A talented young designer from Beltra, Co. Sligo, was chosen by Bewley’s to create a new limited edition coffee mug and gift set, now on sale in supermarkets nationwide.

Bewley’s identified Paula McGloin for the project for her fresh and innovative approach to art and design. The Bewley’s Paula McGloin gift set is now set to become a collector’s edition for coffee lovers all over Ireland.

The specially commissioned, hand illustrated mug features an intricate pattern of teapots, teacups, cupcakes, oriental fans, birds and butterflies.
The gift set also contains specially produced Bewley’s Café Blend ground coffee and will be available for a limited time only.

A daughter of Martin and Anne McGloin, Paula is an illustrator and pattern designer who creates unique and intricate designs for textiles and fashion. She has a twin sister Emma and two brothers Martin and Damien.

Paula was educated at High Park NS, Skreen and completed her Leaving Certificate in St. Mary’s College Ballisodare. She subsequently graduated from the National College of Art and Design with a Visual Communications Degree in 2004 and then went on to complete a Masters in Digital Media Technology at DIT.

With a retro-inspired and playful style, Paula creates bold and colourful designs using nature, literature and the animal kingdom for inspiration.

For this mug she also drew inspiration from the world famous Harry Clarke Stained Glass Windows in Bewley’s cafe in Grafton Street, Dublin. Paula started off as a graphic designer and credits social media and group exhibitions for getting her designs noticed. She created the bespoke mug design specially and exclusively for Bewley’s.

“It’s a thrill to design for Bewley’s. My first memory of Bewley’s was as an art student, treating myself to a cup of delicious fresh coffee in Bewley’s Grafton Street while mesmerised by the beauty and uniqueness of the Harry Clarke stained glass windows.

“I loved the colours, the lavish details of oriental birds and decorative flowers. I wanted to revisit this oriental theme while also using my own style to celebrate the love of tea and coffee. It’s also brilliant to know that the café is being renovated and will return in sparkling form in the New Year.”

Mark Saunders, Brand Director, Bewley’s said, “Bewley’s has a long and proud association with support for Irish arts so it’s great to work with such a designer as talented as Paula on this project, particularly as 2015 is the year of Irish design.

Paula’s prints are fresh and modern and the oriental feel of the new mug design beautifully captures the rich history of Bewley’s in a lively and colourful way.”

Sligo’s holiday season gets officially underway at 5.30pm on Friday, November 27, when the Christmas Tree at City Hall and the town’s street lights are switched on.

The official ceremony will take place outside Sligo City Hall, Quay Street, in attendance will be the Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Councillor Rosaleen O’Grady, Mayor Councillor Thomas Healy, President of Sligo Chamber , David Kiely, Chief Executive Officer Paul Keyes, and Sligo County Council Chief Executive, Ciarán Hayes.

The entertainment will get underway at 5pm, courtesy of soprano Eunjoo Goh, her daughter Nahee Han and the Tone Cold Sober Barbershop Chorus.

Sligo Bay RNLI Station launched a new lifeboat this week.

The Atlantic 85 class lifeboat arrived at the Rosses Point lifeboat station and had its maiden voyage for testing on Tuesday.

The Atlantic 85 replaces Elsinore, which has been used to save lives at sea on Sligo Bay since 2002.

Crew for the RNLI began a week of familiarisation training on Tuesday afternoon with their first exercise on the new vessel, christened “Sheila and Dennis Tongue” because it was funded through a legacy from the late Dennis Tongue, of Birmingham in England.

The lifeboat also bears the name of his late wife Sheila. Dennis died at the age of 84 in February 2014 in his home which overlooked the Exe estuary near Exmouth, Devon where he had lived for 25 years following his retirement. He was predeceased by Sheila who died in 2010.

Speaking following the arrival of the new lifeboat, Willie Murphy, the Sligo Bay RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager praised the late Dennis Tongue.

“We are extremely grateful to Mr Tongue for his generous legacy donation which has funded our new lifeboat. Today’s excitement is naturally tinged with a sense of nostalgia as we bid a fond farewell to Elsinore who provided us with 13 great years of service. Elsinore came to us as a result of local fundraising and carried the name of WB Yeats uncle’s house which is located beside the lifeboat station and where Yeats stayed as a young boy.

“Elsinore’s time here in Sligo saved lives and brought many more people safely to shore and we hope the donor family will be just as proud as we are, of her many achievements. We are looking forward to being the custodians of this new lifeboat which will allow our volunteers to go on to rescue and save many more lives in the years to come,” he said.

The Sheila and Dennis Tongue will be officially named at a special naming ceremony and service of dedication at Sligo Bay lifeboat station next year.
In its 13 years in Sligo, Elsinore launched 189 times, with its volunteer crew members rescuing 155 people, eight of whom were lives saved.

The Atlantic 85 design allows room for four crew members and more kit than the Atlantic 75 Elsinore lifeboat, which only had room for three crew members.
Powered by two 115 horse power engines, the Atlantic 85 has a stronger hull and greater top speed of 35 knots. The added radar allows the crew to operate more effectively in poor visibility and there is also VHF direction-finding equipment.

The vessel also has a manually operated self-righting mechanism which combined with inversion-proofed engines keeps the lifeboat operational even after capsize. The lifeboat can also be beached in an emergency without causing damage to its engines or steering gear.

A Sligo community group took a top prize in the annual IPB Co-operation Ireland Pride of Place Awards on Saturday evening last, Strandhill took joint top place in the main competition in the category for neighbourhoods with populations of more than 2,000 people.

In their citation about Strandhill, the judges said, “This is the story of a remarkable seaside village. The judges were extremely impressed by the sheer effort to demonstrate in a positive manner the progressiveness and cohesiveness of its community involving just about everybody. That community has recognised the importance of a stunning location and of a sustainable local economy to bring vibrancy to its place.”

The awards were presented at a glittering gala event in Ennis Co. Clare. More than 800 people from across the island filled the venue to hear the winners announced by RTE’s Ciana Campbell.

The Pride of Place Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of people who work tirelessly to create pride in their local area and a better place for local residents.

Forty-three groups, ranging from those in small rural communities to groups in inner-city housing estates, took winning or runner up positions in the main and cities competitions. A further six groups received Special Awards, while one local authority received a special Council Award.

As well as Strandhill, a community group from Manorhamilton in Co. Leitrim were presented with a runners-up award in the 1,000-2,000 population category. Joint winners with Strandhill in the over 2,000 category was Dunshaughlin, Co. Meath.

The Strandhill-based Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 118, passed a major milestone last week, completing their 300th search and rescue mission this year.

The number smashes their previous record of 275 missions in a single year. Services provided by the Sligo helicopter include; operations conducted off the West and North West coasts out to 200 miles, services to casualties on offshore island and support provided to the HSE ambulance service.

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring, congratulated the crew, saying: ““We can take great pride in the work that is carried out by the Coast Guard Helicopter team in Sligo and at the three other bases. On behalf of the government and people of the North West I congratulate them on reaching this significant milestone.

“I am very mindful of the excellent cooperation that exists between the Coast Guard helicopter service and the HSE ambulance service, ensuring that casualties in need of urgent care can be quickly transported to hospitals.”

Minister Ring also acknowledged the excellent work of the Volunteer Coast Guard teams in supporting the Sligo based helicopter; “Our Coast Guard volunteer teams from Mayo, Galway, Clare and Donegal regularly support helicopter operations in the North West by preparing landing sites and assisting casualties, and we are greatly indebted to their commitment and professionalism.”

Last year the Sligo team was awarded the Frederick L. Feinberg award for outstanding achievement for a SAR mission completed in the Bluestack Mountains, Donegal.

The Coast Guard operate three other helicopter bases in Shannon, Dublin, and Waterford who between them to date have completed nearly 900 missions in 2015.

The increased level of activity is indicative of the increased operating capability of the recently acquired S-92 helicopters.

As well as longer range and improved cruising speeds, the Coast Guard helicopter fleet is equipped with enhanced rescue mission technology, including infra-red and low light cameras, a ‘night sun’ searchlight, a modern dual-hoist system, and a satellite communications system.

Two Sligo women will be remembered at an exhibition in Dublin next week.

Dhara Kivlehan and Sally Rowlette both died following complications while giving birth in 2010 and 2013 respectively.

Both women’s husbands subsequently had separate inquests carried out into each death. The exhibition in Dublin next week entitled ‘Picking Up the Threads: Women’s lives remembered’ will be held in St Laurence’s in Dublin on Wednesday, November 25 from 6pm to 9pm.

The event will be attended by the Elephant Collective, a group of medical professionals, students and birth activists that aim to raise awareness of maternal tragedy in Ireland.

Aside from the Elephant Collective, there will be key speakers including Clare Daly TD, Dr Sara Burke a journalist and health policy analyst and Dr Jo Murphy Lawless of Trinity College Dublin.

For more details on the exhibition, email: jlawless@tcd.ie or kateni77@gmail.com