SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPH

Couldn't resist putting this on. It is a school photo from about 1971.

King Edward Junior school in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. (I am on the back row next to last on the RHSide) I can't remember many names from the photo. I have put it on the Friends Reunited site for that year, there aren't many people signed up to it so I doubt I could put a name to many faces.

I remember Felicity Shillingford (I met her once in a nightclub in Manchester in the late 80's) Sally Howkins (I went swimming in her pool in Sutton in Ashfield also around the late 80's) Glenys Hayes (used to live up the hill from me and played in her garden once when I was about seven)

I also remeber Barbara Hibbert and Mattew Beardsley. In about 1971 we made a super 8 film together depicting the end of the world with a soundtrack by David Bowie singing Five Years. It was made for a telly programme called Screen Test. It didn't get shown! We were ahead of our time obviously.

Apart from that I'm stumped!!

Although I do remember Mr Sadler on the right. He had a habit of throwing pupils over his upright piano.

Here is the link to the Friends reunited page if you are interested

http://www.friendsreunited.co.uk/friendsreunited.asp?wci=memberlist&school_key=5950&member_year=1971

PLANNING A WINTER BORDER PART 1

There are plenty of plants that produce colourful effects in winter so your garden can be a welcome site at any time of the year. When you plan any planting, think about plant form, foliage and colour. Don’t forget colourful stems too. It's easy to get diverted by flower colour, but for good seasonal effects look at how, when, and where plants deliver colour and interest.

In winter, seed heads not only look great left on grasses and some other herbaceous plants but also provide food for birds and other wildlife. Topiary shapes really come into their own in the winter months. Think about plants in terms of their height - aim for interest at each level - tall, middle, low and ground level. Even in small gardens, make more impact with seasonal planting by grouping plants in borders or areas rather than having it dotted about your garden. You may want to plant up winter borders or corners where they can be appreciated from the warmth of inside

CREATE COLOUR IN YOUR GARDEN
Although at first it seems an impossible task, creating colour and interest all year around in a garden is an achievable project-with some careful planning.

In the spring its easy to create colour with the use of bulbs and spring flowering plants such as forsythia and dicentra, however as the year progresses the two most difficult times to produce colour are at the end of August and the period between late December to late January. The key at these times of year is plant your flowering plants nearer to your house, this will help to give the impression that the whole of your garden is still flowering rather than just two or three choose shrubs or plants.

BARGAIN PLANTS FOR LATE SUMMER
You can pick up bargains in the garden centres at this time of year, especially with herbaceous plants that have started to go past their best. Buy them now at a reduced price and plant them in your garden for a glorious show next year.

Rudbeckia 'Goldstrum'
A border perennial 60cms high orange yellow flowers late August to September. Planted in groups incorporating garden compost into the soil Rudbeckia will produce an excellent show in the first season. Because they grow quickly they will need to be staked or supported by other plants in a border for maximum effect.

Japanese Anemone –
This is a useful plant at this time of year. It is easy to grow in most soils and positions, but particularly useful to grow under trees or larger spring flowering shrubs. The great advantage with Japanese Anemone is the flowers are produced on long stems making it possible to produce the flowers above existing plants with in a border.

Cosmos –
These are annual plants that can be sown under glass in early spring Cosmos will produce an excellent late summer display. An ideal plant for the new garden as it produces quick results and colour in the first year when colour is difficult to come by.

Horticultural.

PLANNING A WINTER BORDER PART 2

Photo: A tin bath blending into a painted brick wall

PLANTS FOR LATE WINTER
It is time to think about looking for plants that will be a splash of colour around the winter months.

Prunus Autumnalis Rosea - A small winter flowering cherry tree. Flowers with small highly scented flowers well before the buds break. An ideal tree for the small garden.

Helleborus Niger - The Christmas rose, seems unremarkable even boring during the summer months. However as Christmas arrives the display of waxy flowers is nothing short of spectacular. When planting, incorporate some peat if you have a sandy or clay soil in your garden. The plant grows best in semi shade in a sheltered spot near to your house.

Cornus- Dogwood. These shrubs are a great asset to a border in winter as the bark is bright and colourful. There is Cornus Alba, which has the vivid red stems and then there is the Cornus stolonifera, which has yellow stems. Both of these plants look terrific when the late sun catches them. They will generally grow anywhere and all they require is to be severely cut back every year in spring. This ensures that there is bright new growth the following year. If you want to increase your stock then the plants take root easily from cuttings. Cut off a stem that is the same size and length as a pencil and push into the ground or put into a pot. They will be rooted by late spring

Horticultural.

STREET LIGHTS

This week a row of streetlights has appeared on my road and one of them is right outside the front garden. I must confess it is taking some getting used to. You should see how the marigolds glow in the orange fluorescent light! I don’t have to switch any indoor lights on in the evening, and I’m able to go on my midnight slug hunting expeditions without my torch. I know it will be safer for the kids walking home on those long winter evenings, but being the old traditionalist I’ll miss my stargazing.

My tunnel is a pleasure to be in at any light at the moment though, all because of one plant, an aromatic lily (Lilium Henrii) this striking flower has an almost overpowering scent that fills the tunnel. Originally these plants were from China (I managed to salvage this one out of a skip last year) and they prefer well drained soil .As they are bulbs they can be prone to rotting if conditions are too wet. The best time to get the bulbs, if you grow them yourself, is in late summer-October is probably the best time. Pick healthy bulbs, not bruised or shrivelled. If you are out visiting garden centres in the near future it’s worth checking out the flowers in full bloom, or you will also see them in florist shops in cut flower displays.

Cutting flowers
Cutting flowers and decorative leaves to take indoors for arranging is one of the pleasures of gardening. This form of summer pruning generally does no harm but there can be pitfalls. Taking too much, not only diminishes the garden display but it can also harm next year’s growth. Of course some keen flower arrangers grow flowers specifically for cutting and it is worthwhile putting aside a bed for this purpose. Of course as I mentioned last week sweet peas love to be cut and some flowers such as Lupins and Delphiniums if cut at this time of year can encourage a second blooming. Deadheading flowers can prolong displays too but of course it is not practical for all plants for example, Poppies, Honesty and Chinese Lanterns are often grown for their seedpods.

Horticultural.

JOBS TO DO IN AUGUST

Harvest your blackcurrants and then cut the stems that have fruited back down to ground level.

Take cuttings from bay trees, using the soft new growth and leave to root on a sunny windowsill.

Feed clumps of autumn flowering bulbs with a balanced fertilizer such as growmore or compost from your bin.

Sow winter flowering bedding, such as pansies and ornamental cabbage and kale. We grew the kale and cabbage last year and they were very attractive in the winter months. The leaves grow brighter (purples, reds and creams) as the weather gets colder. I was told that top class restaurants use a leaf as a bed for a starter such as a prawn cocktail and that they are edible. Mind you we didn’t try them ourselves!

Horticultural.

JOBS TO DO IN AUGUST

ONIONS
Never let onions go short of water in the dry weather or their yield will be severely reduced. Water plants thoroughly once or twice a week if conditions are dry, and keep down weed competition by hand or using a hoe.

PRUNING
Cut out plain green shoots growing on variegated shrubs to prevent them spoiling the appearance of your shrubs. The same applies to variegated trees. I saw an example of a lovely variegated willow recently that was neglected. The offshoot coming form the base was getting to be larger than the tree. Unfortunately I did not have my secateurs with me!

WEEDS
Keep up the battle against problem weeds, removing any flowering stems before they have a chance to set seed. Many can be removed by hand, digging deeply to get out every last piece of root, or some chemical treatments can be effective, if you want to go down that route. Larger areas can be cleared by smothering them with a large sheet of black polythene, left in place until next spring. If you do think of using carpet to cover the area, make sure it is a good quality axminster with a natural backing. If not you will find that the top rots over time but you will be left with a tangled weave of nylon that will be a devil to get out.

LAWNS
Mow it at least once a week, (unless it is synthetic of course), twice if possible, and finish by cutting the edges neatly. The clippings can usually be mixed into the compost heap, but remember to discard them for the first few mowings if you have applied any weedkillers.

MULCH
Protect new and established plants by mulching the soil between them with composted bark, cocoa shells or another ornamental mulch. This will not only look attractive, setting off the surrounding plants, it will also reduce annual weed growth and conserve soil moisture. Always mulch over moist ground, never on to bone-dry soil, so be sure to water well first if necessary.

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DIVIDE BEARDED IRISES
Lift and divide bearded irises once they have finished flowering. Remove any dormant sections from the centre of the clump, and replant the fresh new shoots.

Horticultural.

TOP TIPS

FEEDING HOUSEPLANTS
An old salt I spoke to recently recommended these additions to your house plant soil for healthy plant growth. Feed house plants with melted snow (in season obviously!) It is rich in minerals. Or use water in which eggs have been boiled. Or use flat soda water. Or use the water in which fish has been frozen. I would recommend you do not use a combination of all of these ideas as you might get a strange chemical reaction!

FERNS
Feed ferns with leftover weak tea or bury a weak teabag in the soil beside the roots. The other idea that is said to be beneficial to plants is to feed them with a teaspoon of caster sugar or olive oil every three months.

Horticultural.

PLASTIC GRASS

Are you fed up of the lawn looking brown in this heatwave? Well fear not. Companies who make plastic and rubber grass are recording record sales as the public decide that they have had enough of watering and mowing. It seems unbelievable but some people actually prefer synthetic grass to the real thing. Thinking about it though it would save time and you could guarantee that it looked the same through the summer. It would cost you about €1000 for an area of about 650 square feet, so if you have a large garden I would be a bit wary of putting it down as it would probably be cheaper to get the area re turfed every year. Environmentalists do not seem to be too keen on it either. Birds cannot get to feed on the worms underneath as there is a plastic membrane on the base to hold the fibre. I suppose this is true but then again if the grass would be covered in growth and weed killer chemicals, this wouldn’t be much good either. When people ask me what they can do with a troubled garden area I usually suggest that they concrete it (Tongue in cheek I might add) now I can add that the area could be covered in a non bio-degradable plastic that will fetch the skin of children’s legs with friction burns when they try to plat football on it!

Horticultural.

LAWN CARE

As the weather is perfect for grass to be growing at full speed, let us have a look at some basic lawn care tips.

Feeding
Feeding with a lawn fertiliser will make it greener and thicker, which helps it resist weeds and moss. There are different formulations depending on when you apply.

Filling hollows
If your lawn has a sunken patch, repair by making an H-shaped spade cut across it with a half-moon edging tool and then peel back the two flaps of turf over the hollow. Add some topsoil, level and firm down the flaps. Fill in the gaps left by the cuts with more topsoil.

Removing weeds
Learn to tolerate a few weeds in the lawn or you will be out every day pulling them up, but if small patches or single weeds need to be removed, pull up by hand with the help of a fork. This helps to get the deeper roots of perennial weeds out.

Surviving dry weather
During long dry spells, mow less frequently, let grass grow longer and don't use summer feeds that will make lots of new growth. There isn’t much chance of our lawns going brown this summer. If they do then don’t worry, they will recover in autumn.

Worn areas
If part of the lawn is used regularly as a path, prevent it from becoming worn away by laying stepping-stones. Dig out paving-slab slices of turf and set these just beneath the surface of the lawn so a lawn mower can pass over them safely

Trimming edges
Tidying lawn edges keeps the grass looking neat and prevents it from spreading into borders. After mowing, trim any grass that overhangs the edges with long-handled edging shears or a rotary trimmer.

Repairing edges
Parts of an edge that have been severely damaged are easy to repair. Use a spade to slice through the turf, cutting out a small rectangular piece from around the damaged area. Lift from the ground with the spade and turn it around, so the damaged part now faces the lawn. Press down firmly and fill the damaged area with compost. Sow grass seed over the compost and water.

Horticultural.

A STROLL IN THE GARDEN-ANDREA BRANNIGAN

Photo: Jolene loves to see the frost on winter flowers

This week Andrea Brannigan and her daughter Jolene from Buncrana show us around their garden. They both love to see their garden full of plants and colour. The garden is also home to two friendly pet rabbits and is a small haven for children to play in.

How long have you been working on the garden?
Eight years. We were the first people to move into the house and it was just laid out in grass. The soil needed a lot of work before we planted.

What is your favourite plant?
I love the rose. I have a few in the garden and my favourite is the one that has two different colours, red and pink. The red one comes from the original rootstock.

What is your favourite season and why?
I prefer the spring because everything starts to grow and there is all of the preparation to do for the year ahead. (Jolene likes the winters best because the few flowers that are out look lovely with the snow and frost on them)

What work gives you the most pleasure in the garden?
Weeding and putting in the new plants for the year to come. I also love feeding the garden.

Any irritations in the garden? How do you cope?
Wasps and slugs. I put down beer traps for the slugs. The wasps I just have to put up with.

What is your best gardening tool?
It has to be the hand trowel. You can get right into the corners and around the base of plants to get out the weeds.

Top Gardening tip?
Feed regularly! I have a bit of a thing for the 10-10-20 grass feed. I tend to use it for everything!

Any plans for the future?
I would like more rose bushes. I will be keeping the nasturtiums down next year too, there are just too many of them this year. The rabbits seem to like them though so all is not lost!

Horticultural.

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION

Photos : Plenty of digestion going on at the Clonmany agricultural show.

What is Anaerobic Digestion and can it be used on the farm?
Anaerobic Digestion plants are springing up around the country. They are a way of converting animal waste into biogas energy (typically composed of 65% methane and 35% carbon dioxide). Some plants supply the farm with enough to power the house and sheds as well as selling the excess to the national grid.

The process of Anaerobic Digestion (AD) involves the breakdown of organic waste by bacteria in an oxygen-free environment. Anaerobic Digestion can take place in a specially designed AD plant (or naturally at landfill sites).

AD Plants
Farm, municipal or industrial-based AD plants convert waste material into biogas. Waste/feedstock is pumped into a closed vessel (digester), which has been inoculated with suitable bacteria. Anaerobic (0% oxygen) conditions are then maintained in the vessel and the temperature is held at a constant value (typically 370C).

The biogas produced can be upgraded to fossil ('natural') gas quality, but is normally used on site to generate heat and power.

The AD process residue can be separated into a liquid and fibrous part. The liquid can be returned to the land as a fertiliser and the solid fibre used as a soil conditioner.

What Types of manure are suitable?

In general, all manures can be digested.

Digestion of dairy and cattle manure has been successfully implemented
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Digestion of only poultry or swine manure may present more challenges — other materials may be added to optimise the blend.

Sand or other inorganic materials will settle out in the digester and must be considered in the design. Many digesters will require shutdown and removal of built up materials after 10 years of usage.

AD systems work best with fresh manure — manure stored under barn may not be as suitable.

AD systems are not effective with highly diluted manure. Processes such as bypassing milk house wash water should be considered.

Some experts suggest that it is not reasonable to convert solid manure into a liquid in order anaerobically digest it.

Environmental.

SPEED RAMPS

Are speed ramps the most effective method of slowing traffic on the roads? Inishowen doesn’t have that many at the moment but there has been an epidemic of these ramps and other forms of traffic calming around Europe. Over the last few years there has been a big increase in people opposing them. Traffic calming does slow traffic down but does this fact alone reduce accidents? There is a group in the U.K. from a group of volunteers who call themselves the Association of British Drivers (ABD). This group has successfully recruited over 2000 members in their campaign to abolish speed cameras and ramps and other forms of traffic calming from the roads. They have some interesting points to make and the group is growing daily. ABD are experiencing a lot of opposition from pro-ramp groups who have implemented traffic calming measures for years without objection.



COMPLEX ISSUE
Mark McArthur-Christie, the ABD road safety and transport spokesperson had this to say. “Driving is a hugely complex issue, but the importance of driving safely is being reduced to just one issue: sticking to the numbers on a tin sign. There used to be the three E’s in road safety; Education, Engineering and Enforcement. That’s been reduced to just one, and we all know which”.

It was suggested to Mark that reducing speed limits must have a positive effect some of the time. He replies “The problem is that reducing speed limits is usually the first thing that’s done, when it should be the last. It also doesn’t stop accidents happening -what’s the best speed to knock a child down? I’d say it would be best if the collision didn’t happen at all, and we need to look at the causes, not just the symptoms”. The problem is now that people have been conditioned to think that accidents are caused by going too fast, and nothing else”


Here are some issues that the organisation mentions in their defence against any form of speed ramp.


ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Accelerating after negotiating a ramp generates more pollution than if the hump wasn’t there.

Research carried out in Austria on a mile long stretch of road with six humps and a 40mph speed limit showed cars emitted 10 times more nitrogen oxide, 3 times more poisonous carbon monoxide and 25% more carbon dioxide than a vehicle that maintains a constant speed. The fuel consumption also rose by 25%. The report concluded, “A regular traffic flow would always therefore be more environmentally friendly”.


A police officer in a Subaru Impreza claims that he can “skim” speed bumps at 70mph!

Depending on the vehicle and the hump design, going over a hump at higher speed may cause less discomfort than a lower speed. Off road vehicles for example have been designed to get over bumps easily.

The noise of the vehicles is greatly increased as they slow down and speed up. Residents can be disturbed by the noise. The thumps of the vehicles in some heavy traffic areas has damaged the foundations of houses and in some cases the value of the properties actually fall as the houses become less desirable to live in.

Damage to vehicles increases dramatically where speed bumps have been put in place. Exhausts, bumpers, wheels and chassis can all get damaged. There is extra wear and tear on the clutch, gears, brakes and engines of the cars as well.

Drivers watching out for the ramps are less likely to see children on the road.

Speed ramps would cause motorists to take an alternative route to miss the obstacles, therefore making other small roads dangerous.

The bump as you hit a ramp has been known to cause serious injury to passengers of cars and buses. Two fire services drivers have incurred spinal damages of such an extent they can no longer work.

At night and in poor visibility, humps cause headlights to rise. This can dazzle other drivers and irritate residents as the beam bounces on their bedroom wall. Drivers might misinterpret the flash as a signal to pull out of a side road, which could cause a collision.

Humps discriminate against the severely disabled, elderly and frail, and those with serious back and neck problems. Jolts from the ramps could cause serious pain and discomfort to the extent that it could prevent people from leaving their homes by vehicular means


EMERGENCY SERVICES
One of the most serious issues is the slowing down of emergency services. An ambulance might even need to take an alternative route with someone who is seriously injured and in need of hospital treatment, which could cost the patient their life. An analysis carried out for the City of Boulder in Colorado, shows that 85 people there are likely to die due to delays in emergency vehicles, for every one life that is saved by speed ramps. I know that Inishowen isn’t a city and there probably won’t be hundreds of ramps to travel over every day. But if the emergency services had to pass over twenty ramps on the way to a fire, (and it is estimated that every ramp causes a delay of ten seconds), the vehicle would be delayed by over three minutes! A fire could sweep through a house in that time! The London Ambulance Service say that traffic calming claims the lives of 500 people a year in London alone!

TEST RUN
There are only a few people that drive too quickly and have a reckless disregard for other people’s safety. These are who the speed ramps are designed for. The vast majority of law-abiding drivers are suffering the irritation of having to negotiate their way over these humps. The offending drivers could still manage to break the speed limit in the gaps between the ramps. I did a test run on a road near me that has ramps and I managed to get the car to the speed limit in the gap. This didn’t break any laws but my method of driving was far less safe than if I had a clear road to drive down. The offenders might still offend but be far more erratic and have less concentration to see any other hazards.


ROAD RAGE
The term Road Rage is said to have come about when traffic calming was first introduced. The traffic might look slower but the driver’s heartbeats are racing. Imagine doing the school run or trying to get to work when you are ten minutes late. The ramps will be a major cause for distraction and irritation, making the driver less aware of any dangers.


DIFFICULT CHOICE
It’s a difficult choice to make when the issue of speed ramps and lives are mentioned. They do slow cars down and the majority of people welcome them. Residents on the estate where I live would love to see a few ramps put in place to make the estate safer. There are a few people on the other hand who can’t see why all the residents should have to put up with the inconvenience of driving over them just because of one or two inconsiderate people that drive too fast. One of the residents commented “The individual offenders could be made aware of their dangerous driving and be educated in good driving practices, or have their car away from them!” The debate continues…

INVERTED POTHOLES
Speed ramps are seen as a nuisance to many people and some even think that they are just inverted potholes. If this were the case the problem would be solved easily. Simply stop putting money into road maintenance! The council will save a fortune from their budget and we would all be reduced to driving over rough roads at 10 miles an hour!

GRAFFITI IN CORK

PORT N' POLISH

PORT N’ POLISH MODIFIED CAR SHOW MOVILLE

Moville is the venue for these years fantastic Port N’Polish modified car show. Car enthusiasts from all over the North West will be rolling in to display their unique vehicles this Sunday - July 22nd.

Sean McGonigle the organiser of the event has put a lot of energy into this years show and is convinced that events such as this will improve the image of Modified Vehicles and their dedicated owners.

“Last years show in Greencastle was a terrific success and had a great turnout of enthusiasts” Said Shaun. “ Hanfords and Modified Motors were there, showing commitment to the art of car modification. This years event will include more trade stands that will help anyone source parts for their motors. The event will be invaluable for anyone interested in networking and finding likeminded enthusiasts in the North West”

“There will be more entertainment on the day too. American Muscle cars including Tommy Cunnigham and Ryan Turner’s Starsky and Hutch and Bosco Reid cars will be there and prizes will be awarded to the Car of the Show and Sound Off”

This year’s event is in aid of “The Foyle Punt Association” and The Alan Doherty fund. Alan needs hundreds of thousands for an operation to reconstruct his chin that can only be done in Canada.If you have a car that will be of interest on the day it isn’t too late to book in. Contact Sean on magingle@gmail.com Phone or text on :00353(0)861001781The show opens between 12pm - 6pm on Sunday 22nd of July and the show entry fee is €10. Car entry in the show - €20 all passengers go free.

Go to Baz. www.jon44w.com for the images.

MONEY FOR OLD ROPE

Growing bio energy crops moved forward last week when €800,000 Euro was allocated to research the development of the world’s first recyclable vehicle made from hemp. A deal between Defra, the environment department, Ford, the car manufacturer, and Hemcore, could see hemp being used as the basis for a wide range of components. The fibrous qualities of their stalks means they can not only be used to make clothes, paper and ropes but car parts too. Other plants such as flax and willow could also be used which could replace metals and oil-based plastics. The fibres are blended with polypropylene and the resulting mixture can then be moulded into whatever shape is required. The hope is to make car manufacture more sustainable. Such materials would be easy to recycle for use in successive generations of vehicles.

“Natural fibres offer many technical and environmental attractions,” said a Defra spokesman. “They have high strength and stiffness, low raw material and energy costs and the potential for very low environmental impact.”
Hemcore now has licences for 3,000 hectares of industrial hemp, a plant with minimal drug content, from which the fibres will be extracted. Early estimates suggest that hemp-based materials could replace up to 100kg of other plastics, metals and resins within the average car. Since hemp produces about two tonnes of fibre per hectare, each hectare could grow enough for 20 cars. Hemp use dates back to the Stone Age, with fibres found in human settlements over 10,000 years old, where they were used for clothes, shoes, ropes and an early form of paper.

Henry Ford, the company’s founder, grew marijuana as part of his experiments with biofuels in the 1930s, but also used the fibres in body panels and other components as an alternative to metal.

Tony Juniper, the director of Friends of the Earth, said schemes such as the hemp trial could make a small contribution to sustainability but failed to address the real issue.
“This is the same old problem that so many politicians have of thinking climate change can be solved simply by new technologies,” he said. “The real problem is that there are too many cars on the road burning too much fuel. It doesn’t make much difference just making a few components more sustainable. The only real benefit is that if it crashes you might breathe in the smoke to help you relax.”

Environmental.

FLUORIDE IN THE DRINKING WATER

Here is a letter I received this week that gives a very strong point of view against fluoridated water

Fluoridation chemicals were once used as pesticides. They are registered as poisons under the 1972 Poisons Act, in the same group of toxins as arsenic, mercury and paraquat. There is considerable evidence that it does not reduce levels of tooth decay.

Although fluoride is scientifically classed as more toxic than lead, the Government allows 20 times as much fluoride as lead in drinking water. The fluoride added to drinking water isn’t the pharmaceutical grade stuff added to toothpaste. It’s hexafluorosilicic acid derived from an industrial process... It comes from the pollution scrubber liquor from factory chimneys. Basically it's a hazardous industrial waste that is illegal to dump at sea. It also contains small amounts of impurities such as lead, mercury, beryllium and arsenic. Remember that when you drink fluoridated water from the tap! T.K by email

Any comments anyone?

FARM WALKS AUGUST 2007

Twenty one open days have been organised by Teagasc from May to August on farms selected by Teagasc and the Organic sector to demonstrate a variety of organic practices. With the long days and dry ground at this time of the year, it is ideal to go out and have a look at other farms around the country.One of the conditions of an organic 'in-conversion' licence on farms is that a new organic farmer or grower attends at least two farm walks during the conversion period. New conversion producers should attend an event relevant to their operation. Full symbol standard farmers and growers may also find the walks beneficial. IOFGA staff may be present to provide information and assistance with certification queries. Some of the farms are handier to get to than others from Inishowen and there is no charge for admission.

Tuesday 7th August, 7pm -Declan Houlihan, Corrigeen, Rathcabban, Roscrea, Co Tipperary. Dairying.

Wednesday 8th August, 7pm -David Notley, Aughamore Organic Farm, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim. Suckler Beef & Sheep.

Saturday 11th August, 2pm -County Wexford Organic Centre, Cushinstown, Foulksmills, Co. Wexford. Vegetables, Fruit.

Tuesday 14th August, 7pm -Patrick McCormack, Glanquin, Kilnaboy, Ennis, Co. Clare. Sucklers & Sheep

Monday 20th August, 7pm-Jeremiah & Nora Flynn, Craughmore, Firies, Farranfore, Co. Kerry. Sucklers

Environmental.