Tar Éis Óir - Online Publication: Autumn 2011

Tar Éis Óir Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 1 Autumn 2011

A welcome from Chairman Cian Timmons

Inside this issue:

Welcome by Chairman 1

Welcome by CEO of The President’s Award

2

What is Tar Éis Óir? 3

Becoming a P.A.L. 4

Off Site Safety Manage-ment Course

4

First Aid & CPR & AED Courses

5

Members Activities 6 & 7

Upcoming Day Hike 8

International Gold

Event 2011—Kenya

8

Gaisce Gold Cere-

mony—September

9

Upcoming Social Event 9

engagement by attending some of

the planned events included in

this e-zine, but I would encour-

age any of you to get in touch

with thoughts about what else

can be done.

Individual Award Holders have

demonstrated their abilities along

with a sense of commitment to

their community and their own

personal development by partici-

pating in the Gaisce Award

Scheme.

Imagine what we can achieve to-

gether in Tar Éis Óir!

Cian Timmons

Chairman

Tar Éis Óir

It gives me great pleasure to wel-

come you to the first issue of the

Tar Éis Óir e-zine. Tar Éis Óir is

firmly committed to being an open

organisation of and for Gaisce

Award holders. In the past year we

have facilitated expeditions, training

courses, social events and feedback

to the Gaisce executive and Coun-

cil. None of this would have been

possible without communication

between our members and this e-

zine will give us greater capability to

connect with the wider membership

and encourage even more participa-

tion!

The next year has some major

events coming up – you will be able

to read more about them in these

pages. The International Gold

Event (IGE) is to be held in Kenya

this September and thanks to the

fundraising efforts of individual

Gold Award Holders, Ireland will

be represented.

There are many opportunities for

The President’s Gold Award Holders Alumina Association

Tar Éis Óir newsletter Page 2

I am greatly honoured to write this short message in the first Tar Éis Óir (TEO) E-

zine. Tar Éis Óir (TEO) as an alumnus organisation is an important part of the broad

Gaisce family and has, since its inception, shown that it has a commitment to the ongo-

ing personal development of young people. In Gaisce we are always anxious for Award

holders to be a part of what we do. Award holders being involved with Gaisce training

workshops and public events is a healthy indicator of the ongoing value of the Award

programme.

In the changing and technologically driven times we live in our ability to communicate

with those we serve is a crucial part of any organisations work. This E-zine in conjunc-

tion with the varied means we now have to communicate with each other will add an ad-

ditional dimension to TEOs ability to achieve its goals. I encourage people associated

with the Award to join TEO; continue to make a contribution; continue to add value. The

future of our world, the future of generations yet unborn lies in the hands of those who at

will take action and attempt to improve the lot of our fellow man. I see TEO as such an

organisation and I wish all of you associated with TEO great success in your work in sup-

port of a better world.

P. G. Callaghan

Chief Executive

Gaisce – The President’s Award

A Message from the Chief Executive of The President’s Award

What is Tar Éis Óir?

Tar Éis Óir (TÉÓ) is the Irish Gold Award Holders Alumni Association. It is

made up of voluntary members who have completed the Gold Gaisce Award,

President’s Award Leaders and friends of the award. TÉÓ maintains a social

and professional network for the wider Award family including participants

and friends of the Award. We aim to provide a variety of opportunities for

our members in the form of social events, physical activities and continued

training. Through its activities, TÉÓ inspires its members to dream more,

learn more, do more and become more…

TÉÓ’s objectives are to:

· Support Gaisce – The President’s Award in the further development

of the Award programme.

· Provide a forum for the views of Award Holders on Award related

matters to be shared with Council.

· Encourage Award Holders to become President’s Award Leaders

(PALs).

· Establish links with Award Holders internationally.

· Provide members with social and other activities for their continued

personal development.



Presidential Award Leaders (P.A.Ls) sought

The Gaisce Award is always looking for new and eager Presidential Award Leaders.

A PAL can be a teacher, Youth leader or any adult (other than a family

member) who is interested in supporting the award. The PAL is re-

sponsible for explaining the award to potential participants, agreeing

an appropriate challenge with interested young people and monitoring

and motivating the participants. They sign off when participants com-

plete the award.

PALs who are involved for 5 years can be nominated to receive the

Civic Merit award by the President in person.

If this sounds like something you would be interested in doing please

contact the Gaisce office directly and they will let you know the next

steps involved. It is a truly rewarding experience and allows you to

share your love of the Award and its significance to others within your

community.

First Aid and CPR (AED) Training Courses

Tar Éis Óir will be organizing First Aid and Irish Heard Foundation CPR/AED courses in the Autumn.

Dates will be announced through email.

We recognize that heart disease is the number one killer in Ireland with approximately 10,000 people

dying each year as a result. The majority of these will have died suddenly, outside of the hospital, be-

cause their heart stopped beating. If a defibulator is not readily available, brain death will occur in less

than 10 minutes. One way of buying time until a defibulator becomes available is to provide artifi-

cial breathing and circulation by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR. The earlier you give

CPR to a person in cardiopulmonary arrest (no breathing, no heartbeat), the higher the chance of a suc-

cessful resuscitation. Up to 80% of all cardiac arrests occur in the home, so you are most likely to per-

form CPR on a family member or loved one. Heart attack victims have double the chance of survival if

they are immediately given CPR.

Tar Éis Óir recognises the importance of CPR and AED training

in helping to increase the rate of survival for out of hospital car-

diac arrest. We believe that anybody working with young people

in an active environment should be fully trained in basic First

Aid, CPR and AED usage.

These courses will be held by fully qualified and certified person-

nel and you will be issued with Irish Heart Foundation certifi-

cates. Further details will be available in the next edition of our

newsletter. In order to be deemed qualified (certified) to perform

CPR you must update every two years. This is your perfect opportunity!

Being a P.A.L. enables you to spread the word about the importance the Award has for the development of young people in our society.

CPR saves lives. It can help friends, family and the wider community so please en-sure that you are trained to save lives.

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=58675






Page 5 Tar Éis Óir newsletter

Upcoming Day Hike on Saturday 22nd October 2011

Tar Éis Óir is organizing a day hike in the Wicklow mountains on Saturday 22nd October. This

hike will be led by an experienced and trained hill walker. It will be a 12 kilometre hike through

the Wicklow mountains and we will ascend Djouce and Lugalla mountain during this trek.

It is important that those attending are fit enough for the hike

and bring appropriate walking boots. No jeans or runners al-

lowed. You will need to bring a packed lunch. Car transport is

not wholly necessary as lifts will be available from designated

pick up points.

Please let us know by Friday 14th October if you plan on com-

ing on this hike so that we can get an idea of the numbers . If

you are interested please drop us an email for further information. Contact

[email protected] for up-to-date information as dates may have to change for safety reasons.

International Gold Award Event 2011—Kenya

The International Gold Event (IGE) is a triennial gathering which brings together Gold Award

holders from different National Award Authorities (NAAs). It aims to instruct and inspire those

who have attained the highest level of the Award to un-

dertake ongoing leadership roles regionally, nationally

and globally.

The IGE has continued to grow into an event which en-

gages our Award holders, NAAs, Trustees and the IC.

The first event of this kind, known as The Common-

wealth Gold Expedition, was hosted by Canada in 1967

and its emphasis was on expeditionary ventures. Since

then the event has grown to encompass soft skills train-

ing, service projects and cultural exchange events and

the emphasis of the programme is now on leadership

development.

The IGE 2011 is taking place from the 2nd—16th September in Nairobi, Kenya and will be at-

tended by 150 delegates from across the world. This year we are represented by two Gold Award

holders.

Tar Éis Óir members at the last Interna-tional Gold Event in Mauritius 2008.


Gold Award Holder expedition for Chernobyl Children International (August 2011)

Andrew Forde, Gold Award Holder (2003) and former Chairperson of Tar Éis Óir who currently

works in Kosovo for the Council of Europe, along with a mixed team of fellow-mountaineers have

been training and fundraising in earnest for their attempt to summit Europe's highest mountain, Mt

Blanc this summer. The event coincided with the 25th Anniversary of Chernobyl Children Interna-

tional, an Irish charity, headed by Adi Roche, which continues to provide invaluable support and re-

habilitative services in the regions affected by the worlds worst nuclear disaster 25 years ago. Each

member of the five-person team made a commitment to raise money for the charity, and organised a

range of events including a mountain run, comedy nights, VIP Barbeques and an Art Exhibition

(some works of art remain available for anyone interested!).

At the end of August the team departed Dublin airport, bearing ice axes, crampons and a hugely posi-

tive spirit. The long months of physical training and gruelling fundraising had come to an end. After

touching down in Geneva the team travelled to Les

Contamines, nestled deep in the French Alps to accli-

matise and refine their high-altitude ice-skills. During

this process, it soon became apparent that Mt Blanc

was not looking receptive to any more mountaineers

this season!! Unfortunately as a result of exception-

ally dangerous rock fall due to melting glaciers the

authorities closed the primary access route to the

summit of Mt Blanc. Bearing the bigger picture in

mind, the team quickly amended plans and instead

travelled to Gran Paradiso mountain in northern Italy

for an attempt at it’s summit, which is just shy of the

height of Mt Blanc.

So after 6 months of training and fundraising, limitless man-hours of planning, preparation, checking

and re-checking equipment, a week of high-altitude and glacier mountaineering training, and thou-

sands of carefully placed steps on a 20,000 year old glacier every member of the team successfully

summited the 4000 metre mountain!

Mt Blanc is going nowhere… so maybe next year!

Members Section


Members Section

A Road Less Travelled: Tales of the Irish missionaries (Four Courts Press)

Tar Éis Óir members Aidan Clerkin (Gold Award 2010) and Brendan Clerkin (2007) have a new

book – A Road Less Travelled: Tales of the Irish missionaries (Four Courts Press). It was launched

in September 2011 by GOAL founder, John O’Shea.

The book is a collection of first-hand accounts from Irish missionar-

ies about their development and humanitarian work and about their

day-to-day lives in places as diverse as Papua New Guinea, Alaska,

Sierra Leone, Peru, Rwanda and the Amazon. The stories span the

period from the mid-1930s to the 2010 World Cup, from contribu-

tors of all ages and from Catholic, Presbyterian, Anglican and lay-

people.

President Mary McAleese, in her foreword to ARLT, describes these

accounts as “fascinating, intriguing and inspiring.” Also included

are special contributions from Tom Arnold (Concern), Justin Kilcul-

len (Trócaire), John O’Shea (GOAL), Fr Seán Healy (Social Justice

Ireland), and others. Further information and an extended blurb are

available at: www.fourcourtspress.ie.

Local and national media coverage so far includes featured inter-

views with Seán Moncrieff (Moncrieff) and George Hook (The Right Hook), and forthcoming pieces

in the Irish Independent, RTÉ Radio 1 (The God Slot) and Newstalk (Talking History).

A Road Less Travelled will be of interest to those involved in development work or volunteering

abroad. It will also be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in Irish social history, telling the stories of

Irish men and women who have adapted to jungle, desert and city slum, while working through war

and personal danger, famine, political oppression – and countless cultural surprises.

Proceeds from sales are being donated to the Mukuru Art and Crafts centre in Nairobi, Kenya.

MAC provide art therapy for street children in Mukuru, one of Nairobi’s largest slums. They train

their students in artistic techniques, as well as entrepreneurial and marketing skills, to provide them

with a way to earn a living after graduation. The illustrations in A Road Less Travelled were drawn

by their students.

http://www.fourcourtspress.ie/

Off Site Safety Management Course in November

A course is being run in November by Tar Éis Óir to equip people with the necessary safety skills

needed for the organisation of a range of outdoor activities. It will take place in Gaisce Head Of-

fice, Ratra House, North Road, Phoenix Park.

The OSSM course is administered by the Royal Geographical Society in London and has been

running in the United Kingdom for a number of years. It is the second time the course has been

run in Ireland. This course aims to allow delegates to safely plan, execute and review trips away

from their usual environment at every level - from

school trips to full scale expeditions. Thus it would

be useful for many people in a range of different ar-

eas from teachers, Presidential Award Leaders, to

those involved in the organising of leisure activities.

It is fully subsidised by Tar Éis Óir, the Gaisce Gold

Award Holders Alumni group, so there are no fees

payable. The standard price for the course is 240

pounds sterling.

Places will be limited so if you are interested please email us on [email protected]. Exact

dates will be finalised nearer the time and subject to certain conditions.



Gaisce Gold Award Ceremony

Dublin Castle, Thursday 29th September 2011

The Gaisce Gold Award Ceremony will be held on the 29th September 2011 in Dublin Castle.

This will be the last Presidential Gold Award Ceremony celebrated by President Mary

McAleese before she leaves office in October. As a result we are making a special appeal to

members who are available to come out and help us on the day.

Tar Éis Óir has always had members available on the day

to help with the proceedings. This year we are aiming to

have as many members as possible attend the event. We

want a strong presence on the day to mark the huge sup-

port that the President has given to the Award in Ireland

and to thank her for her endeavours.

Please contact [email protected] if you are available be-

tween 11pm and 1pm on Thursday 29th September.

Social Night: O’Neil’s Pub, Suffolk Street

Thursday 29th September

The next social event to take place for Tar Éis Óir members and those interested in getting involved takes place on Thursday 29th September. This is the same day as the Gold Award Ceremony in Dublin Castle. The reception will take place from 7.30 pm in O’Neil’s Pub, Suffolk Street.

O’Neil’s is located just off Grafton Street in Dublin’s city centre and near Trinity College Dublin. This event is for people who are interested in getting involved in Tar Éis Óir and for those who are longstanding members. It is a fantastic opportunity for new members to meet other Gold Award Holders in a social environment.

We would encourage everyone who is available on Thursday evening and is a member or would like to be a member of Tar Éis Óir to come along. Finger food will be provided. It promises to be a very enjoyable experience and hopefully one of many more for you!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Tar Éis Óir volunteers at the 2009 Gold Award Ceremony.

Tar Éis Óir

Head Office - Dublin

Gaisce - The President's Award

Ratra House,

North Road,

Phoenix Park,

Dublin 8.

Tel: 01-617 1999 / 01-670 7063

Fax: 01-670 7060

Email: [email protected]

Web Site: www.gaisce.ie

We’re on the web!

Www.facebook.com/

tareisoir

All information in this newsletter is believed to be true at time of publication. The authors will not be held liable for any activities undertaken by individuals as a result of information obtained in this print. This publication is independent of The President’s Award and is solely to provide information to Gold Award participants, P.A.L’s and members of Tar Éis Óir.

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Tar Éis Óir - Online Publication: Autumn 2011