Author Archives: dermymcnally

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About dermymcnally

Untethered Writing and Whining with poetry & puns by Dermy McNally. My writing has been in publication since 2001 in publications such as The Northern Standard, The Irish Times and TheJournal.ie. My writing is a mixture of short fiction, journalism, opinion pieces, poetry, radio plays and more.

Successful evening at “Celebrating Transition” (Aug 2013)

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L – R: Liam Murtagh, Monaghan Ecological Group Committee Member, Mícheál Callaghan, co – founder, Davie Philip, Cultivate (Guest Speaker). Photo by Amie Hynes Fitzpatrick.

Over fifty people from across County Monaghan, and further afield, gathered, on Friday 23 August, in Ballybay Wetlands Centre for “Celebrating Transition”, a social & networking evening organised by Monaghan Ecological Group. Attendees, who represented a wide range of organisations, discussed and shared ideas, participated in informative break – out sessions and enjoyed a locally sourced buffet. The goal of the evening was to introduce people to the work and ethos of Monaghan Ecological Group, bring together local organisations and individuals working in the area of local sustainability and create a platform from which to build a strong movement for a positive, resilient future for County Monaghan.


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Transition Monaghan (formerly) MEG in Action on Local and International Front

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One hundred young activists from across Europe, USA, Canada and Nigeria gathered recently in Lofoten, Norway, to exchange skills, motivate each other and support the local community in their campaign to prevent oil drilling off the stunningly beautiful Lofoten coast. Their message was clear – ‘keep the oil in the soil!’ Mícheál Callaghan, of Monaghan Ecological Group attended the event and reflects on what was an inspiring week at the Young Friends of the Earth gathering in the Arctic Circle.

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Some of the participants of the recent Young Friends of the Earth Europe Summer Camp in Lofoten, Norway, carrying  the banner “No Oil In The Arctic”. Included in this picture is Mícheál Callaghan, co – founder of Monaghan Ecological Group.

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Ballinode Community Allotments

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In partnership with Ballinode Tidy Towns and Monaghan Allotment Society, Transition Monaghan applied to Monaghan County Council for permission to use the greenfield site at Cappog, Ballinode for the purpose of developing community allotments and a community garden for the people of Ballinode. Over the Autumn and Winter months we will begin preparing the site so  that we residents and community groups in Ballinode can being growing in Spring 2014.

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The site for the proposed allotments & community garden in Ballinode.

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Foraging in Rossmore (June 2013)

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Learning about Wild Food and Medicine in Rossmore Park

Up to 30 people gathered recently in Rossmore Park to hear Felim MacGabhann speak about the wild and edible plants of the park, on a walk organised by Transition Monaghan.  The walk was well attended and extremely informative and enjoyable despite the poor weather. TM member Mícheál Callaghan reflects on the walk and related issues. Scroll down to see more pictures from this event.

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Felim MacGabhann speaking in Rossmore Park at the recent walk which focused on wild and edible/medicinal plants

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Cloughjordan Ecovillage Trip (April 2013)

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Members of Monaghan Ecological Group enjoyed an interesting and inspirational trip to Cloughjordan Eco Village, Tipperary, on Saturday last. Scroll down to see photos of this event.

Cloughjordan,is a village of under 1,000 people located in North Tipperary, near  the towns of Roscrea and Nenagh. In the 1990s a group of people from different walks of life, with a concern for environmentally sustainable living, decided to come together to start an intentional community, centered around the values of environmentally and economically sustainable community living and green enterprise. They placed an ad in the Farmers Journal seeking land, and acquired a site of 67 acres of lush farm and woodland in rural Tipperary. Over the years, the project has gone from strength to strength, with 53 residential units, consisting of housing and apartments, currently on site. There is scope for up to 135 units on site.

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The Evidence is in the Ice

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MEG members Mícheál Callaghan and Liam Murtagh went along recently to a public screening of film Chasing Ice at the IFI Dublin. The film depicts the work of photographer James Balog and his team who captured changes in the Arctic Ice Caps using time lapse photography and video capturing of the ice caps over a number of years. The result is an unprecedented recording of the dramatic changes in the Arctic Ice Caps over recent years. The film provides compelling evidence that Climate Change is occurring, that it is the result of human activities and it is happening faster than previously expected.

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