The Sport & Leisure Section is delighted to welcome back Parks Tennis to Laois in 2022. Laois County Council in association with our Community Partners are providing children with the opportunity to play tennis in three locations around Laois during the last two weeks of July and first week in August. Locations include Mountmellick, Vicarstown and Mountrath. Qualified instructors are on hand to teach children new skills or improve their skills over a five day period. The cost of the camp is €30 per child per week with a €5 discount for additional family members. Bookings must be made in advance through Eventbrite.
For Full details on dates, times, who to contact and how to book, click on the link to each location below:
Bike Week’ is a celebration and promotion of the benefits of cycling and takes place from Saturday 14th May to Sunday 22nd May
‘Bike Week’ is a celebration and promotion of the benefits of cycling and takes place from Saturday 14th May to Sunday 22nd May. Cycling is one of the most sustainable forms of travel and a family friendly activity. As a transport option cycling has one of the lowest impacts on the planet and the environment, impacting positively on air and noise pollution.
Launching Laois’ ‘Bike Week 2022′, Conor Bergin MCC, Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council said, “’Bike Week’ is a great opportunity to celebrate all things cycling in Laois with an exciting programme of events taking place around the county. I am delighted to see ‘Portlaoise and Portarlington Cycle Bus coming soon too, as this innovative and impactful new initiative will make cycling more accessible for school goers in these communities.”
Sport & Leisure Officer, Ann Marie Maher O’Brien said, “It’s great to see over 50 fantastic events happening in local communities across the county for this year’s ‘Bike Week’. I encourage those already cycling, or those interested in discovering more about cycling, to get involved. There are 12 schools participating in Bike Week Laois and 15 youth and community organisations. There are 3 mini festivals are being delivered by SVT Activity & Wellness Hub, Rathdowney Errill Activity Hub and Irish Country Roads Durrow with an amazing array of options for cyclists of all levels.
Bike Week Laois is co-ordinated by Laois County Council’s Sport & Leisure Office Contact sports@laoiscoco.ie or phone 057 8664058
For details of Bike Week Laois events see the attached programme link.
Biodiversity Week will be celebrated across Ireland from May 16th to 22nd and a range of events and resources are available for anyone in Laois with an interest in learning about the natural world.
Catherine Casey, Heritage Officer with Laois County Council said “National Biodiversity Week is all about connecting people with nature. It’s about communicating the importance of biodiversity and motivating people to play their part in protecting it. Here in Laois we are hoping that people will have some fun, and that will inspire them to learn more about the natural world around us and how we can help it”.
Swifts
In Laois, anyone with an interest in urban birds is invited to a walk to explore swifts with Ricky Whelan of BirdWatch Ireland, meeting at the Stradbally Market House at 7pm on Tuesday 17th May. The walk will end at the library and will be followed at 8pm by a Dusk Chorus walk with Des Finnamore of BirdWatch Ireland Laois Branch.
The swift walk is part of an ongoing commitment to swifts by Laois County Council which has seen swift nest boxes installed in public buildings across the county, following the survey of swifts in Laois in2018, and with the support of the Heritage Council and the Local Biodiversity Action Fund.
The most recent action for swifts in Laois has seen swift bricks installed during the construction of the new library in Portlaoise, with the help of BirdWatch Ireland. Bernie Foran, County Librarian said “We were delighted to work with BirdWatch Ireland to provide suitable habitat for swifts to nest in our new library. The historic centre of Portlaoise is a stronghold for these birds, and having had nest boxes on the existing library, we were aware of how important it is to provide for them in the new building. We were grateful to Ricky Whelan of BirdWatch Ireland for his advice and support in installing the swift bricks at the new library site”
With swift boxes at the new library in Portlaoise. From left: Laois County Librarian Bernie Foran; Gerry Browne, Portlaoise Tidy Towns; Ricky Whelan, BirdWatch Ireland; Catherine Casey, Laois Heritage Officer and Wes Wilkinson, Senior Executive Engineer, Portlaoise Municipal District Roads Office. Picture: Alf Harvey
Ricky Whelan, Swift Project Officer with of BirdWatch Ireland said “It’s fantastic to see Laois County Council and local communities collaborate to help this charismatic and endangered bird. The swift bricks installed at Portlaoise Library will increase nesting opportunities for swifts in the area and we hope that this this have a positive impact on the population locally”.
The swift project is just one of a number of biodiversity projects ongoing in Portlaoise, as the town’s “Town in a Garden” project goes from strength to strength. Gerry Browne, Chair of Portlaoise Tidy Towns said “we have already done a lot of planting for biodiversity in Portlaoise, including pollinator-friendly planting on our roundabouts and roadsides, and the planting of 10,000 native trees. This year we are working on a three year biodiversity plan for the town, and we look forward to seeing the benefits of that in the years to come”.
Wildlife in Buildings
The focus on wildlife living closely alongside humans continues with an online talk on wildlife in buildings with John Lusby of BirdWatch Ireland on Wednesday 18th May, starting at 8pm. The talk celebrates the launch of a new book and documentary on the topic, created by BirdWatch Ireland in partnership with Heritage Officers from Laois, Tipperary, Clare and Donegal County Council and the Biodiversity Office of Kerry County Council.
Wildlife in buildings can often be harmed during works due to a lack of awareness of their presence or indeed knowledge of how plan renovations and works in order to avoid disturbance, which is usually always possible. The loss of old stone structures due to demolition, dilapidation or renovation is linked to declines in species such as Barn Owl and Swift, which are dependent on these structures. Modern buildings do not provide the same opportunities for wildlife. However, there is a lot that we can do to improve modern buildings for wildlife to ensure that we continue to make space for nature. The new book can be downloaded and the film viewed here.
Resources for Children, Schools and Families
The Heritage Office of Laois County Council has focused on producing high quality material for children and schools as well as for adults in recent years and all of this material is free to download from our website at www.laois.ie/nature, including –
Gardening for Biodiversity book and colouring book by Juanita Browne
Saving Swifts and Wildlife in Buildings books by BirdWatch Ireland
Guides to building nest-boxes for birds and bats, from BirdWatch Ireland
“Wild things at School” book and worksheets by Eanna Ní Lamhna
Nature Activity sheets for kids by Reconnect with Nature
A video guide to bird song for young people by Ricky Whelan of BirdWatch Ireland
“In your Nature” Podcast by BirdWatch Ireland
“Spring into Nature” worksheets
Radio clips with nature tips, from Midlands 103
Anna and Sarah Rothwell pictured at the launch of the book “Saving Swifts” at Abbeyleix Library. The book is a joint publication of BirdWatch Ireland and the Local Authority Heritage Officer Network. Picture: Alf Harvey
These resources were produced with the support of the Heritage Council, the Local Biodiversity Action Fund of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Creative Ireland Laois and Healthy Ireland.
Details of all events and resources for Biodiversity Week in Laois are available at www.laois.ie/nature.
The Festival of Flight is shaping up to be a major event in Laois, with plans for arts and science workshops, talks, music and historic plane fly-overs. The event which takes place in Portlaoise from the 7th to the 10th of April, will celebrate the rich history of flight in Laois.
Grace and Millie Fennelly at Fitzmaurice Place, Portlaoise for the launch of the new Festival of Flight being held in Laois from Thursday 7 April until Sunday 10 April. Picture: Alf Harvey.
One of the main events of the weekend will be a live performance of the Impossible Dream, the piece composed by Martin Tourish and the young musicians of the Music Generation Laois Trad Orchestra to celebrate the life and achievements of the Portlaoise Aviator James Fitzmaurice. The piece will be performed as part of a special event at St Peter’s Church of Ireland Church in Portlaoise starting at 3pm on Saturday 9th April and will also feature talks on the history and future of aviation and exploration in Laois and Ireland and a special performance by poet Laura Murphy. Tickets for the event are priced at €10 and are available via the Dunamaise Arts Centre, www.dunamaise.ie.
Programme of events
Thursday 7th April
Schools workshops on the art and science of flight
Premiere online of the new video “Science at Home by Midlands Science, featuring the Portlaoise Plane
Friday 8th April
Schools workshops on the art and science of flight
Aircraft Professional Technical Networking Meeting, Bloom HQ Mountrath
Saturday 8th April
Free family workshops on “Flights of Fancy” at the Dunamaise Arts Centre – see Dunamaise.ie for booking
“The Impossible Dream” Concert with Martin Tourish and the Music Generation Laois Trad Orchestra, featuring talks and poetry. 3pm St Peter’s Church of Ireland Church, Portlaoise, see www.dunamaise.ie for booking
Sunday 9th April
Wreath laying ceremony and historic planes flyover (subject to weather), 12 mid-day Fitzmaurice Place Portlaoise
Portlaoise Plane on display, Fitzmaurice Place from 11am to 3pm
Committee members, from left: Catherine Casey, Laois Heritage Officer; Louise Fennelly, secretary; Ralph James, former GOC Irish Air Corps; Teddy Fennelly, chairman and Michael Parsons, Laois Heritage at Fitzmaurice Place, Portlaoise for the launch of the new Festival of Flight being held in Laois from Thursday 7 April until Sunday 10 April. Picture: Alf Harvey.
Teddy Fennelly, Chair of the Colonel James Fitzmaurice Commemoration Committee, organisers of the festival said “We are so happy to share our love for flight and aviation with the public through this Festival. Portlaoise and Laois have so much to be proud of in the achievements of Col Fitzmaurice and the building of the Portlaoise Plane, we think the story deserves to be better known and we hope this festival l will fire up the enthusiasm and imagination of Ireland’s next generation of young explorers. We are particularly happy that our friends in the Irish Air Corps will be involved again this year – in this the centenary year of the foundation of the Air Corps, the links between Portlaoise and the Air Corps are continuing to strengthen”
Schools and Family Workshops
As part of the festival, Portlaoise schools have been offered the opportunity to book free workshops looking at all aspects of flight, from how butterflies wings work to how super-heroes fly. Catherine Casey, Heritage Officer with Laois County Council said “We are delighted to deliver science based workshops, exploring the science of flight, and at the other end of the spectrum we want to really open up everyone’s imagination to the creative and playful side of flight, with arts workshops supported by Creative Ireland Laois. We are allocating workshops to the schools that have applied at the moment and we will also have a workshop for home-schooling families, and public workshops at the Dunamaise Arts Centre on Saturday 9th April as part of the Festival. We really want to inspire children & young people to creatively and imaginatively respond to the theme of ‘flight’. All details are on the festival website, www.laois.ie/festivalofflight”.
Eva Cahill flying her kite at Fitzmaurice Place, Portlaoise for the launch of the new Festival of Flight being held in Laois from Thursday 7 April until Sunday 10 April. Picture: Alf Harvey.
Col Fitzmaurice Commemoration Committee
The Festival of Flight is led by the Col Fitzmaurice Commemoration Committee, which is made up of Teddy Fennelly, Alan Phelan, Michael Parsons, Louise Cahill, PJ Kavanagh, Ralph James, Sean Murray and Catherine Casey. The event is being run in partnership with Laois County Council, Laois Heritage Society, Music Generation Laois, the Dunamaise Arts Centre and Midlands Science, and is supported by the Heritage Council and Creative Ireland Laois as part of the Creative Ireland Programme 2017-2022 in partnership with Laois County Council.
Bobby and Eva Cahill at Fitzmaurice Place, Portlaoise for the launch of the new Festival of Flight being held in Laois from Thursday 7 April until Sunday 10 April. Picture: Alf Harvey.
Everyone with an interest in wetlands and wildlife is welcome to this evening event in Mountrath on March 10th to celebrate the wetlands of Laois, discuss the ongoing survey, share information on the wetlands of the county and people who look after them.
Speakers
Patrick Crushell Wetland Surveys Ireland ,
The Laois Wetland Survey
Aoife Kirk, Project Coordinator/Community Engagement Officer
Connecting Communities with Peatlands
Mary Mulvey, Community Wetlands Forum
Recent work of Community Wetlands Forum Members
Followed by Q&A and informal networking
A partnership event between The Heritage Office of Laois County Council, Wetland Surveys Ireland and the Community Wetlands Forum.
The Laois Wetlands Survey is funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage under the Local Biodiversity Action Fund
