On Saturday in Kilkenny Golf Club, Kilkenny Lions Club and Kilkenny County Council launched a significant environmental initiative funded by the Council’s Waste Prevention Program. Read the full article on the Kilkenny Peoples Website here
At the Kilkenny Lions Club annual meeting
through Zoom, Pat O’Hanlon was elected President for 2020/2021.
The outgoing President Rodger Curran wished him
a very successful year.
Pat joined Kilkenny Lions in 2014, and has chaired
the subcommittee which runs the annual golf classic from which many charities
have benefitted.
As an educationalist and former Secondary school
Principal, he is committed to supporting the wellbeing and positive mental
health of students in schools. He led a Lions initiative locally supported by
the National executive of Lions Clubs of Ireland in distributing an information
pamphlet for parents/guardians around Cyber Bullying
This initiative required a visit to over thirty
schools both Primary and Secondary in the
Kilkenny region. The school’s authorities embraced
it with great enthusiasm. Over three thousand parents /guardians received
valuable tips around strategies to protect their families from negative social
media commentary.
Pat resides in Kilkenny city with my wife Mary,
they have two grown up and married daughters Rhona & Dearbhla.
Pat’s outside interests include golfing, gardening,
reading and GAA .
For his year in office Pat, with the help
of all the committee members and with the generous support of the people of
Kilkenny including the business sector, intends to follow in the footsteps of
his predecessors in providing support and help for those in our City and County
requiring assistance.
He thanked the Kilkenny People and KCLR for giving such
great publicity to the various Lions fundraising events. He said that he looked
forward to continuing the great work and outstanding service of the outgoing
president Rodger Curran.
The past year has been very successful with
fundraising events including the Xmas Hamper Appeal, Schools Concert, Wine
Fair, Golf Classic, Street Collection, Carol Singing, and Sponsored Duck race.
The funds raised have allowed Kilkenny
Lions to provide valuable assistance to
St. Vincent De Paul
Amber Kilkenny Women’s Refuge Centre
Cois Nore
Good Shepherd Centre
Meals on Wheels
Kilkenny Sub Aqua
and to 10 other local voluntary organisations in the City and County.
Throughout the country, charity
organisations are finding fundraising difficult as a result of Covid 19. The
club has normally seven fundraising events between now and Christmas and he is
in no doubt that this year, organising some of these will be especially
challenging. However, Pat is confident that any challenges will be surmounted, even
if it means that they are organised somewhat differently than before. Pat added
that we are facing a new normal and this will require innovative and new ways
of engaging to see our projects through to fruition.
He
said that he hopes that his year as President will see this outstanding club having a very successful
year supporting good causes and working in the service of others.
Des
Ryan from Westport has been elected as District Governor of Lions Clubs
International in Ireland. He succeeds Bernard Black of Antrim Coast Lions Club
and will lead 2,150 Lions who are members of 103 Clubs in District 133 of the
word-wide organisation.
Born
in Dublin, Des is grandson of the late Terry O’Sullivan, journalist and diarist
and is a nephew of the writer and broadcaster Nuala O’Faolain.
He
moved to Westport with his parents in 1980 and after graduating in Construction
Studies at Galway RTC, he worked in the structural steel industry prior to
establishing his own company in 2004.
Des
initially joined Lions Clubs International through Leos, its youth
organisation. He was the founding president of Westport Leo Club and went on to
become the youngest member of Westport Lions Club, later serving as secretary
and club president. He headed the North West Zone of Lions Clubs before his
election as Vice District Governor.
As
District Governor, Des plans to enhance the national understanding of Lions Clubs
ethos and activities.
‘Lions
Clubs are active in almost every community on this island, supporting the
vulnerable and those in need through a very wide range of projects. At national
level we are engaged in health, education, community support, youth development
and sport while our District also supports major international humanitarian
projects undertaken by the Lions Clubs International Foundation’, he says.
He
adds that Lions Clubs in Ireland has responded to the Covid 19 pandemic by
supporting local communities and by contributing €95,000 to purchase and
distribute 100,000 Hero Shields to front line workers.
‘We
need to create a greater public awareness of our activities, so that we can
attract new members and raise the necessary funds’, he says.
As District
Governor, Des also plans to enhance the use of communications technology by
Lions Clubs, to offer training to members and leadership opportunities to a new
generation of Lions Clubs officers.
A keen
sportsman who has played soccer and GAA, Des enjoys playing guitar, singing and
gardening. He is married to Sara (they met at a Leo Club meeting) and they are
parents to Catherine (26),
Jessica (21), Emma (13) and Ben(11) and grandparents of Elisagh (4).
Lions Clubs throughout
Ireland to raise €100,000 for ‘Hero Shield’ Visors
Lions Clubs have
pledged to raise up to €100,000 to fund 200,000 ‘Hero Shield’ face visors which
will be distributed free of charge to front line health workers throughout
Ireland.
The project, led by
James O’Sullivan of Macroom Lions Club, was initially supported by nine other
clubs in the Zone and has since gained the support of Lions Clubs District 133,
which covers the island of Ireland. District Governor Bernard Black has asked
the 106 Lions Clubs in the District to support the project with donations.
Rodger Curran
President Kilkenny Lions Club said that the Club was delighted to support this
important initiative and our contribution has been sent to the national Lions
coordinators. He thanked all our front line workers and said the whole country
is so proud of them.
Says Lions Zone
Chairman Orla Flavin from Cobh Lions Club:
‘We are already
getting a very positive response from Lions Clubs all over the country and we
are confident that we will reach our target of €100,000. Not all heroes wear
capes but as Lions Clubs, we can help make sure our heroes wear shields’.
James O’Sullivan of
Macroom Lions Club, who initiated the project adds:
‘Twenty companies
across the country are giving their time, talents and tools free of charge to produce
these visors which are manufactured here in Ireland, are certified and meet EU
Standards. Covid 19 teams North and South have already approved the Lions
Hero Shields. An Garda Síochána, Hospitals and, Care Homes North and South
across the country have been contacted and are anxious to take delivery of our
PPE’s as soon as possible. The need is clear as statistics show front line
staff account for almost a quarter of the Covid-19 cases in Ireland’.
Says Lions
Clubs District Governor Bernard Black:
‘The 1.4m members
of 46,000 Lions Clubs throughout the world are dedicated to serving their
communities and this project enables Lions Clubs to make a meaningful
contribution to the battle against Covid 19 in Ireland. It also complements the
wide range of voluntary community support which Lions Clubs have been offering
to their local communities since the virus first emerged in Ireland.’
The Hero Shield is
a full-face visor designed to be used by front line workers in the battle
against the COVID19 virus. It is a vital piece of Personal Protective
Equipment in the armoury of kit helping to protect those who put themselves at
risk to help others.
The visors are
manufactured in Ireland by Hero Shield, a new not-for-profit collective of
companies, and are certified as meeting all relevant EU standards. The HSE has
already noted that, as the visor has no moving parts, it is easier to sterilise
and reuse than many existing solutions.
The Hero Shield
will be available free to HSE and An Garda Síochána personnel in the Republic
of Ireland and NHS and PSNI personnel in Northern Ireland.
The Launch of the Lions Club Spirit Of Christmas Appeal was held recently in City Hall. In Partnership with our friends in The Kilkenny People , KCLR96FM and the local business community , this event hopes to raise in excess of €25000 to help the needy in the community this Christmas.
Bernard Black has
been elected as District Governor of Lions Clubs in Ireland.
He heads an
organisation of 2,500 Lions who are members of 106 clubs located throughout the
island of Ireland. They are part of the worldwide Lions Clubs International
which is the world’s biggest voluntary service organisation with 1.7m members
in 45,000 clubs spread across 206 countries and regions.
Bernard Black is a
native of Carnlough, in the Glens of Antrim, an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty’ and a ‘World Heritage Site’.
He was educated at
St. John’s PS, St. MacNissi’s College, New University of Ulster and the
University of Liverpool and holds a degree in Ecology and Post Graduate
qualifications in Education and IT in addition to a Masters in
Microelectronics.
His father was a
Charter (Founder) Member of Antrim Coast Lions Club and Bernard joined the club
in 1984, the year his father died. A committed Lion from the beginning, Bernard
was twice Zone Chairman and twice Regional Chairman. He has been Global
Leadership Coordinator and was second and first Vice District Governor prior to
his election as District Governor.
Bernard is John
Moores Foundation Trust Fund manager for Northern Ireland and is an elections
consultant for both Idox Elections and Modern Democracy.
With more than
1,000 books on his Kindle, Bernard is a keen reader. He also claims to ‘play
the guitar badly’ and enjoys computing and consuming red wine.
The eldest of a
family of five boys and two girls, Bernard married Kate 43 years ago and they
are blessed with four daughters, two grandsons and two granddaughters
Rodger Curran ,newly elected president of Kilkenny Lions Club, recently with 14 Lions members led a major clean up of an amenity area on the Bennettsbridge Road of the City. The City recently won the IBAL –Irish Business Against Litter national title. Kilkenny Lions Club is playing its part by regularly teaming up the Keep Kilkenny Beautiful Committee on joint clean ups, and painting and graffiti removal projects. Picture shows Rodger Curran busy at work
Our very own MC George Candler on 2FMs Colm Hayes show today with an alternative type of rap, Link to Colms Show here , listen to George from 2:24:30 , Rap on George !
Would you like to make a contribution to Kilkenny Lions Club?
