Laois County Council

Tag: pollinators

  • “Thresholds” by Ian Wilson celebrates pollinators

    “Thresholds” by Ian Wilson celebrates pollinators

    The premiere of a newly commissioned musical piece on the theme of pollinators by Ian Wilson took place at Emo Court on Sunday 12th November 2017, as part of the Laois Leaves Literary Festival.

    Titled “Thresholds”, this specially-commissioned 25-minute musical work for saxophonist and soundtrack will feature the voices of local people whose lives and work in some way have a positive impact on pollinators – we hear little snippets telling us about what they do for pollinators and how they do it.

    Saxophist, Cathal Roche, performs the Premiere of a new musical piece in celebrations of Pollinators , at Emo Court on Sunday12th. Nov. during the Leaves Festival . Photo: Michael Scully.

    The piece – which was commissioned by Laois Heritage Office and funded through the Creative Ireland programme – has also been recorded and the full work, composed by Ian Wilson and performed by saxophonist Cathal Roche is available to stream on Soundcloud.

    Red-tailed bumble bee and common carder bee (John Breen/National Biodiversity Data Centre)
    Red-tailed bumble bee and common carder bee (John Breen/National Biodiversity Data Centre)

    Also on the soundtrack are sounds of pollinators themselves as well as of their habitats, together evoking landscapes we are all familiar with and that we hope to preserve far into the future.

     

    Composer , Ian Wison speaking at the Premiere of a new musical piece in celebrations of Pollinators , at Emo Court on Sunday12th. Nov. during the Leaves Festival . Photo: Michael Scully.

    Ian has made recordings all over Laois for this work – in Portlaoise and in places like Emo Court, Abbeyleix Bog, Clonaslee and Dunamaise among others. The music both responds to what we hear on the soundtrack and provides a commentary on the various topics touched upon there. Saxophonist Cathal Roche is both a focal point for the audience and a kind of guide through the piece, knitting together the various speakers, sounds and ideas with his playing.

    The event also featured readings by the winners of the Pollinator Poetry Prize, poetry to celebrate pollinators by adults and children, adjudicated by poet Anne Marie Ní Churráin.

    Emer Rigney (Colaiste Naomh Cormaic ,Kilcormack ( winner in the 15 -14 years category) in the the Pollinators Poetry Competition , at Emo Court on Sunday12th. Nov. accepting her prise from Adjudicator, Annemarie Ni Chrrean , during the Leaves Festival . Photo: Michael Scully- njo reproduction fee.

     

    The work is part of a joint project of Laois and Offaly Heritage Offices, with the support of the Creative Ireland programme and the National Biodiversity Data Centre. The premier event was part of the 2017 Laois Leaves Literary Festival, organised by Laois Arts Office.

     

  • Local Authorities get buzzing for pollinators: €9,000 in Prizes for Tidy Towns

    Tidy Towns groups in Laois are being urged to enter a special award in the National Tidy Towns competition which promotes the protection of pollinators.

    Irish bees and other pollinators contribute €35 million a year to the Irish economy by pollinating our plants, trees and vegetables. They are under serious threat for survival because they don’t have enough food to eat or places to live.  In response to this, in 2016 Local Authority Heritage Officers and Biodiversity Officers, in partnership with the National Biodiversity Data Centre, launched a new Tidy Towns “Let’s Get Buzzing- Local Authority Pollinator Award”. This Special Award encourages Tidy Towns groups to support the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan by making their communities more pollinator-friendly. There is an attractive prize fund of €9,000.

     

    Ann-Marie Kelly, Tidy Towns Co-ordinator with Laois County Council said “We hosted various events to promote the role of pollinators over the last few months and these were well attended.  It is clear there is a huge interest in making Laois more pollinator friendly.  The interest shown by our Tidy Towns committees illustrates their ongoing commitment to enhancing our natural environment.  My colleagues and I are very happy to help groups become more pollinator friendly and build on our joint commitment on an annual basis.”

     

    There was a great response to the award in 2016 with 58 Tidy Towns groups taking part. Monaghan Tidy Towns, national winner in the large town category, turned their town into an urban orchard, by encouraging residents to plant pollinator friendly fruit trees.

     

    “Most pollinator actions are not costly or too complicated” explained Catherine Casey, Heritage Officer with Laois County Council. “They can range from simply changing the grass mowing regime, to planting pollinator friendly trees and shrubs, or raising awareness by promoting the Junior All-Ireland Pollinator Plan to youth groups and schools. Local communities can lead the way in creating an Ireland where pollinators can thrive”

    The National Biodiversity Data Centre has produced practical guidelines to help communities and Tidy Towns groups to take action. The guidelines and other useful resources can be downloaded here.

    The closing date for the award is 25th May 2017.  Details and application forms are available to download below:

    TT_Pollinator_Award_application_2017 or contact Catherine Casey, Laois Heritage Officer.