of Ireland’s energy policy
Photo Credit: www.renewableenergy.org.vn

Commenting on the forthcoming engagement phase, Minister White said “There is an absolute necessity for the White Paper to be fit for present and future purposes and to set a balanced, robust and enabling framework. I want a dynamic and responsive evidence based framework that will allow all of us to steer the appropriate course as we seek to deal with sustainability, security, and competitiveness challenges and opportunities.”

“Developing the policy will not be easy as we aim to strike the right balance between the interests of all energy stakeholders, especially families and businesses as our social and economic recoveries take root. We will continue to encounter uncertainty at home, within the EU and further afield which will directly impact on our ability to achieve our Energy policy goals. But we can be clear on the goals we wish to set and the course we wish to take. The White Paper will provide the certainty and clarity required for a new Energy for Ireland.

The Green Paper was published by the Minister’s predecessor, Mr. Pat Rabbitte T.D., in May, and the consultation period closed on 31 July, after a period of 12 weeks.

 

Source: http://www.dcenr.gov.ie

Read full press release