Yesterday, Minister Joan Burton announced that fathers must be named on the birth certificates of all children born in Ireland to lone parents. SPARK believe that this sweeping generalisation by Minister Burton is an attack on lone parents and strongly criticises her motivation in this decision bring forward this legislation.  We see this as further stereotyping of both men and women parenting alone by perpetuating the myth that they are all lone parents by choice.  It particularly reinforces the stereotype that single mothers are abusing the social welfare system, inferring they are “scroungers” in seeking benefits via fraudulent claims and deliberately keep the fathers out of their children’s lives.  This is a myth and is patently untrue in the majority of cases.

Minister Burton is once again attacking lone parents and presuming that lone parents are unmarried parents prior to the child’s birth.  Lone parents also include those who suffered abusive relationships and split from their partner, those from divorce, separation and those for a variety of reasons are now parenting alone.  Also, 16% of lone parents are men.  Contrary to widely held belief, unmarried fathers do not get automatic guardianship as a result of their being named on a birth certificate.  Both parents (if unmarried) have to sign a declaration to attain joint guardianship and until that occurs the mother remains the child’s sole guardian.  We welcome the equal rights of single fathers but feel this legislation does not provide for the many diverse and complex issues it raises, nor does it adequately meet the child’s needs.

If you are unmarried and have a child, both parents must present themselves at the registration office to have their names included on the child’s birth certificate.  A mother cannot register a father’s name unless he voluntarily presents along with her and signs a declaration at the Registration office.  Alternatively, she can involuntarily add his name against his wishes by virtue of court orders, such as maintenance orders.

Our family court system is already under immense strain.  It will not be able to handle the extra court hearings that would have to be called under this proposed legislation.  If the Minister for Social Protection intends that this measure ensures maintenance can be recovered by the MRU, then we believe her actions to be onerous.  The current system does not work in practice and needs to be overhauled.  A new system put in place that treats both parents with respect would also reflect the rights of the child to know both parents, and these rights are paramount.  The name of the father being on the birth certificate is the case in the majority of births.  SPARK agrees the registration of fathers’ names on birth certificates is important for children.  However, adequate safeguards are also needed to ensure the best interests of children are met in all circumstances.

SPARK believes that ideally each child should have a relationship with both parents and we welcome Minister Burton’s championing of this right. By isolating this from other necessary reforms, she is crudely introducing legislation that will not serve our families well, but could cynically be viewed as playing to a populist view and diverting attention from the real issues.

We believe this decision is based on the Law Reform’s Report 2010 (LEGAL ASPECTS OF FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS).  While welcoming the necessary overhaul of the family law system, it is clearly wrong to take the recommendations in isolation.  Family Law is a complicated matter and needs sensitivity and expertise.  By isolating some of the recommendations placing them under the remit of the Department of Social Protection, it can only lead to a disjointed approach.  Furthermore, if this legislation is introduced by the Department of Social Protection, it links welfare payments to compliance and therefore the measure would be perceived as punitive rather than reformative.

The reality is that this affects a very small proportion of births (4,100 out of 23,170 unmarried births, CSO 2007).  We are especially disappointed to see this happening under the ministerial watch of a female Labour minister.  We call on her to meet with SPARK and listen to the views of those who will live with the effects of her decisions.  Finally, we insist that jurisdiction of this issue remains within the Department of Justice and Equality, who we believe have the necessary experience to deal with such complicated and sensitive legislation.

Single parent Andrea Galgey says “They are attacking lone parents again over a mistaken perception and a stereotype, one that is prevalent in this country today.  This should be both the mother and father’s responsibility and not the Government’s.  Why are we being stigmatised yet again?”

Single parent Leah Speight added: ”Minister Burton is perpetuating a false perception that lone parents are trying to defraud the system.  Under the family court system, it is up to the mother to pursue an errant father for maintenance.  This is pushing even more responsibility onto mothers to make a father sign the birth certificate, if he refuses to do so.  The majority of single mothers have the father named on the birth certificate.

Due to fathers absconding financial responsibilities to their children, single mothers have to name the absent father and attempt to get maintenance, in order to claim the One Parent Family Payment.  These comments by the Minister are media sound bites and the further stigmatization is an insult to single mothers”.

SPARK campaigner Louise Bayliss says: “I don’t understand why Joan Burton is trying to do this.  This is not a social welfare issue and surely she should leave this to the relevant department? She recently guillotined the Social Welfare Bill, seemingly because of time constraints, yet is now involving herself in things that don’t even come under her remit.  It is hard to see this as anything but another attack on single mothers.  Perhaps we have annoyed her?”

For further comment, please contact:

Leah Speight 087 1390278/Louise Bayliss 089 13909580/Grace Costigan 086 2222103 – Dublin

Andrea Galgey 086 3389416 – Waterford

Michelle Frawley 086 3735113 – Galway

Bríd Ní Chualáin 087 6774751 – Gaeilge speaker.

And finally the main feature – A Useful Life, A lovely tribute to an old-fashioned art house cinema inUruguay, told with affection and skill. This movie centers on the last days of the ‘Cinemateca’, an art house cinema inMontevideo. Attendances are falling, the projectors are beyond repair, the rent is in arrears, a sponsor is withdrawing subsidy because the place isn’t making a profit and finally an eviction order arrives. It’s a moving, funny movie about the end of an era yet not quite the death of cinema. Three different but fantastic films bring our hugely successful film season to a close, all for the price of one! Booking is advised.

Wednesday 6^th June 8pm, tickets €9/€7 €5 Film Club members. The Source Bar will be open from 7pm.

If you have room in your diary stop by The Source Saturday 2^nd on the June Bank Holiday. A fantastic free family day out is promised with no need to worry about the weather, there are dozens of indoor and outdoor stalls brought to you by Thurles Chamber. A wide variety of food, craft, horticultural stalls will be offering the best ofTipperary as well as music and children’s entertainment. Catherine Fulvio will be giving a cookery demonstration in The Source auditorium, entry €10 booking advised. The Source Café will compliment the traders stalls with fresh food and drinks all day long. For more info and if you would like to take a stall please call Clodagh Duggan on 0867737691. See you there!

Saturday 2^nd June 11am – 4.30pm

Would you like to spend some time with your son and get some exercise at the same time?

Why not come and try our FUN Basketball sessions in Thurles.

Learn, Play and have Fun with your son all in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.

VENUE: Presentation Sports Complex Thurles                                

TIME: 8pm to 9pm

DATES: (Two Thursdays Every Month)

May 24th

June 7th

June 20th (Wednesday)

July 5th

July 19th

August 2nd – FAMILY HOUR

August 16th -FAMILY HOUR

Admission is free; you will need runners, a tracksuit or shorts and lots of energy

All Enquiries to Martin – 086 3292085

Children’s author Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin was on hand at the presentation to present medals and certificates to the winning pupils. In all, 1,000 children participated in the project in the Kilkenny area and there were 84 award winners.

Since its launch in the 2006/2007 school year, more than 25,000 pupils have participated in the Scríobh Leabhar project.  As part of this initiative, children not only write their own books, but they also have the opportunity to read and discuss stories written by children in other schools. Teachers also have a central role in Scríobh Leabhar and they are offered  in-service courses to help them support the pupils with their efforts.

“This is a great way for children to have fun with the Irish language whilst using their imagination,” saidAedín Ní Bhroin, Director of Clár na Leabhar Gaeilge, Foras na Gaeilge. “The subjects are so varied, they write about everything from their family holiday, adventures with their friends, their pets and their lives as they see it.” she said.

The Scríobh Leabhar project is run by Foras na Gaeilge in conjunction with a number of Education Centres, namely Mayo Education Centre, Laois Education Centre, Kilkenny Education Centre, Tralee Education Centre, Wexford Education Centre, West Cork Education Centre and Gortahork Education Centre,CountyDonegal. An tÁisaonad inNorthern Irelandalso participates in the project.

“Immersing children from an early age in both writing and speaking Irish is one of our main objectives and this project goes a long way to achieving this goal” saidFerdie Mac an Fhailigh, Chief Executive of Foras na Gaeilge.  “The support of the Education Centres involved as well as from An tÁisaonad is greatly appreciated and they as well as the pupils and teachers are to be commended in helping to make this project such a success,” he said.

“We’re delighted to be involved in the Scríobh Leabhar project,” said Paul Fields, Director of Kilkenny Education Centre.  “We see it as a way to help children to use their imagination and improve their writing skills through their stories,” he said.

For further information please log on to http://www.gaeilge.ie/

For further information, please contact:

Natasha Fennell,StillwaterCommunications                        Sinéad Ní BhraoinStillwaterCommunications

T: 01 677 0630   E: natasha@stillwater.ie                  T: 01 677 0630   E: sinead@stillwater.ie

Notes to editors:

About Foras na Gaeilge

Foras na Gaeilge, the body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the whole island of Ireland, was founded on the second day of December 1999. Foras na Gaeilge is a North/South Implementation body that was founded as a result of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement. The role of Foras entails facilitating and encouraging the use of Irish in the public and private arena in the Republic of Ireland, and in Northern Ireland where there is appropriate demand. Its role also involves advising administrations, North and South, as well as public bodies and other groups in the private and voluntary sectors in all matters relating to the Irish language. Under this role, Foras na Gaeilge was also instructed to undertake supportive projects and grant-aiding bodies and groups throughout the island of Ireland.

Greenstar isIreland‘s  leading  provider of environmental and recycling solutions, located on theDock RoadinLimerick.  Greenstar is a beacon of best practice in waste management. Current sponsor of the Green Awards 2012  and previous sponsor of the  Green Schools programme , this new schools  initiative is taking a different approach and  will help Schools in their fund raising efforts and at the same time promote higher recycling rates through greater recycling focus.

The idea is simple, Greenstar will donate a skip free of charge to your local school, The school -  supported by parents, students and the wider community will fill the skip with old textiles such as clean old curtains, Duvet Covers, Towels, Handbags,  and Greenstar will make a donation of €350. Fill as many skips as your school wants!

This initiative allows schools to help themselves, get the local community involved in fund raising, promote the importance of recycling and  most importantly  help schools raise funds.

For more information please contact Michelle Harding, Schools Recycling Co-ordinator on 086 256 3323 or email michelle.harding@greenstar.ie

Other sporting events taking place are the much loved River Walk & the Town walk. There is no better way to uncover Carrick-on-Suir’s sights and history than on foot. The festival programme boasts two organised walks in 2012. Town Walk, Sat 2nd June which is a guided tour of the town with local historian Tom Walsh who will share his unrivaled knowledge of the town’s historic sights and give you an insight into the lives of many of its characters. (Meet at the Heritage Centre @ 10am, Tickets €5). The River Walk on Sunday 3rd June will follow the path of the 18th Century Suir Navigation along the north bank of the River Suir. Enjoy discovering some of the 37 individually pools or scrapes and abundant flora and fauna between Carrick on Suir and Dove Hill. On arrival at Dove Hill design centre a tasty breakfast will be on offer for all walkers (Meet at the Davin Park at 9am)

The Eoghan Power memorial song competition will take place in Figgertys Pub, New Street on Friday June 1st at 9pm. This acoustic session reminiscent of that of the Clancy Brothers’ early days in the White Horse Tavern pub in New York will see each competition entrant sing one folk song or ballad of their choice. The event is free to the public. The entrance Fee for artists participating is €10 and an application form can be downloaded from the Festival website.  This is always a great night and there is always great local talent showcased so stop by Figgertys and support this traditional local song competition.

There will be a myriad of music related workshops at the Nano Nagle Resource Centre on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th May. Workshops include Accordion workshops Mick McCauley, Fiddle with Anthony McCauley/Martin Murray, Guitar with Colm OCaoimh/Donal Clancy, Banjo/Mandolin – Martin Murray, singing workshop with Roísín Coady. Lorcan Reidy will hold an instrument making/repair workshop. The streets will be filled music as the festival over and under 16′s busking competition will hit the streets from 2-4pm on Saturday 2nd June. Anyone with a bit of talent can take to the streets and perform. You can download an application form online. There is a €10 euro entrance fee and an amazing cash prize of €250.

Over the weekend there will be a live music pub trail and sessions galore in pubs around the town. The rafters will be lifting with the tunes in O’Ceallachains, Figgertys and Powers Tullahought to name but a few. Some of the well known names that will be playing include Kevin Power, Colm Power, Donal Clancy, Paney Bartley, Maria O’Shea Enright, Pete Smith, Anthony Mc Cauley, Colm O’Caoimh, Pat Ryan, Paul Ryan, John Nugent, Mick McCauley and the Chancy Brothers will also be making a welcome return to this year’s festival. So make sure to bring along your instrument and join in to what is surely going to be great craic agus ceol.

Head over over to www.clancybrothersfestival.org for more details. Tickets can be bought at The Hertiage Centre, Carrick-on-Suir, phone number is 051 640 200. Opening hours are 9.30am to 4.00pm, Monday-Friday.

First ever opportunity for Irish consumers to taste sheep’s milk

IRISH consumers will have their first opportunity to sample the unique qualities of sheep’s milk when the renowned Tipperary cheesemakers behind the Crozier Blue brand host free tastings at the Sheridan’s Irish Food Festival.

Crozier Blue celebrates its 20th anniversary next year and is the only blue cheese in Ireland made from sheep’s milk. Now its makers, Jane and Louis Grubb, are bringing churns full of the sheep’s milk they use to the renowned food festival and are confident the exercise will spur more consumers to try Crozier Blue.

J&L Grubb established its better-known Cashel Blue cheese in 1984. Around the same time Jane and Louis Grubb’s nephew Henry Clifton Brown of Ballinamona Farm which overlooks the Rock of Cashel, set about establishing a flock of milking sheep. Nine years later, Crozier Blue was developed. The flock now numbers over 400 and is an attractive mix of black and white inquisitive sheep. To this day Crozier Blue is the only blue cheese made from sheep’s milk in Ireland.

The sheep’s milk will be sampled at Sheridans Cheesemongers’ third Irish food festival on Sunday 27th May at its Virginia Road Station headquarters in Co Meath. Ireland’s top food producers will also be there to sell, sample and talk about their wonderful foods.

It’s the perfect time of year to try sheep’s milk, Jane and Louis Grubb’s daughter, Sarah Furno, explained. “This is a good time of the year to sample sheep’s milk for the first time. It has a lovely smooth, mild flavour right now, it is very approachable and lots different to goat’s milk which tends to be stronger.

“We got lots of our staff to try it, without telling them what it was. They really commended its smooth flavour. It’s the first time that the Irish public will have an opportunity to taste sheep’s milk and we’re confident it will also spur them to try our cheese,” she said.

As well as being smoother than other milk, sheep milk contains much higher levels of vitamins and minerals than any other type of milk. It helps in the development of strong bones, helps prevent osteoporosis. Sheep’s milk is better tolerated by individuals allergic to bovine dairy products. The Asthma Research Council, UK, and the Eczema Society recommend a change to sheep (and goat) products to aid the treatment of these and other related problems. Sheep’s milk is especially good as it is high in both calcium and zinc.

Crozier and Cashel Blue are both produced at Ireland’s largest farmhouse cheese-making dairy in the heart of county Tipperary. The €6 million facility is located a stone’s throw from the farmhouse where Cashel Blue was originally created in 1982 by Louis and Jane Grubb.

The farmhouse cheese dairy and farm employs 25 local people and produces 250 tonnes of cheese per annum, making it the largest farmhouse cheese producer in Ireland and one of the biggest in the UK. The new dairy will allow the Grubb family to double production, it is anticipated that production will grow to 320 tonnes by the end of 2012.

Over 50 per cent of the cheese is exported, much of this to the UK and USA. Recently considerable interest has also been expressed in Cashel Blue on the established speciality cheese market of continental Europe namely in France, Italy and Germany.

Accepting the award, Mark Henry, Tourism Ireland’s central marketing director, said: “Digital media has grown to dominate the world of travel and tourism, fundamentally changing how people make their holiday decisions. This makes it incumbent upon Tourism Ireland to excel in getting people around the world to talk about Ireland online. We believe that our recent successes in doing this underpinned the return to growth in visitor numbers to the island of Ireland last year.”

Tourism Ireland’s international website www.discoverireland.com attracted almost 12 million unique visitors in 2011. The organisation maintains blogs in four languages and has a database of some 2.2 million consumers around the world, with whom it communicates regularly. It has grown its Facebook fanbase from a couple of thousand at the beginning of 2010 to over 750,000 today, with fans in 16 markets around the globe. In addition, in China Tourism Ireland has more than 110,000 fans on three social networks: Tencent, Douban and Sina Weibo. Tourism Ireland also has 44,000 Twitter followers, spread across a dozen countries. Collectively, this makes Tourism Ireland one of the largest tourist boards in the world online.

Some of Tourism Ireland’s social media successes have included:
· the first social game ever created by a tourist board, a Farmville-style game called ‘Ireland Town’, launched on Facebook on St Patrick’s Day 2011, which has had over 215,000 players to date;
· a St Patrick’s Day Flashmob video in Sydney which has been viewed over 2.4 million times on YouTube;
· crowd-sourcing initiatives such as “Nick and Sam’s Ireland Road Trip” and “Mission Irland” – which offered Facebook and Twitter communities in GB and Germany the chance to vote for the places around Ireland which a British couple and a German blogger would visit on their holidays here.

The All Ireland Marketing awards are organised by the Marketing Institute of Ireland; they recognise marketing excellence and the success of Irish companies and marketing professionals (www.aimawards.ie).

left to right Miss Verity and Lisa Hickey, Tipperary Rose

Eighteen men from all walks of life in Tipperary will be dressing up and entering this year’s Hairy Tulip.  Already the competition is building and all the men participated in a photo shoot last week. In attendance at the photo shoot was Lisa Hickey, Tipperary Rose  who was on hand to give the men ‘beauty tips’. The lineup for the competition is almost complete with the entries so far including Miss Spanner, Mis Laid, Mis Treat, Scarlett Charlotte, Miss Tess Tickles and  Connie Della Haney. Of course the competition wouldn’t be complete without our very own Mrs Brown!! A final qualifier is taking place at Bobby Reidy’s Newtown in 2 weeks’ time and this promises to be hotly contested for the final place.

The committee has been working in the background since January getting the contestants on board and securing volunteers such as make up artists and wardrobe assistants.

left to right - 'Connie Della Haney', Lisa Hickey, Miss Given and Miss Planter

On the night, MC Martin Langton will put the Tulips through their paces and a judging panel including guest judge, Tipperary Rose, Lisa Hickey will decide the winner. In addition to raising funds and awareness for Rape Crisis Midwest in a good natured way, this pageant also hopes to challenge the stereotype that Rape Crisis Centres are just for women.  Rape Crisis Midwest provides free, professional counselling for male and female survivors of all forms of sexual abuse. Rape Crisis Midwest recognises that it can be extremely difficult for men to come forward and look for help.  Men frequently feel isolated and alone as there is little talk or understanding of the sexual abuse of boys and, particularly, of the sexual assault of adult men. Rape Crisis Midwest however, does provide a safe environment where the survivor comes first. Our free phone number is 1800 311511

For further details log on to www.rapecrisis.ie or follow the Hairy Tulips on facebook. Over the coming weeks, photos of our contestants will be on display around the various towns in Tipperary and we would urge you to support them in their fundraising efforts.