The Everyman, the 650-seat Victorian gem in the heart of Cork, originally opened its doors in 1897 and it is the oldest purpose-built theatre building in the city. Like all other venues, it is currently closed and now that the Government have advised that theatres won’t re-open until August 10 (Phase 5) we know that all shows since March 12, and up to and including that date, are affected. About 30 per cent of those are cancelled and the theatre is working hard every day with producers, promoters and artists, to reschedule as much programme as possible.

Seán Kelly, Executive Director at The Everyman says, “The Everyman is a not for profit charity and 92 per cent of our income comes from ticket sales. This was taken away overnight, which means we’re relying on the remaining eight per cent of our income – a mixture of donations and grants – to fund the entire organisation. We’ve been very moved by the response of our patrons and their donations have been a huge support.”

The Everyman is currently using its Arts Council grants to remain operational and has availed of the government’s wage subsidy. In the longer term, theatres, artists, and the arts sector generally, will need serious support from the state and local authorities if they are to still exist when this crises eases.

The Everyman’s expertise lies in the creation and delivery of the live experience. It has a very special duty of care to freelance artists whose income is precarious at the best of times. Artists, and freelance workers, in the creative industries, are the original hustlers – used to being flexible, to adapting quickly, bringing creativity and imagination to bear on learning new skills. With the Government Roadmap in place, The Everyman is in a better position to plan for a re-opening. The safety and comfort of the audience, staff, and visiting companies is foremost. The main goal is to guide this 123-year-old institution through this period, to safeguard the building, the staff, and the wider community of artist and freelance workers and to reassure audiences that they can return to the safe welcoming environment with the diverse, exciting programme they have always striven to provide.

Artistic Director, Julie Kelleher, said: “There is no substitute for liveness, for being in a room with other people, sharing the electricity, the heat, the thrill, the danger of bodies in space. In live performances, the thing that distinguishes it as such is the makers’ and performers’ skills in thinking about the audience and communicating with them on all sorts of levels, knowing how each gesture, sound, vibration that comes from their stage has an impact on the bodies and minds in the room.”

Executive Director, Seán Kelly, concluded, “this is a very difficult time but it’s also brought out the best in everyone and reminded us all that it’s a real privilege to be part of this team and to work for such a fabulous community resource as The Everyman.”

Poetry Day Ireland 2020 this Thursday, April 30 will take place as a digital/virtual festival due to the ongoing fight against Covid-19, allowing everyone to take part from the safety of their own home and collectively experience the joy of poetry.

Be part of it and let us know how you are celebrating Poetry that day #PoetryDayIRL

Now in its sixth year, this annual celebration of the spoken and written word is presented by Poetry Ireland in partnership with poetry lovers the length and breadth of the country and will be an uplifting and interactive opportunity for everyone to connect through virtual poetry workshops, video poetry readings, social media and much more. This year, Poetry Day Ireland is being dedicated to Eavan Boland, one of Ireland’s foremost and finest poets, who sadly passed away this week.

Events will include:

• Videos of well-known figures and poets reading poems will be released on social media.
• Virtual ‘pocket poems’, all with a time theme, to enjoy and share on social media and download from poetryday.ie. 
• Get your own Typewriter poem, book in for a Zoom session with poet Stephen Maguire. He’ll have a brief chat with you about the person or thing you’d like a poem written about, and then type one up on his typewriter just for you.
• First in Line! Online Poetry Workshop for Beginners with Nessa O’Mahony. Explore the basic ingredients of a poem, and take part in exercises to fire up creativity in a fun, encouraging environment
• Video readings from the shortlisted poets for The Moth Poetry Prize in the run up to the live announcement on Instagram of the winner of the €10,000 prize at 5.30pm on 30th April
• Time-Themed Poetry Clinic with Poetry Ireland Poet in Residence, Catherine Ann Cullen. Submit your poem in advance and have a virtual one-on-one session with Catherine on Poetry Day Ireland
• Virtual Poetry Time at Alan Hanna’s Bookshop, featuring poets, writers, artists, scientists and actors
• Poetry Performance Challenge (Gaiety School of Acting) for Junior Cert and Leaving Cert students to engage with their exam poetry through performance by submitting short videos of them presenting one chosen poem in any format they wish
• Poesiaan online encounter with Brazilian poetry, music and arts including readings by: Mar Lima, Massimiliano Bianchi, Julianne Longo, Lia Santos, Sara Ribeiro, Rafael Mendes with music by Glauber Magalhaes.
• Mindfulness & Poetry morning retreat with Orlaith O’Sullivan – a morning of mindfulness practice devoted to beautiful silence and powerful words.
• An Instagram Live interactive Workshop presented by the Seamus Heaney: Listen Now Again exhibition. Exploring Seamus Heaney’s poetry with the selected poems relating to the theme of Poetry Day Ireland 2020 – ‘There will be time.’ 
• The Time lapse – From the Front poetography series. Explore this film photography and poetry Instagram-based exhibition from photographer Letizia Lopreiato reflecting on Letizia’s own journey over the last two years using film photography to complete her lifelong work of poetry after a diagnosis of a rare genetic form of visual impairment. 

Find out more about Poetry Day Ireland events and get involved at www.poetryday.ie.

The theme this year – ‘There will be time’ – has been in the works since last autumn, long before the current guidelines were put in place in Ireland. It was partly chosen as 2020 is a leap year, when we gain an extra day of time that didn’t exist in the previous year. 

Today, the theme of time resonates with us in another way due to the impact of the Covid-19 measures on our daily lives and our sense of time passing. Each poem is, in a way, a time machine – travelling to the past or the present or the future, examining the way we were, are, and hope to be. 

The Poetry Day Ireland team is keen to know how everyone will be marking this day at home – let them know by using #PoetryDayIRL. 

You can follow the Poetry Day Ireland Twitter account at: @PoetryDay_IRL and Instagram account: @poetrydayirl 

An innovative new online food programme, from the Local Enterprise Offices, is set to boost the number of Irish food start-ups. The Digital School of Food is the first of its kind in Europe and gives food entrepreneurs expert advice and guidance, from their home, office or kitchen.

The new Digital School of Food was piloted in the Dublin region in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland and Bord Bia.  Following the successful pilot, it is now available nationwide to qualifying applicants, run by the Local Enterprise Offices. The online programme is an e-learning initiative that brings producers from idea right through to start-up and grow stages.

The programme will give food entrepreneurs an education in planning a product journey and route to market, through thinking about finance and how to grow sales, right up to expanding the business. It includes support from experts in the field as each course has a real producer who contributes tips and advice throughout. The programme includes contributions from trade buyers in Supervalu, Musgraves and Spar along with the likes of Domini Kemp of ITSA Food Group and food producers who have been through the system.  

Entrepreneurs who complete the Digital School of Food are then primed to move on to take part in Food Starter programme offered by the Local Enterprise Offices and subsequently Food Academy, which gives producers the opportunity to get their product on retail shelves.

Heather Humphreys, TD, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, commenting on the new programme, said: “We have a proud heritage of producing world-class food in Ireland. Now, more than ever, it is vital that we support our food firms and particularly budding entrepreneurs with ambitions to start a new business. As needs have evolved, these programmes have evolved and the online Digital School of Food is a testament to that. Aspiring food producers can now begin their journey from their own home. 

The Local Enterprise Offices continue to innovate in the way that they are delivering programmes and this is extremely significant now. They are playing a key role in helping our small businesses in this challenging economic climate and they will be to the fore as small companies rise up in the coming weeks and months.”

Announcing the new platform, chair of the network of Local Enterprise Offices, Oisin Geoghegan, highlighted the importance of cultivating the food sector. “Irish food is renowned the world over and we enjoy an enviable reputation for high quality food production. It is important that we continue to cultivate new food entrepreneurs and start-ups, particularly during these challenging times. The Digital School of Food is an excellent first step for anyone with an idea to establish a food production business. It will help them mould that idea to bring it to the next stage. This is particularly significant now, with many potential entrepreneurs at home, they can access this programme from anywhere.

“Starting a food business can be straightforward but growing it can be challenging. The Local Enterprise Offices are there to support those who take the programme. Following completion, participants can move on to more advanced programmes such as Food Starter and Food Academy, as well as further supports such as management development and assistance in raising funding for their small business. The Digital School of Food is a game changer for food entrepreneurs and will enable aspiring entrepreneurs to learn best practice in setting up a food business.”

The Digital School of Food is the latest support established for food entrepreneurs in Ireland by the Local Enterprise Offices, following on from Food Academy and Food Starter.  For more information on the Digital School of Food go to www.DigitalSchoolofFood.ie.    

In the third of the series, Diana looks at the first six weeks.

For most parents – and for most babies as well, the first six weeks are the hardest. After the intense emotions around labour and post-natal care suddenly being alone with a baby could be a daunting experience. It is particularly hard that the times the babies are most frightened and vulnerable, the first few weeks of their lives, is the time when parents are most vulnerable too, at times feeling uncertain whether their baby will really survive and flourish. 

A new baby fills up our minds and becomes our whole world. When things are going well, the pride and pleasure are indescribable. When things are difficult, it can feel like the end of the world. It is worth remembering that for most parents these first weeks are extremely hard work, and the ups and downs usually become less extreme as the time passes and the baby becomes more relaxed and easier to understand. 

Chaos versus routine

One of the most demanding aspects of a newborn baby is the way in which their life has no structure or predictability. But our ordered world must seem like a chaos to the newborn – new sensations, new smells and atmosphere, and a whole array of new sound and sights. It takes time, and for some babies more time than others before they gradually get used to their new lives and adapt to the expectations we put on them. 

Some parents find the lack of routine relatively manageable; while others find it helpful to lead their baby towards a more routine pattern of behaviour during the first weeks. However, it is vital that we reaming open to what our babies are communicating to us, and need us to understand. They ‘will’ be feeling bewildered and lost much of the time, and life will sometimes feel chaotic, frightening and without boundaries. In this situation we must be careful not to lose sight of our own need for stability and time to ourselves as adults. 

But of course during these early weeks there are intense moments of pleasure – seeing our babies putting on weight as skinny limbs become soft and round, the warmth of a well-fed baby, early glimpses of smiles. Perhaps most reassuring of all, there are moments when we do get it right, realising with exhilaration that our presence and comfort   are exactly what our baby needs.  

How the babies’ moods affect the parents

Babies are powerful little creatures with strong personalities, and their own intense emotional states strongly affect the feelings and moods of those caring for them. 

The extreme states of mind that the baby has to cope with are not far away from the feelings a mother can be facing alongside her baby. As first-time parents we can often feel that we have been plunged into an alien and rather terrifying world, where we have to learn our way around with amazing speed in order not to get lost. Babies bring turbulence with them and the urgency of their terror can be so powerful that we can feel that we have lost our bearings completely. Strong childlike feelings about our own parents can make a surprise reappearance when we become parents ourselves. Such states are not only inevitable but part of what we are going through – they can also make us particularly well placed to empathise with our babies and remain in touch with their intense emotions and neediness.

Coping with dependency 

As new parents we often gripped by a fear that out baby’s crying, sleeplessness, colic or absolute dependency are never going to stop. Over time we discover that things do get easier. 

But how does a newborn baby know – and how do first-time parents really know – that each phase will not last forever? Often in the first six weeks we might feel a rather strong anxiety about letting small babies become too dependent on a certain thing – sleeping in the parents’ bed, feeding on demand, dummies, being picked up each time they cry, or being allowed to fall asleep at breast or bottle – in case such things get set in stone. This kind of anxiety stems from a belief that the babies’ needs are endless and will never change. In fact this is not true. The baby might believe it and feel it so strongly, that they can even convince us at times. But we can help them learn otherwise, if we work hard at keeping our adult perspective. 

If a baby gets their reassurance from a particular thing – letting them have that as much as you reasonably can, helps them see that the world is a safe enough place, where comfort generally comes when you need it. With enough of these good experiences a baby will begin to feel more comfortable inside and stronger in their own skin. 

Although it is not always easy to stay in touch with such neediness, it is important that we keep trying, and not to lose sight of how tiny and vulnerable a baby is. Through responding to the urgency of their needs when they are most helpless, we are paving the way for them to learn gradually enjoy a bit more variety in life and cope with small doses of frustration. 

 By the end of the first six weeks, the utter helplessness of the newborn has usually been replaced by a more robust baby, more aware of its surrounding and more able to relax and enjoy. Most mothers are feeling a bit more ready to venture out in the world; the chaos is beginning to take some shape. 

Once the baby has begun to hold his head up a little, can recognise his parents and feeding time, enjoying both the food and the company, knowing that they belong to him and that he belongs to the world – then for many parents the joy and excitement of getting to know and love this growing baby, and being known and loved in return, really begin. 

Opel Ireland, together with the Opel Dealer Network of Ireland, have signed a contract with Sanity Systems, affirming their commitment to employee and customer welfare, amidst the ongoing corona crisis. Sanity Systems Ireland provides a highly acclaimed sanitising solution for building premises and vehicles and their services are now used by the HSE, other state agencies and local authorities. In a bid to protect the health and well-being of both personnel and customers alike, all new and used vehicles in the Opel Dealer Network will be deep cleaned using Sanity Systems technology, before test drives or handover to owners, at no cost to the consumer. 

Even in normal conditions, vehicle interiors, upholstery and child seats attract and absorb odours, bacteria, particles and allergens. Sanity Systems employs portable devices to deep clean surfaces using ozone gas, scientifically killing 99% of bacteria and viruses present in vehicles and in the air-conditioning system. This proven technique significantly reduces the spread of disease and helps protect public health.

James Brooks, Managing Director at Leeson Motors, Opel Importer in Ireland, said: “Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures and we recognised very quickly, during our business continuity planning, that in order to be best prepared to reopen our Network post lock-down , we needed to put in place extra controls to protect our customers and employees in this time of uncertainty. The Opel Dealer Network has been charged with putting in place stringent measures to ensure social distancing and hygiene protocols are adhered to in their premises, post lock-down, and engaging Sanity System’s expertise and knowledge has indeed brought us further comfort.”

He continued: “The Opel Dealer Network of Ireland is currently preparing to re-open to those customers, post lock-down, who need us for their parts or servicing requirements, and these customers will be offered a deep clean of their vehicle, following any repair work. Essentially, our preventative measures will instil a little more confidence when they visit their local Opel Dealer to enjoy a test drive in the future.”

Sanity Systems ensures a deep cleanse all surfaces, including difficult to reach places, in a short time frame. The solution operates in an environmentally friendly way, requires no chemicals and doesn’t damage materials.

Mr Seán Canney TD, the Minister of State for Community Development, Natural Resources and Digital Development, has welcomed an initiative by Young Social Innovators (YSI). It calls for young people across Ireland to put forward solutions on how to respond to the challenges of coronavirus in their communities.

The Coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we live, work, learn, connect, communicate, travel and care for each other. YSI’s new research has found that 68% of young people in Ireland are optimistic that society will change for the better in the aftermath of coronavirus.  Young people have plenty of ideas about how to tackle these challenges in new and creative ways and need to be heard.

Minister Canney said:

“Young Social Innovators has come up with a fantastic idea in challenging teenagers to come up with creative ideas to the challenges faced during these difficult times.  The ‘Open Call for Teenagers’ gives them a platform for their voices to be heard, to find ways to tackle some of the problems that we as a community are facing now and into the future.  I would encourage teenagers to think about what is working for their community, what can be done better and how can we make a difference.”

The Young Social Innovators have launched an ‘Open Call to Teenagers’. This initiative invites teenagers to create, explore and make a difference around the issues caused by the Coronavirus. The ‘Open Call’ is asking young people for their ideas on how to tackle the problems in their communities. Young Social Innovators believe that young people have a powerful role to play and their ideas and voices are important. The ‘Open Call’ will run until May 31 and is open to young people aged between 13-19.

The ideas with the most potential to impact, as a result of the Coronavirus, will be given the opportunity to pitch to a digital panel of team leaders from across Government, NGOs and business, which will be hosted by Virgin Media.

It is important that we understand how young people are doing amidst such crisis and uncertainty. The level of awareness among young people, their interest in staying informed, their knowledge of Government guidelines, and their high levels of commitment to following them is encouraging. However, while many young people are remaining positive, there are others who may not be managing as well and they should be encouraged to express how they are feeling, particularly around the many frustrations they may have.

Minister Canney stated:

“This initiative provides young people with an avenue to contribute and participate in the discussions around what kind of world we wish to live in after this crisis. We need to listen to young people’s anxieties and provide them with a platform to express these while also considering potential solutions.”

For more information, visit: youngsocialinnovators.ie.

Cork students registered for SciFest 2020 are being asked to upload their projects online for judging for this year’s 15^th annual SciFest@College competition. In line with recommendations and advice from the HSE, the SciFest regional finals that usually take place in 16 venues will continue online in the wake of the Covid-19 closure of schools, ITs and universities.

Second-level school students preparing for the SciFest regional finals in Cork IT are being asked to complete an online form and submit their project books as well as supplementary material to www.scifest.ie for online judging by Thursday, May 14, 2020.

Those participating in group projects are encouraged to collaborate with each other online and over the phone and then to upload their project and supporting material for judging through the new online portal. Teachers are asked to encourage their students to continue to work on their projects and guide them through any questions they may have.

Sheila Porter, SciFest Founder and CEO said: “Coronavirus means that all schools, ITs and universities will be closed for the coming weeks, which is a great disappointment for all of us involved with SciFest. We want to encourage students to continue to work on their projects in the coming weeks in preparation for the regional finals and submit their projects online for judging. With over 3,000 students having signed up for SciFest@College prior to the COVID-19 restrictions, we want to facilitate this learning opportunity in as much as is possible and we know from speaking to students, teachers and parents that they are eager to participate, and ensure students can take part in the SciFest National Final in November.”

“We appreciate that this is not an ideal situation and that these measures won’t be available to all students, but this will allow us to continue this year’s competition, supporting as many students as possible, despite the unprecedented situation we find ourselves in. We would like to thank our partners across higher education, our judges and our sponsors for their assistance in helping SciFest@College go online.”

In SciFest, second-level students showcase STEM projects at a series of one-day science fairs held locally in schools and regionally at 16 venues in the Institutes of Technology, TU Dublin, DCU and St. Mary’s College, Derry. The winners from each regional STEM fair will go on to compete at a national final in November 2020. The winner(s) of the SciFest National Final 2020 will be presented with a trophy and will represent Ireland at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2021 in the USA. 

SciFest is funded primarily by Science Foundation Ireland, Boston Scientific, Intel Ireland and Specsavers.

For more information on SciFest@College, the online process and regular updates please visit www.scifest.ie.  

ICSA Tillage chair Gavin Carberry has said the current flour shortage is a direct result of years of under investment in the tillage industry and has laid bare our over reliance on the UK for supplies. “It took a pandemic to expose just how dependent we are on flour from the UK and elsewhere and with the UK now experiencing shortages of their own, it has left us a very precarious position,” he said.

“While the shortage is having a direct impact on the consumer for the purposes of home baking, things could get far worse if the lockdown continues and our main bakeries are unable to source adequate supplies of flour to keep bread plentiful on our supermarket shelves.”

“Ireland produces some of the best wheat in the world with our moist damp climate providing ideal growing conditions. With an abundance of over 15,000 hectares of spring milling wheat growing here this season, it’s time for all the cogs in the wheel of the tillage industry to come together to ensure this native product can be manufactured here at home and ensure a supply of flour for the domestic market.”

Concluding Mr Carberry said, “Given the difficulties we currently face and with the potential impact Brexit will bring to the sector, the Department of Agriculture must re-establish the Tillage Forum. Now is the time for robust planning and for the true potential of the sector to be harnessed.”

As many of us are in lockdown and working from home my stepdaughter in Sydney reports that Canon, the company she works for will be continuing remote working after the lockdown is lifted. They will downsize expensive office space, providing hot desks for times that employees need to be in the building. 

Companies with distributed models, with many people working remotely point to benefits such as saved time commuting and better work-life balance leading to happier and more productive employees.

This led me to reflect on an earlier time in my career when, in the UK, I worked for a large corporate and travelled for three hours per day to work and three hours per day from work, on motorways that for much of that travel time were almost at a standstill, the traffic, belching carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, formaldehyde, benzene and soot into the atmosphere.

It took me about eight months to persuade the company that by and large I was able to work equally effectively from home and in fact, produced a better quality of work when I did not have the twice daily commute to look forwards to.

A recent UK survey by YouGOV on behalf of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) suggested that only nine per cent of Britons want life to return to ‘normal’ after the Covid-19 Lockdown is over. Fifty-one per cent of people said they had noticed cleaner air outdoors, while 27 per cent think there is more wildlife.

Certainly from discussions with people, I believe this view is mirrored in West Cork, even though we have the advantage that our environment is relatively unscathed by urban sprawl, heavy traffic and poor air quality.

The World Economic Forum Global Risk Report published in January 2020 stated that the five global risks of the coming years that are highest in terms of their likelihood are ALL environmental.

They are: Extreme weather events with great damage to property, infrastructure and human life; Governments and businesses failing to mitigate and adapt to climate change; Man-made environmental damages and disasters; Great loss of biodiversity and collapse of ecosystems with irreversible consequences for the environment, which leads to a severe depletion of resources for humanity and industry; Major natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and geomagnetic storms.

Three of these are the direct result of governments and businesses failing to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Indeed so far both governments and corporations have pushed responsibility for adaptation and mitigation almost entirely on to the public, however without the infrastructure to create change there is a very limited amount that the general public can achieve. Sure we can leave plastic packaging in the supermarket, put as much as we can of our rubbish in the recycling bins and collect washed up plastic from the beaches and river banks but we cannot affect air and water quality or man-made environmental disasters without our governments and corporations and businesses taking adaptation and mitigation seriously. 

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the RSA, said that while it was right the immediate emergency was the priority, “we must use this time to imagine a better future”.

He said: “This poll (in the UK) shows that the people are increasingly aware that the health of people and planet are inseparable and it’s time for radical environmental, social, political and economic change.”

If we start to put ‘radical environmental, social, political and economic change’ into some sort of logic, informed by the Covid 19 lockdowns, it rapidly becomes clear that underpinning all is economic change, without which social and environmental change is not possible. We need a new economic model, one that recognises and respects that not only is the health of people and planet inseparable but that social and economic stability is reliant on our creating and following a new economic model. 

The City of Amsterdam has recognised this; and announced that they will rebuild post lockdown using Doughnut Economics, a tool for transformative action first published in 2012, proposing a holistic social foundation and ecological ceiling for the whole world. Since Doughnut Economics was published people have been exploring how to apply it in their town, their country, their region.

Applied at local scale the model starts by asking “How can our region be a thriving place while respecting the wellbeing of all people and the health of the whole planet?”

It is a question that challenges people to work on local issues whilst thinking globally; and once again it raises the question of regional, national and international infrastructure support.  

By mid April an estimated one third of the global population was staying indoors to help stop the spread of Covid 19. This enforced stillness provides time for emergence. 

As the world works it’s way through this pandemic crisis, there cannot be a better opportunity to restructure how we measure success and how we value and care for the earth, the environment and the people. There cannot be a better opportunity for radical environmental, social, political and economic change.

Details of Doughnut Economics can be found at https://www.kateraworth.com/doughnut/