NEWTOWNCUNNINGHAM SPORTS DAY

The Soccer Power E-Book gives you:

Squats - to develop base leg strength
Lunges - to develop single leg strength
Hip Lifts - to develop abdominal and glute strength
Integrated Plyometric Jump Training - to develop power and speed
Total Body Multi-Joint Exercises - for time efficient training and strength gain effective work outs
Planks - to develop core strength (also getting the indirect benefit of creating six pac abs)
Interval Soccer Cardio - work outs that mirror the energy systems in the game
Proper Technique and Progression - cornerstone to the program

Check it out.....

KERNANS IN NEWTOWNCUNNINGHAM

Kernans in Newtowncunnigham is celebrating this Friday with an open day. The day is to publicly introduce its move to Eurospar, giving greater value to you the customer, as well as to show off the new diner.

The fun kicks off about 11am with give-aways, spot prizes, free coffee and food and of course tremendous value in store. Highland Radio’s Lee Gouch and Steven Lynch will be joining in the festivities broadcasting live throughout the afternoon.

Situated in the heart of the community, the new, recently revamped, store is many things to many people. Having moved from a convenience store, the supermarket is now bigger, brighter and better value. Having global buying power, Eurospar, means that prices in the store are 20% less this year – just what customers need these days.

Natural Meeting Place
The 100-seater diner has been expanded (from 60) which means that there is plenty of room to eat and meet. Because of the location on the main Derry to Letterkenny route (or the Belfast to Galway road as one commuter noted), it has become a natural meeting place for business folk and locals alike. People can relax with a coffee or catch up with some work using the wireless broadband connection.

Speaking of coffee, Kernans is the only shop outside Dublin with a Barista Insomnia Coffee Dispenser. This coffee has become extremely popular with locals as well as the ‘dashboard diners’. The specially imported, roasted beans are very fresh and could certainly spoil you for other coffees.

Buying locally
Although Kernans now have global buying power, they still like to source as much produce as possible locally. Most of their fresh goods come from local suppliers and they used local builders for the new revamp.

Fresh Meat
The new butchery department has two local butchers who previously worked at McGees butchers in Letterkenny. The meat is all sourced locally, bought on the bone and butchered properly. It is not bought in ready prepared so you can be sure of quality meat at Kernans.

Biggest Local Employer
Anthony Kernan who runs the shop originally played football in England for Wolverhamton Wanderers. After he hurt his knee he came back home and went to Jordanstown to study business and finance. He decided to help his family set up Kernans for six months back in 1990 and has been there ever since. Anthony is proud to be one of the largest employers in the area with the shop employing 80 people locally. He also has a shop in Ramelton and is opening another in Stranorlar soon.

“Others may be downsizing, but I feel that spending the money on the expansion will help to safeguard future employment in these uncertain times,” Anthony explains.

New Appointment
Anthony has seen the shop reinvent itself four times over the years and there are always changes happening. “We are lucky to have just appointed a new manager, Liam Igoe who is coming to us from Buncrana Supervalu” Anthony, says “He has loads of skills and experience.”

Value Value Value
Anthony understands that it is all about value for money these days and Kernans is happy to provide this. Special offers at the moment include three easter eggs for €3.50. Now that is eggciting!

NEWTOWNCUNNINGHAM AND MANORCUNNINGHAM EDITORIAL

The Cunningham Connection

Both Newton and Manorcunningham take their name from the Cunningham families, who were originally from Kilbirnie, Ayrshire in Scotland. In 1610 King James the first gave the orders for the plantation of Ulster and issued land rights for huge areas of land that had been confiscated from Irish owners. Ludovic Lennox, the Duke of Lennox, who was a Scottish nobleman and a relative of King James, was given 20,000 acres on condition that the land was settled by British farmers. He needed ambitious and hard working individuals and the predominant clan in his area were the Cunninghams. John Cunningham was given 1,000 acres close by and a little to the north in the lands known as Burt. He established New Town Cunningham naming it in keeping with a fashion of the time, which saw the establishment of the modern towns of Newtown Stewart and NewtownButler. The old settlement is at the lower end of the village.

James Cunningham was given 2000 acres of prime farmland in the lands of Machrimore (meaning large plain), and he was charged with tenanting his lands with loyal settlers, organising the defence of the land and establishing a manor. He took over a long abandoned castle, rebuilt it and added a wall in case of attack. A manor house was built close to the castle and local services established such as a blacksmith. This central settlement lives on as Manorcunningham, although there seems to be no trace of the original buildings. Just down the hill of Manorcunningham is the shore of the Swilly and a small tidal river where boats would have put in to land and load cargoes. Settlers had the right to fish and there were great numbers of fish in those days. The land is good farming land and produces cereals, spuds and both beef and dairy cattle.


Burt Castle Ghost Story
Burt Castle, 2.5 km from Newtoncunningham has a commanding view of the surrounding countryside, standing as it does two hundred feet above Lough Swilly. It was built in the time of Henry VIII and documents exist granting the castle and its lands to Hugh Boy O’Doherty. With Sir Cahir O’Doherty’s rebellion in 1608 the castle was captured by the English and was held as a garrison point for several years. Its air of menace may have something to do with the several bloody battles fought during its history.

There is a story told of a young girl from the neighbouring area who became pregnant. The man responsible, a kinsman of the O’Doherty, refused to marry her. That night, while the full moon shone, she paced, distraught, along the water’s edge. Several swans swam towards her, calling to her in a plaintive way. When they swam away she waded into the cold waters of Loch Swilly and drowned.

Intent on avenging his daughter’s death, her father tricked his way into the castle and crept up the turnpike staircase in the southwest tower. The man lay asleep in the vaulted mural chamber on the first floor and while he slept the girl’s father stabbed him with his long knife and threw his body from the window.

On several occasions, when the moon is full, the swans congregate at the point closest to Burt Castle and set up a cacophony of wailing. The ghostly figure of a young girl is seen drifting into the water until she gradually fades beneath the waves.
At the base of the castle walls there is a certain patch of grass that withers when the swans weep. It is said that this is the exact spot where the body of the man who wronged the innocent girl fell.

BLANKET NOOK-Wildfowl Sanctuary

Next to Newton there is a small pier for fishermen and the sea wall at Blanket Nook protects the flat drained lands and provides many acres of high quality farm land. The lake is a wildfowl sanctuary and a popular local place to walk, fish and relax. For many years this area suffered from the use of shotguns but since has been declared a wildfowl sanctuary with both numbers and varieties of species increasing. Large numbers of birds commute to and from the Nook, Greylag and White fronted geese are regular, and other species such as Shoveler, and Gadwall are frequently seen.Other species such as Scaup, Goldeneye, Great Crested grebe, Pintail and Red breasted Merganser are recorded in good numbers. Other rare birds recorded here include Slavonian Grebe, Goosander, Smew, Surf Scoter and Lesser Scaup.

St Peter’s Bark
Drivers on the N13 to Letterkenny may notice the beautiful ship shaped church as they bypass Newton. St Peter’s Bark was opened in 1999, with much of the thanks going to Father O’Doherty, who oversaw the demolition of the existing church and the construction of this original building. The ship is an ancient Christian symbol of the Church being tossed on the sea of disbelief, worldliness, and persecution but finally reaching safe harbour with its cargo of human souls. The significance for the Newton church was for the Roman Catholic faith sailing into the third millennium.

Lifestart
Newton has an active community sector including a parent and toddler group and a community playgroup. There has also been a Lifestart programme based in Newton since 1999. Lifestart is a great service open to all parents of young children (under 5), which aims empower parents to help their children reach their full potential. A family visitor will call once a month with relevant play materials for the parent and child to use and keep. The family visitor will also discuss child development issues and may provide opportunities for parents to meet up. It gives your child a great start in their education and parents find it supportive too. Lifestart visits families in Carrigans, Killea, Manorcunningham, Burt and Bridgend, as well as Newton and has recently expanded to the Buncrana area. If you would like to take part, contact Mary Walker-Callaghan on 9156644.

Did You Know?

One third of the population of Newtowncunnigham is under 14.

Newton’s population grew by over 50% between 2002 and 2006, mostly due to new commuter estates being built.

Susan Sarandon, Cyndi Lauper and Bette Middler have roots in Manorcunningham.

Newton’s railway station opened on 30th June 1883, closed for passenger traffic on 3 June 1940 and closed altogether on 10th August 1953.

During the siege of Derry, two of the apprentice boys who shut the city gates in the face of the advancing Jacobite soldiers were Cunninghams.

5 MINUTES WITH - GARETH AUSTIN

Gareth Austin is well known figure around the peninsula. Three years ago Gareth opened the Courtyard Lifestyle & Garden Centre in Newtowncunningham. This is celebration in itself but to add to this, a jubilant Gareth has just become a father with his wife, Leanne, having given birth to their first child, a beautiful baby girl!

Gareth’s retail business is complemented by an extensive landscaping service and he has jobs as far a field as Waterford, Cork, Limerick, Dublin, Belfast and of course throughout Donegal, where he works on a variety of projects from small gardens right through to large civil engineering projects.

What is the name of your new addition to the family?
Her name is Connie Louise and she is adorable!

What have you given up for lent?
Bread…Which is hard because I love Batch Loaf from Highland Bakery, nothing nicer than a slice of batch with some butter!

What would you never throw away?
Hard to pick, either my laptop, Mobile or PalmPilot, I do so much work on the go; I could never function without them.

What book are you reading?
Jeremy Clarkson’s “I know you got soul”. I have all his books and I love his look on life and his sense of humour.

Have you been to the cinema recently?
Yes, I went the other week to see “I am Legend”, -very very good. I don’t think I have sat in a quieter cinema since Jurassic Park came out all those years ago.

What section of the newspaper do you turn to first?
Weather, Always get the Farmers Journal and go straight to the weather section.

What is your idea of a good night out?
Getting home, seeing my wife and family, and then falling asleep in front of the fire!
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Most embarrassing moment of your life?
Walking across a car park to meet a gaggle of architects and engineers on a site, not expecting to slip and fall on some black ice in front of everyone!

What is your idea of a great meal?
Some very good home-made pasta with a light mushroom sauce, or with a seafood mix.

Have you a favourite TV programme?
Sopranos has got to be the greatest TV show made of all time, I also enjoy Law & Order and Lost.

How do you relax?
I try to look after my own garden and then I enjoy walking my dogs.

What job did you want to do when you were a child?
I always wanted to be a gardener, from a very young age. I have two uncles who are involved in specialist plant propagation and I used to spend so much time around them, watching what they were doing. They were great characters, who told the funniest of stories whilst they worked.

What is your ideal car?
I have always had a thing for a nice Estate car, either an Audi or BMW estate, but I’m not a great car fan. As long as they go I’m happy.

Where do you like to go for your holidays?
It has to be America. I love Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersery.

Your idea of heaven?
Mmmm…Spending time with my wife and daughter is wonderful, but I also love talking about life with older people, listening to their stories about a way of life people of my generation could never fully understand. I can listen to their stories for hours and hours.

Your idea of hell?
Having to travel great distances to work every morning, I feel for those people who have to sit on the M50 for 3 hours to get home from work in the evening, pure hell. When we are landscaping up in Belfast and the big cities we always close the site at 4pm so we can get out before the traffic builds up.

What famous people would you invite around for dinner and why?
Oh…I’ve actually had this chat with Leanne, my wife, before. 1. Jeremy Clarkson – such a funny man, with a unique view on life, 2. Adolf Hitler – would be interesting to engage a man who had such an effect on history and the world, 3. Bill Clinton – read his book and a man who had such stories to tell. Can I have more?

Favourite animal?
Dogs, such great companions, they ask for so very little back in return for the love they show. It makes me really mad when I hear about people mistreating animals, starving them, beating them and the like. One of the few things I cannot watch on television is animals suffering.

Biggest fear?
I don’t really have a ‘biggest fear’, I believe that anything can be tackled and overcome, why be afraid of something? – Fear doesn’t do anybody any good.

Biggest thrill?
Seeing my Daughter born, nothing can describe that feeling.

The world’s most irritating invention?
Mobile phones, I have two, they go all the time, couldn’t function without them, but God they get annoying when they ring all the time, so much so I have mine on vibrate only!

What is your idea of a good night in?
Having a few visitors round, some food and plenty of stories and chat.


Biggest disappointment?
Never being able to go to the World Cup to watch Scotland.


Which period in history would you most like to have lived through?
The American depression, I have always been fascinated with the Hoover Dam, and how it was constructed during such a miserable time in American history.


World’s most useful invention?
The internal combustion engine. Where would we be without it?

Personal philosophy?
Ask questions of everyone, other people will always know more than me.