Catriona Walsh - OSD web design and web maintenance

Catriona Walsh is managing director of OSD.

OSD provides afforable good value website solutions to community websites and small to mediumn sized companies.

So often websites are designed by "techies" who have no idea of design or business needs. Catriona has gathered around her an effective team who can address all aspects of web design. She works closely with her clients to ensure the web design reflects their ethos.

OSD has provided a valuable service to the Wise Woman Weekend over the years. They have provided training that allowed us to control the content of our website. They have suggested design ideas and given us the knowledge to make those changes.

The Wise Woman is a non profit making organisation and is self funding. We need control over our website - web maintance fees are just not in our budget.

OSD mentors us and keeps us up to date on new techonlogies while giving us simple solutions that allows us to be current in the e marketing world.

OSD has many impressive sites to their name - not only for their beauty, but also for their functionality.

We thank Catriona for her contribuation to making the Wise Woman Weekend a success and for her continued support.

If you are in need of web based solutions, I suggest you talk to Catriona - she will give it to you straight.

If you can attend this event, I suggest you do so - the new age of marketing will be discusssed by some of the best in Ireland.

'YOUR HEALING VOICE' WORKSHOP, GALWAY, NOV 14TH, 2009

Our voice is a very powerful and direct tool for Healing. During this Workshop we will learn how to release our true voice and to clear, cleanse and heal our bodies, those we love, and physical spaces using sound.
Jo will teach you breathing and vocal techniques used by both professional singers and healers and to locate the different areas of sound within the body. Her aim is that you can leave this workshop with the knowledge to continue your own work on a ongoing basis.

Devon Park House Holistic Clinic ((Next to St Jude's B&B on Lower Salthill Road)
Saturday 14th November 2009
12.30 - 4pm

Please contact 086 8812563 or 086 8812563 or jo@burrenroseholistic.com to book a place.

No fee but Donations are gratefully received.

See http://www.burrenroseholistic.com/AboutUs.html and fhttp://www.myspace.com/joyoungmusic or more info.

Workshops with Chloë Goodchild, Dec 2009, Dublin

Singing Field And The Sword And The Flower Workshop

1. Singing Field Concert (Fri 4th Dec 2009)

2. And The Sword And The Flower (Dec 5th - 6th 2009)A Weekend Workshop with Chloe Goodchild & Masashi Minagowa

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to experience the presence and work of international singer, voice teacher and founder of The Naked Voice, Chloë Goodchild and Masashi Minagowa, International Master of Shintaido.

Date: Fri 4th Dec – (Concert) Price: €25

Date: Sat/Sun 5/6th Dec (Workshop) Price: €200

Venue: The National Aikido Training Centre, Unit 25 Trinity Enterprise Centre, Macken St (off Pearse St), Dublin 2

Booking: Catherine Walsh 087 0516098, 087 0516098 sjcwalsh@yahoo.iewww.thenakedvoice.com www.shintaido.co.uk

Exploring Male Spirituality – 14th Nov, 2009 - Dublin

Spirituality may be understood as the aspect of our lives that involves connection with something greater than ourselves yet which is also a fundamental part of us. Some call this God, some a universal force. The aim of this workshop is to offer a space for men to take time out to reflect on and engage with their spirituality in whatever way they experience it and to explore the possibility of a specifically Male spirituality.

The Venue is the Wisdom Centre, Sophia Housing, 25 Cork Street, Dublin 8.

14th November, 2009 9.30am to 2pm.

€45.00 payable in advance. Places limited.

The Facilitators: Ray Leonard is a qualified psychotherapist and has 20 years experience of working in the context of Spirituality. He has valuable experience in facilitating workshops around this subject. Ray is accredited with IAHIP and IACP.

Breffni McGuinness has worked in the area of pastoral care and spirituality for over 15 years. He is a professional Dramatherapist and is an experienced workshop facilitator. Breffni is accredited with IACAT.

To Book to a place contact Ray at 086-3107501/ rayalto@gmail.com

Thirteen of the most influencial women in Ireland

'Capital Women of Influence' tells the stories of thirteen of the most powerful and influential women in Ireland.

This new book by Ellen Gunning tells the story of : Betty Ashe(community activist), Pauline Bewick (artist), Eibhlin Byrne (former LordMayor), Patricia Callan (Small Firms Association), Anne Harris (SundayIndependent), Danuta Gray (O2), Veronica Dunne (Opera singer and teacher), Ivana Bacik (professor and Senator), Maree Morrissey (Irish Entrepreneur),Christina Noble (charity founder), Mary O'Rourke (TD), Gina Quinn (DublinChamber of Commerce) and Caroline Downey (Ireland's queen of fundraising). Each woman is different from the other.

They discuss their families and earliest influences, their career choices, their partners and children, their successes to date and the challenges that lie ahead.

The book will be launched by Senator David Norris in the Writers Centre on Parnell Square on Tuesday 10th. November 2009 at 6.30pm.

Ellen Gunning is the director of the Irish Academy of Public Relations.

The North Leitrim Women’s Centre - Funding Concert

The Battle Begins to save the North Leitrim Women's Centre

Women living in rural areas have particular needs that can really only be understood by organisations embedded in their community. The North Leitrim Women's Centre has provided outstanding service to the women of Noth Leitrim - providing skills training, awareness raising, making preventive health care more accessible, encouraging active participation in social reform, and empowering women by providing a gathering place when they have the opportunity to discuss issues of common concern.

Their work is far from complete and it would be a tragic loss to the community if this centre closes.

To help raise funds the Centre is holding a concert featuring Eleanor Shanley, Charlie McGettigan, Liam Kelly & Guests

Friday 27th November,
The Bee Park Centre, Manorhamilton.
Doors Open 8pm
Admission €15
Tickets available from The North Leitrim Women’s Centre, The Bee Park Centre, Manorhamilton.

Tel. 071 9856220 Email nlwrg@eircom.net

Food of our Ancestors. Sunday 29 November 2009

Slow Food North West invites anyone interested in our food and history for a guided walk to 5,000 year old hut sites near Carrowkeel followed by a Venison buffet lunch at the 235 year old Coopershill House in Riverstown.

Join guides Tina & Nuala from Leitrim Landscapes Guided Walks for a slow walk to the Mullagh Na Fearna hut sites at Carrowkeel archaeological site. Enjoy fantastic views of Lough Arrow. Wander through the living areas of our ancestors and imagine what additive free, slow food our forefathers may have indulged in. Hear about the food, foraging and hunting of the era.

Then return to the luxurious Coopershill House for a delicious Venison buffet lunch. There will be vegetarian alternatives including wonderful, local fresh salads from Lissadell gardens. Coopershill has been home to the O’Hara family for 7 generations and is renowned as one of the finest Country House Hotels in Ireland.

Slow Food is a non-profit, international organisation set up to conserve, celebrate and enjoy the diversity of regional foods.

Details
Places are strictly limited so advance booking is essential
Contact Simon at Coopershill on 071 91 65108 or reservations@coopershill.com to reserve your place and send a cheque with the names of each guest and details of whether they are a Slow Food member
Slow Food members - €25 p/p.
Non-members - €30 p/p.
Price includes walk, food & wine

Psychodrama Psychotherapy Workshop - Co Leitrim

A two day Psychodrama Psychotherapy Workshop
( Open to all - those new to the method and those with previous experience )

Saturday 21st November and Sunday 22nd November 2009
in Rossinver House, Rossinver, Co Leitrim

Facilitators: B.P.A. / U.K.C.P. accredited Psychodrama Psychotherapists

Joni Crone and Sheila O’Keeffe
see profiles on http://www.psychodrama.org.uk/

Cost (minimum 10 people)

Residential - €170 inc workshop, all meals and Saturday night accommodation
Accommodation also available on Friday night at €20 extra
Non-residential - €150 inc workshop and all meals

Enquiries: Joni at 087 9178189 and 071 9820938 email jonicrone@hotmail.com or Sheila at 087 6470902 and 048 28841946 email sheilaokeeffe54@eircom.net

5 day Creative Writing Retreat at Holy Hill Hermitage with Órfhlaith Ní Chonaill

Holy Hill Hermitage, Skreen, Co. Sligo.
The hermit monks of the Carmelite order were driven from the desert spaces of Sedona, Arizona, by encroaching housing developments and from their Nova Nada retreat in Nova Scotia by the destruction of the surrounding forests.

At Holy Hill, in the foothills of the Ox Mountains in County Sligo, they have found a sanctuary and a wilderness in which to pursue their contemplative lives. Here, on ancient holy ground, they have restored an old house and chapel and developed outhouses to include a library, new chapel and several hermitages. Restored ruins and beautiful new buildings are scattered round the surrounding fields, providing a network of individual, solitary, self sufficient residences around the central house.

From 16th to 21st of November 2009, the sanctuary of Holy Hill is offered to writers in conjunction with a daily writing workshop (to evoke and enable new writing) and a mentoring service (to support and give direction to their work).

It is anticipated that writers will spend some time, at least, working in the privacy of their own personal hermitages. Each apartment has a unique window into the natural world and all are finished to an extremely high level of comfort and aesthetics. The hermitages are stocked with basic vegetarian foodstuffs for self-catering.
A Bring & Share communal dinner will be prepared in the main house, Tuesday – Friday, but writers may choose to eat alone if they prefer.

The unique structure of the Holy Hill workshop provides :
A beautiful, quiet space in which to write alone
Time with others for the evocation of new work
Support for your writing process
One-to-one mentoring for the critical assessment of existing work
Advice for the development of work in progress
A small community of writers (max. 12) to share the experience

Breakdown of €350 costs:
Hermitage 5 nights with basic vegetarian food €250
Workshops & mentoring €100
Dinners: bring & share or self-catering in your hermitage.

Facilitated byÓrfhlaith Ní Chonaill:
Órfhlaith Ní Chonaill’s novel, The Man With No Skin (Dialogue Publishing Inc. 2005) won first prize in fiction in the Colorado Independent Book Publisher’s (CIPA) Awards and was a finalist in the Independent Book Publisher’s (IPPY) Awards in the US. Her short story, Kikuyu Grass, was shortlisted for a Hennessy Award and her stories, poems and interviews have been published in Force 10 and other publications. She holds an M. Phil in Creative Writing from Trinity College, Dublin, and is an affiliated workshop leader of Amherst Writers & Artists, Massachusetts, USA.

Call Órfhlaith at 087 279 9108 for details or check her website at http://www.writersinksligo.com/

Tara - Ireland's Bamiyan Buddhas

In 2001 the Taleban destroyed the Bamiyan Buddhas against international uproar and disbelief. The Taleban claimed that "the Buddhas violate the Islamic prohibition against sacred images."

The Director General of UNESCO called the demolition of the over 2,000-year-old figures a crime against culture. "It is abominable to witness the cold and calculated destruction of cultural properties which were the heritage of the Afghan people, and, indeed, of the whole humanity. This loss is irreversible."

The same can be said about the ruthless desecration of the Tara landscape - an area which has historical and religious sifnificance in Ireland for thousands of years, with archaeological finds dating back to 4000 BC, making if of extreme value in world terms.

This destruction was allowed based on misguided extreme beliefs, not based on religion - rather based on the supposed need of a new motorway! This picture shows the controversial M3 motorway, now almost 90% complete, that was built within two miles of Tara, despite several years of protests.

A cold and calculated destruction of cultural property, indeed.

Your support is not needed for such atrocities, your silence will suffice.

The only body that can now intervene and save the Hill of Tara is the United Nations.

This petition is directed to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, and asks that the UN intervenes in the Tara crisis. Please take a few minutes to add your name to it and send it to all your friends.

Singing Workshop with Sian Croose at Boghill, Co Clare

Experience the joy of song in a vibrant singing community. Join an inspiring weekend of harmony singing, from Georgian chant to African American Spirituals, contemporary jazz and world folk. Open to men and women. No previous experience necessary, only an open heart!

We are delighted to welcome back Sian to County Clare. Based in Norwich UK, Sian has over 17 years experience as a singer and community musician. She has worked with composers, singers and instrumentalists across Britain and Ireland.

Dates: 28th - 29th November 2009

Booking essential as places are limited. Deposit: 30 euros

For more information Ring: Claire NiGrialnna 0879235552 Email: clairesirius@hotmail.com

Sian is a gifted facilitator and Boghill is an inspired venue - treat yourself.

Awakening to the Gift of Sound and Silence - Mayo

A creative workshop using Voice, Silence and poetry to connect to our Deeper Self.

Our sound, our silence and our song are the simplest and most ancient of all gateways to our creative power. Many of us experienced a deep disconnection from this source at a very young age when we were told we could not sing or we had no voice. Something magical and healing occurs when we reconnect to this source, and honour it in community. The aim of this workshop is to have participants experience this reconnection so that we can once again nurture ourselves as a community from the ancient roots of listening, love and wisdom.

If you love to find out about your voice, make sounds, dip into greater silence, access your soul through this work and also dive into some poetry or just listen to the spoken word,without having to 'produce' anything, or if you just want to offer yourself the gift of a nourishing day for your soul please come along to a beautiful and intimate space.

The day will include chanting, meditation, singing, movement, poetry, reflection, silence and discussion.

Facilitated by:
Siobhan Larkin, previously coordinator of Blue Drum – a community arts specialist support organisation, has worked in community education for many years as a facilitator and trainer. She is passionate about the power of the creative spirit and is a graduate of The Naked Voice Facilitator Training Programme with Chloe Goodchild.

Bettina Peterseil, a writer and facilitator lives in County Mayo. She feels passionate about creating community and has given various creative writing workshops within the community in recent years and is at this stage interested in creating 'poetry fields' combined with voice work

Saturday, 28th November, 2009
in Derreenmanus,
2.5 miles outside Castlebar, Co Mayo
10.00am – 5.00pm
Cost: €65, concessionary price €40

For information and bookings please contact:
· Siobhán: 087 1217196
· Bettina: 086 0624634

Creative Writing Workshops in Mayo

towards greater well being'
Make time and space for yourself in a weekly 'writing' group

This specific writing group intends to create a safe space for participants to share themselves in writing in a small group of like minded people and to learn more about the art of journalling and how to use writing as a healing tool in daily life. It is a space which offers participants the opportunity to let go of the stress of isolated or busy life styles in order to find connection to themselves and to others, to the present moment and to their innate creativity:

Why would you participate in such a group?
o to learn more about the art of journalling

o to learn how use 'writing' as a healing tool in our daily life

o to express yourself in a safe environment and in an easy way

o to bring greater awareness into your daily life and clarify ongoing issues

Taking part in a writing group can be beneficial in other areas too like e.g.
o improving your writing and listening skills, as well as
o improving your skills to express yourself and give words to any thoughts
ideas and processes you have on your mind
o getting in touch with your inner core and your creativity
o increasing your confidence in realising that you have something
to say, to contribute and to share and that you are listened to by others.

No previous writing experience is needed, just pen and paper and a willingness to share and listen.

A workshop is up coming at the Family Centre, Castlebar, Co Mayo
starting Monday 02 November 09.
Contact:
for bookings: The Family Centre 094-9025900
info on workshop: Bettina Peterseil 094-9023981/ 086 0624 634

Also, a general 'creative writing class' at the CDP in Kiltimagh, Co.Mayo. This class starts on Wednesday 4th November and will also be ongoing for 6 two hour sessions over midday or in the afternoon.

Participants will write for fun and enjoyment and learn some of the basic principles of creative writing, they will play with words and their inner creativity without judgment or comparison.

For more information call CDP 9381506

Ancient Music Ireland - Galway Nov 13th, 2009

Ancient Music Ireland are launching the new CD 'Overtone' on Friday the 13th of November 2009 in St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church in Galway City at 8 p.m. We will present a live exploration of rediscovered acoustic colour that is 'instrumental overtone' on ancient and modern musical instruments.

For the first time in modernity there will be several players' of the Bronze Age horns and the great Iron Age trumpets participating in a concert. The German Lur will be featured as well as traditional musicians on mandolin, bazouki, flute, uilleann pipes and bodhran, Scottish Piobaireachd music on viola and Irish bronze horns, also there will be piano, guitar and 'cello.

The visiting musicians are coming from Scotland, Germany, England, Wales and the US. The tickets will be €18 euro each and €15 euro concession.

For tickets contact bronzeagehorns@eircom or telephone 094 95 48 39 6; mobile085 764 2001.

The Work that Re- Connects, Omagh, Nov 2009

The Work That Reconnects is a pioneering form of group work that began in the 1970s. It demonstrates our interconnectedness in the web of life and our authority to take action on its behalf. It has helped many thousands around the globe find insight, solidarity, and courage to act, despite rapidly worsening conditions.
The work draws on living systems theory, psycho-spiritual psychotherapy and Gaia theory. It aims to help us shift from over-identification with 'the self' as a separate entity to a sense of the 'ecological self' experiencing the reality of inter-connectedness.

Once we open up to the pain we are holding inside us, an extraordinary transformation occurs. We find that by being willing to acknowledge our grief, by processing our feelings together, we free ourselves from the paralysis, the crippling sense of being powerless and overwhelmed. We discover that we do know what we can do. We reconnect with ourselves and all the energy that was tied up in holding out grief, is now available for action. We discover how the energy of our emotional responses empowers us, transforming concern for our world into creative engagement.

About the Facilitators

Dearbhaile Bradley M.A. has over twenty years experience of facilitating groups in a wide range of contexts and trained with Joanna Macy in 1993. Prior to moving to Glastonbury, she worked as a counsellor and trainer in Northern Ireland. She is now actively involved in ‘Transition Glastonbury’ and runs WTR workshops throughout Europe.If you’d like to know more about Dearbhaile please check out her website www.dearbhaile.co.uk.

Valerie Whitworth is a facilitator who works with the labyrinth, the voice and has been involved with many creative community arts projects since moving to Omagh in 1997. She is one of the initiators of Transition Town Omagh.

7th and 8th November 2009
10 - 4.30
The History Park
Glenpark Road Omagh
(B48 Gortin Rd out of Omagh)

Cost: £70 includes vegetarian lunch (non refundable deposit required)
(some concessions available)

email : valwhitworth@btinternet.com for a brochure and further information or call Valerie at 028 80771336

Great October events in Leitrim

Cinema North West in association with The Irish Film Institute and The Arts Council presents the 5th Annual Adaptation in Dromahair. It is a weekend of films based on adaptations of literary works.

This year a series of works by acclaimed authors Jennifer Johnston and Bernard McLaverty are featured, as well as a special screening of Conor McDermottroe's new film Swansong - Story of Occi Byrne, filmed in Sligo last year.

All are welcome to the opening launch of the festival on Friday 9th October at 7:30pm in the Woodview Inn.

Screenings take place in the Mobile Cinema on main street in the the village of Dromahair.
Download the full brochure at :http://www.cinemanorthwest.com/uploads/pdf/Adaptation_FullBrochure.pdf

Afri HEDGE SCHOOL 2009
Food for Thought
A unique blend of conversation, debate, music, fun and food!

From 9th to 11th October
in The Glens Centre, Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim

Programme includes:

Friday 9th - Jinx Lennon - 8.30pm

Saturday 10th - 11.00am - Main Speaker Sean McDonagh
Workshop 1: “Beyond Food Security: a people’s claim”, Amál Abordán Bernal, LASC
Workshop 2: “Food Security Strategies and Environmental Change: Taking the Long View”, Charlotte Evans, Eco-Unesco
Workshop 3: "Community Gardens: a response to food insecurity", Craig Sands, Organic Centre Co. Leitrim
Workshop 4: “Drama out of a Crisis”, Pete Mullineaux

Sunday 11th - 11.00am - Talk in the Famine Graveyard, Manorhamilton, by Prin Duignan
followed by a visit to the Organic Centre.
Download the brochure at :
http://www.afri.ie/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/hedge-school2009_layout-final.pdf

Rhythms of the Earth - a weekend of tribal drumming and creative singing

A weekend of tribal drumming and creative singing with Ruach Rhythms & Tembre De Carteret

Friday 20th November (6pm) to Sunday 22nd November (11am)

The Benwisken Center (Eco friendly), Ballintrillick, Co Sligo

Cost €120 -Includes excellent dormitory accommodation and meals (vegetarian)
Deposit €50 required

Contact Debbie: 094 9860495 / 087 6326610
Email: ruachrhythms@gmail.com

Institute for Feminism and Religion: Nourishing Womanspirit Course (Oct 5)

The Institute for Feminism and Religion aims to explore a prophetic approach to feminism and religion, inclusive of many traditions and emerging consciousness in Ireland.

This course will explore how women have been programmed into the compassion trap in ways that have silenced and prevented us from understanding our subordination, and our role in subordinating others. We will draw widely on feminist theories, theologies, psychologies and spiritualities. Reflecting on some Celtic myths and also on the liberating traditions of Brigit, we will explore the structures of oppression alongside the techniques of liberation that will enable us to develop practices of compassion and mercy, beginning with ourselves and extending to the wider world.

Dates: Eight weeks, Mondays, October 5th to November 30th 2009 (exc. Oct 26th Holiday)Time: 7:30 - 9:30

Venue: Mercy Centres, 23 Herbert Street, (off Baggot Street) Dublin.The first two sessions will be in the Catherine McAuley Centre, Herbert St., and the remaining six, around the corner, in the Mercy International Center, Baggot St.

Registration: €150:00. Limited number of concessions.

Booking: Please send registration forms and deposit of €40.00 to Isobel Butler, Secretary IFR, 16 Holly Park Avenue, Blackrock, Co. Dublin.Enquiries: ifr@ireland.com

The course will be facilitated by Mary Condren Th.D., director of the Institute for Feminism and Religion, author of The Serpent and the Goddess: Women, Religion and Power in Celtic Ireland and many articles on gender, religion, and culture. She is currently completing a book on Brigit as Matron of Poetry, Healing, Smithwork and Mercy. She has also completed the Leadership Training Programme in the BodySoul Rhythms Programme of the Marion Woodman Foundation, and teaches at the Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies, Trinity College Dublin.

Violence Against Women Conference - Limerick

Conference on Violence Against Women: a Global Crisis-Accountability—Activism—Action

Thomond Park, Limerick, Thursday 26th November 2009

A conference organised by Banúlacht-Women in Ireland for Global Solidarity, the Clare Women’s Network and the Limerick Women’s Network as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Think Pink’ evening on breast health, Sligo City Hotel, Quay Street, Sligo Wednesday, 30th September from 7.00pm-9.00pm Contact details: Ring Donna @ 01 2310 573 or email dparsons@irishcancer.ie to confirm your FREE place

The Think Pink evening will be a two hour event. During the first part of the evening a variety of breast related topics will be addressed including risk factors for breast cancer, how one can reduce their risk and breast screening. This will be followed with time for women to ask questions in relation to the above topics. Following on from this Unravelling the Ribbon, a short video based on a play about three women from different generations and how they were affected by breast cancer will be shown. Members of Action Breast Cancer, BreastCheck and Reach to Recovery will then facilitate discussion on concerns and queries that may have surfaced following the viewing of the video. The evening will be packed with lots of pink goodies including delicious refreshments and a goodie bag will be given to everyone on their way home!

BreastCheck (http://www.breastcheck.ie/) is a Government funded programme providing breast screening and invites women aged 50 to 64 for a free mammogram on an area-by-area basis every two years.The aim of BreastCheck is to reduce deaths from breast cancer by finding and treating the disease at an early stage. BreastCheck is currently screening women in Counties Kerry, Cork, Galway, Mayo, Meath, Dublin, Limerick, Louth, Sligo, Longford, Carlow, Tipperary S.R., Clare, Leitrim, Longford, Offaly and Waterford

Freephone 1800 45 45 55 to get your name on the register and get an appointment. I attended the mobile unit in Sligo last week for a check - it really is a great service and no hassle.