5 MINUTES WITH - EMMA MCDERMOTT

Emma MCDermott is the dynamic assistant manager of Inishowen Community Radio (ICR). Emma loves travelling and is just back from Los Angeles where she was volunteering at two radio stations (KCRW and The sound of young America). Since her return, Emma has been kept busy setting up the hugely successful Sports Show (3-6pm on Sundays) which gives live, up to date reports, on sports happening throughout the peninsula. In the next couple of weeks the intrepid Emma is off to India to put together a documentary about the Dalits of India (also known as untouchables), which will be funded by the Simon Cumbers Media Challenge Fund.

What have you been downloading on your iPod?
The last download of iTunes was some dance music called Ghetto Blaster by Armand van Helden. It’s very “get up and go!”

What book are you reading?
I have just finished reading The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. It’s an American best seller about creative visualisation and the laws of attraction. I found it quite inspiring and I believe that what we believe can effect our destiny.

Have you been to the cinema recently?
When I was in L.A. I went to see Kings, which is an Irish Language film by Tom Collins of Derry, based on the lives of five Irishmen in America. It opened up my eyes to how hard a life it was for the immigrants. I also had a bit of fun watching Fred Claus. Fred is Santa’s big brother…

What section of the newspaper do you turn to first?
I always go the horoscopes. Oh I hope that doesn’t make me sound too new agey, I know its just a bit of fun!

What is your idea of a good night out?
A few drinks with friends and maybe end up dancing.

Most embarrassing moment of your life?
I was on a beach with my mate in Bali and was pure white because of the lack of sun from the Irish winter. I overheard someone say, “Look, its Casper and his friend”…. I have used fake tan ever since!

What is your idea of a great meal?
I love Indian food. Good company makes it more enjoyable.

Have you a favourite TV programme?
I don’t usually sit still long enough to watch the box. I do make a point of watching Shameless every Tuesday though.

How do you relax?
As I said I don’t like sitting still so I am never in the house long enough to relax. I do like walking, and visiting friends can be very therapeutic.

What job did you want to do when you were a child?
I always wanted to work in the media. I strayed away from my ideal by studying IT, but got back on course joining the radio station.

What is your ideal car?
A black Audi A4 convertible.

Apart from Inishowen(!) where would you like to go for your holidays?
It would have to be LA. I have always wanted to visit and when I am there I love it! I always feel fully charged when I come back. The life style and people are great.

Your idea of heaven?
Somewhere warm! After saying that I am going skiing next week!

Your idea of hell?
Somewhere where people complain all of the time and can’t drive properly.

What famous people would you invite around for dinner and why?
Adam Brodey from the O.C. programme, (because of his acting talents) and Larry Mullen Junior from U2 (because he is good with the drumsticks!)

Favourite animal?
Chimpanzee- I always wanted one when I was young as I thought they were cute.

Biggest fear?
Spiders! I hate them with a passion. I was in Australia a few years ago and had to endure Huntsman spiders, they are as big as your hand and poisonous as well! My friends would chase them round the house trying to hit them with a shoe.

Biggest thrill?
It used to be roller coasters but I have found skiing. That’s far better.

The worlds most irritating invention?
The umbrella. I get fed up with being poked in the eye!

Personal philosophy?
If you want something, go for it.

Any last words?
How did you get those 120 candles on to my birthday cake?

Artwork corner.

First Host Strip!
[A Nice Hotel]

WISDOM OF THE WORLD-WEEK 3

A TEACHER PRAYS

(Based on 1 Corinthians, Ch:13)

If I could explain everything perfectly to my students but do not love them, I might be talking to an empty room.

If I could buy every kind of education aid, but do not have love for my students, my money would be wasted.

Love is patient, when it is necessary to repeat a concept over and over again to a student who is having difficulty.

Love is kind, when an irate parent accuses and berates other teachers or me, and I do not retaliate in anger.

Love is not jealous, when another teacher has an entire class of well-behaved and intelligent children and mine are not.

Love is not proud, when my students improve greatly and tell others how much they love and enjoy my classes.

Love does not scream at my class when they misbehave, but helps them understand the importance of self-discipline.

Love does not broadcast my student’s problems to others, parents or even my family members, but remains discreet.

Teaching methods, textbooks and other technological aids will eventually be discarded, but love will remain forever.

These three things I have learned through TEACHING: diligence, patience and LOVE, but the greatest of these is LOVE

Author unknown

SWILLY HOTEL BUNCRANA

If you have any more information about the old Hotel please let me know. Thanks

Photo of the hotel taken when the trains brought in the tourists from the north. The large image is on the wall of the Buncrana Coucil offices.

The owners of the building are trying to get planning to convert into flats (or knock down and start again)

BUNCRANA PANTO-SLEEPING BEAUTY

Euanan McConnell in make up

Gerald McDaid and Denise Arbuckle

Karla Duffey and Brendan Fletcher

WILLIE DOHERTY AND THE PRODUCTION TEAM

LEFT TO RIGHT:

Paula Fletcher, Liz O’Donnell, Cathy Kelly, Willie Doherty, Michael Doherty, Sally McDaid, Patricia Doherty, Marie McConnell.

Gerry O'Niell,Denis Kelly and Craig Houton.

Niamh Gaffney

Brendan Fletcher as Prince Gregor.

Liz O,Donnell as the princess

Shauna McKinley as the witch

Euanan McConnell and Eddie Murphy

Fairy parincess Liz O'Donnell

Arriving to see the first show

Flamenco dancers- Claire McGinley,Niamh Gaffney and Emer Parke

Karla Duffey (Witch) Niamn Gaffney and Maria Doherty (fairy queen)

WISDOM OF THE WORLD WEEK 2

TWO MONKS

Two monks were walking through the countryside together. They came to a very fast flowing river and beside it sat a beautiful young girl. When she saw them coming she got up and pleaded, “Oh kind sirs, can you help me please. I need to get across the river to reach my family and I’m scared of drowning.”

Now the monastery where the monks lived had a strict rule about not touching women and the younger monk said “Oh no, I’m afraid that would be impossible.” The older monk however said, “Of course, I can carry you over.” He lifted the young woman and carried her across, with the younger monk following. Now, the younger monk was very shocked and upset with his friend and after they had left the young woman they carried on their journey in silence.

Eventually the younger monk couldn’t contain himself any longer. “I can’t believe what you did back there. I can’t believe you carried that young woman across the river.” The older monk stopped and looked at him and replied. “I carried her across the river and then I let her go, but it looks as though you are carrying her still.”

Holding on to the past stops us being available in the present. What are we holding onto that is affecting our relationships?

BUNCRANA FROM LISFANNON BEACH

The View of Buncrana from Lisfannon beach


See more stuff about Lisfannon beach

Comes Full Sandwich (Part 1).

I used to make my hot chocolate with heavy cream, but later on I began using skim milk. Now recently, I’m using water, and I don’t even heat it up.

It’s freezing today. I walked over to see if the window was left open. If it had been open, that would be just nuts since it would mean it’s been like that for several months now. Anyway, it turns out that it’s open a crack and a draft is coming in. Now, I’ve been suspicious about this draft for a while now, but I never attempted to confirm it was in fact there. I tried to close the window more, but it looks like it’s as far shut as it can get. This is ridiculous. I considered for a moment caulking it shut, but I have memories of it being summer and still too hot even with a system of multiple fans circulating air through. I want to avoid any problems down the line, so I reconsider.

I put on my shoes that have metal bolts in the soles, to prevent slipping on ice and scratch nice floors, then head out. It actually doesn’t happen often, but when the ground is all icy, I find myself having trouble keeping my footing while walking around. What’s worse about this is that on these days, the grass might also be muddy, making both foot-travel options not look so great. As I walked outside, I noticed all the icicles hanging on the trees. They look to me more like one large connected system of ice, rather than individual icicles you could break off and have the rest left alone. As I looked at it, my mind went back to previous winters. Standing at the stop for pubtransing, we found a huge icicle hanging off of a house. This one was a few feet in length and broke off easily for our time-killing icicle duels. The snow was piled pretty high next to the street, but it was still fresh. When snow is sitting too long next to the street, it tends to collect a lot of dirt and become a really nasty sort of slush. Just thinking about it made me remember a time I was walking eastward to catch a bus earlier for better seat selection. I don’t particularly have great perception when it comes to keeping track of what vehicles are coming, I was only concerned really about a bus, but I should have made note of this one. A snow plow was heading towards my group. It came closer and since it’s moving at a decent speed, it picks up all the slush sitting by the curb. A huge black wall of the dirty slush formed and came at us, like a wave of death. I really couldn’t think to do anything about it; I didn’t know how I could possibly get out of the way. I was left covered in the cold slush, and it made for a very unpleasant hour on the bus going back home. I took my gaze back from the icicles on the tree and continue walking on. I had some worries in the back of my mind still. Scenarios played out where the whole thing of sharp ice would come crashing down on top of me. I noticed myself walking in an arc slightly more away from the tree, even though I know I was far enough away from it so there would never be a problem.

I headed north now, and I started wondering what time it was now. I had forgotten to check what time I woke up at, but previous experience waking up told me that it more likely was around 04:00 to 05:00. I felt comfortable with how much time was left in the day, and it helped me to keep going. I passed by one of my favorite sandwich places, Agarish Chomps, and decided to stop in. It’s sort of a tradition for me to go there anyway, and I’m not one to break with traditions. I took a look around. They had the usual selection of chips and snack mixes sitting on shelves. I didn’t particularly feel much for those today, even if they had my flavor. I turned my attention to the large menu of different sandwiches available for my selection. I know that lately, it’s popular to always mix artichokes with spinach, so I decided to try that out on a roast beef sandwich. Some people say that the roast beef sandwich signifies something fancy, or that it carries with a meaning of this meal being more important than meals eaten on most days. For me, personally, that holds some truth. Eating a roast beef sandwich is a real experience that most other foods don’t match up to. Of course, there are fancier foods, but roast beef has its own unique place. When my sandwich was finally ready, I took it with me so I could eat it while traveling. For some reason, it never really occurs to me to eat food I buy at the location of purchase, even at places that have a really nice comfortable set up.

I unwrapped my sandwich from the paper, and began eating it while walking. So good. It reminds me of the old pizza and can of soda deal for two bucks. But my true passion is sandwiches, not pizza, even if pizzas are really nice. One of my dreams is to one day own a sandwich shop, a super fun food house. I started dreaming about this as I took bites out of my sandwich. In my mind, the main problem with my plan, though, is designing a nice welcoming setting. Most people only like places that they’re familiar with from early in their lives, so I’m already at a disadvantage here. Even if my design is somehow much better than those of other shops, nearly everyone will prefer one they’ve been familiar with for a longer time.

As I continued walking on, after my sandwich had been finished for a while already, I began to wonder, just where exactly I was heading. I didn’t know at the time, but I would never know the reason I went on this walk.

music to accompany the internote: OMD – Tesla Girls.

MOLASSES TANK - BUNCRANA PIER

The big tank on the pier at Buncrana pier. It was used for storing molasses. According to Liamthebarber there is still some in it!

Update:

The tank was taken down on the 5th of May 2008. It was seen to be an eyesore to people coming in on the ferry from Rathmullen. Councillor Dermott McLaughlin campaighned for this and welcomed the outcome.

WISDOM OF THE WORLD-WEEK 1

The Secret of Happiness

A man one day ran to his rabbi and said, “Rabbi, you have to help me! My house is hell! We live in one room, my wife, my children, my in-laws and me. It’s hell! There’s not enough room for all of us!”

The Rabbi smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll help you, but you have to promise to do whatever I say.”

And the man said, “I promise, I really promise! It’s a solemn promise!”

The Rabbi said, “How many animals do you have?”

“I have a cow, a goat and six chickens,” replied the man.

“Well” said the Rabbi, “Put the animals in the room and come back in a week.”

The man could not believe what he was hearing, but he had promised. He went back home depressed and brought the animals into the room. The next week, he went back very discouraged and said the Rabbi, “I’m going crazy! I’m going to end up having a stroke. You have to do something…”

And the Rabbi said, “Go back home and put the animals outside. Come back and see me again in a week.” The man went running back to his house. And when he came back the next week, his eyes were shining, and he said, “Rabbi, the house is so clean. It’s paradise!”

If you can be grateful for what you have got, you will find the secret of happiness.

A STROLL IN THE GARDEN-JOEY GRANT

This weeks featured garden is the Sister of Mercy Convent in Buncrana.

Joey Grant looks after this beautiful garden and this week he shares the joys of his work here.

How long have you been working on the Sister of Mercy garden?
It’s coming up to twenty years.

What is your favourite plant?
I have a few which include the Pieris forest flame and mountain fire, azaleas and forsythia.

What is your favourite feature in the garden?
Everything in the garden is a delight! I work in the garden so I don’t have the luxury of sitting on a patio drinking tea.

What is your favourite season and why?
You can probably guess by the favourite plants that I chose. Spring fills me with pleasure, as the new growth appears bringing new life to the garden.

What work gives you the most pleasure in the garden?
I enjoy working the flower beds and cutting the grass. When these jobs have been done the garden looks at its best.

Any irritations in the garden. How do you cope?
Slugs! I don’t use pellets so the slugs make a tasty meal for the birds to feed on. Beer traps can be effective.

What is your best gardening tool?
The spade, it is a very versatile tool. Closely followed by the rake.

Top Tip for spring?
If you plant camellias in the garden, put them in a place where the early morning sun doesn’t hit them as this scorches the flowers.

Any plans for the future?
More tree pruning this year. The trees we have would get too big if they were just left to their own devices. I will be replacing some old or dead plants in the garden as well to brighten things up for summer.

SEAWEED MULCH

If you have access to seaweed then now is a great time to get mulching. Not only does it feed your soil, it keep s slugs away too.

ST PATRICKS CHURCH AUGHACLAY

St Patricks church Aughaclay between Malin and Culdaff in Inishowen.

CULDAFF HOUSE GATE LODGE

The land at Culdaff house was the venue for the 2006 Summer Gathering The woods are used for paintballing

More on Culdaff . See the map of the area

OLD MILL BUNCRANA

There could be a lot of great salvage for the garden in here!

I was down at the Old Mill in Buncrana this week. The equipment in and around the building is a treat. The straps for the water wheel would make a great recycled item for the garden. There is talk of refurbishing the building into a hotel.

There are some old photo's of Buncrana that show the bridge at the Mill.

I have other photo's of the Mill if you would like other images please let me know!