Author: National Ploughing Association

CENSORTEC LTD a southern based agricultural company with extensive experience in the Irish Agricultural industry will debut there latest product at the National Ploughing Event 2017. Based in County Kerry, Censortec LTD secured the Irish rights to distribute the world’s leading animal monitoring systems NEDAP LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS. NEDAP have been developing animal monitoring systems for up to 35 years and would be considered the original pioneers of sensor technology in the agricultural industry.

Nedap has recently taken a major step forward in this area with the intelligent Smarttag Neck for Heat Detection with Eating Monitoring & Rumination. The Detection technology not only alerts you to cows in heat in good time, it also draws attention to any animals in your herd with possible health problems. So you can improve your insemination results and check or treat animals with possible health problems in plenty of time and with the greatest of ease. However it’s this development coupled with impressive battery life and a reduced cost of ownership that will make Censortec s introduction to the Irish Market a game changer.

The system is extremely suitable for Irish dairy and beef farms as it is adaptable to any size or shape of farm. “We are extremely excited about bringing this state of the art animal monitoring systems to Irish farmers”, Says Sean Crowley of Censortec. “We are unique to the market with regards cost of ownership, operating costs, accuracy and simplicity. The most significant benefit the Nedap SmartTag brings to the market is its battery life which makes the system very cost effective. We invite you to come and look at the system for yourself at the upcoming national ploughing” Censortec can be contacted at sales@censortec.com and 086-8592968.

In July 1817, two Presentation Sisters travelled on the Grand Canal from Dublin to Killina, near Tullamore, Co. Offaly. Their arrival heralded the beginning of a story of involvement with the community of Rahan and the wider area, which spanned the two centuries to the present day.

It was not by accident that the Presentation Sisters founded their convent in Killina, a rural parish west of Tullamore. Miss Maria O’Brien, daughter of a wealthy merchant family in Dublin, was the owner of Rahan Lodge and its adjoining estate. Recognising the need to improve the plight of the local children, Maria responded with generosity by establishing her own school in 1812. She used her contact with the Archbishop of Dublin to extend an invitation to the Presentation Sisters in George’s Hill, Dublin, to come to Killina to provide for the continuity of education for the children of the parish. (The Presentation Order had been founded by Nano Nagle in 1775, with the aim of looking after the educational needs of the poor). She also provided some funds and land for the convent and gained permission and support from the Bishop of Meath, Bishop Plunkett.

On the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16th 1817, Sisters Mary Angela and Sister Mary Teresa Biggar, who were siblings, arrived in Killina. Within weeks, on September 1st, they opened their school to over 100 pupils. The small school house that was already there, thanks to Maria O’Brien, was extended to provide living accommodation for the Sisters. Maria O’Brien, herself, joined the Presentation Order and spent the last five years of her life, until her death in 1827, in the convent she had been so instrumental in founding.

Life cannot have been easy for the first Sisters in Killina Convent. They had to work hard teaching and running the school for the large number of pupils, whilst at the same time balancing their spiritual and household duties. Other Sisters joined, including a mother and daughter –the St. Ledgers- but the numbers remained small. Indeed, when Mother Francis Xavier Curran left Killina in 1841 to found the first Presentation Convent in India, at Madras, (accompanied by Sisters from Maynooth) there were only seven Sisters in Killina.

The Sisters were pioneering women who showed a great generosity of spirit in devoting their lives to improving the circumstances of the parish community. Apart from the three Rs, the Sisters prepared the children for the Sacraments and looked after their spiritual formation through Sunday School and Sodalities. During the Famine, the Sisters taught lace-making to the women of the parish, in an effort to provide them with an extra source of income. Over the years, they carried out other charitable works, quietly extending help to those in need. Their generosity also involved investing their private salary from teaching back into the school.

When a brand new primary school, incorporating a secondary top, was built in the 1960s, it was a joyful time. However, in the following decade, the Sisters, supported by the local community, struggled to retain the senior cycle, in opposition to Government policy of the 1970s.In 1977, their persistence was rewarded and the school was granted full secondary status.
The numbers attending the secondary school have grown steadily and include a Resource Centre for students with a Moderate General Learning Disability.

The Presentation Girls National School and the local Boys National School amalgamated in 2009. This was a poignant event for the Sisters.

The continuing presence of the Sisters in Killina today is a testament to their dedication and commitment to the Presentation ethos and to the people of Rahan. In return, they are much appreciated and valued as friends by the local community.

Sr. Oliver Wrafter is the only current Sister who has spent her entire religious life in Killina since she joined the Presentation Order in February 1941.

‘Local Enterprise Village’from the Local Enterprise Offices set to boost profile of small Irish companies.

Plans to boost the profile of Irish small businesses and start-ups at Europe’s largest outdoor event – the National Ploughing Championships – were launched by An Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Frances Fitzgerald T.D. and Minister for Business, Pat Breen, T.D.

From the 19^th to 21^st September, the ‘Local Enterprise Village,’ managed and funded by the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), will be home to 31 diversestart-ups and small businesses from all over the country. Many of the small businesses will be making their debut at the Championships, using the opportunity to launch new products and services to the 280,000 visitors expected by the National Ploughing Association (NPA).

Announcing the plans for the Local Enterprise Village, the Tánaiste said:

“Through the LEOs, this Government continues to be committed to supporting and sustaining the development of micro and small businesses such as those taking part in the Local Enterprise Village at the National Ploughing Championships. By boosting the profile of indigenous Irish companies at major international events, the focus is on promoting trade and driving innovation and export growth across all business sectors across the country. For the 280,000 people expected at the National Ploughing Championships in September, I would encourage them to pay a visit to the Local Enterprise Village to support Ireland’s start-ups and small businesses.”

Minister Breen said: “The National Ploughing Championships is a wonderful event which continues to grow in scale and importance, especially for small businesses looking to launch new products and services to a mass audience. The Local Enterprise Village will be at the National Ploughing Championships again this year and is another important initiative by the LEOs.It enables small businesses to grow sales and expand, creating more jobs across every county. It is a testament to the fact that the LEOs – working with other agencies and organisations – are central to delivering on the ambition of helping people to help themselves, building a culture of entrepreneurship and enterprise, delivering jobs in every County in Ireland.”

An Tánaiste and Minister Breen were joined at the launch by: Kieran Comerford of the Local Enterprise Offices, Anna May McHugh, Managing Director, The National Ploughing Association; Eoghan Hanrahan, Regional Director, Enterprise Ireland; andAnna-Marie Delaney, Chair of the CCMA Economic, Enterprise, Community and Culture Committee.

Chair of the LEO Exhibition Committee, Kieran Comerford, said: “With over a quarter of a million visitors every year, the Local Enterprise Offices see the National Ploughing Championships as the ideal opportunity to raise the profile of Ireland’s small businesses and start-ups to a mass audience. For visitors looking for products and services for the home, the family or the farm, the Local Enterprise Village is unique because it offers every visitor a chance to meet the person behind the company and to buy directly from them, to help support jobs in small businesses all over the country.”

Anna May McHugh, NPA Managing Director said: “It is wonderful to see that so many diverse and interesting businesses will be represented at this year’s National Ploughing Championships’ ‘Local Enterprise Village’.  This is a unique opportunity for these small businesses who have been supported by their Local Enterprise Office, with 283,000 visitors in attendance last year, to showcase their products to the large number of visitors that Ploughing attracts.”

An Tánaiste and Minister Breenalso met with representatives from several Local Enterprise Village companies, including J&J Services in Carlow (cable manufacturers), VirtualVet in Waterford (digital recordingof animal drug treatments), Irish Artisan Charcoal Company in Limerick (hand-made charcoal for BBQs), Wilde Irish Chocolates in Clare (confectionary, fudge and chocolate spreads) and ROC Protection in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (protective base layers for hurling).

ROC Protection is one of the companies that will be making its debut at the National Ploughing Championships next month.Carl Cullen, Ross Byrne and Cormac Spain from Clonkeen College in Blackrock (all aged 17) invented ahurling base layer which won a national Student Enterprise Award earlier this year, in a LEO-run programme which involves 22,000 secondary school students.

Meanwhile, a third of companies within the Local Enterprise Village are coming from the food and drink sector, offering visitors a ‘taste’ of new ranges such as chilled coffees, smoked fish pates, low-calorie beef, granola, herbal drinks, ready to bake mixes and high protein snacks.

The village will also be the home of small businesses which manufacture locally for the home and farm, such as rainwater gutters, architectural joinery, blasting machines, push-pull cables and sprayer attachments.

In addition to agri-tech products for farmers, visitors will also be able to meet the makers behind furniture, fashion, craft, skincare and sports equipment companies, all based in Ireland.

More details around the Local Enterprise Village and the supports on offer through the Local Enterprise Offices(LEOs) are available atwww.localenterprise.ie.

CENSORTEC LTD a southern based agricultural company with extensive experience in the Irish Agricultural industry will debut there latest product at the National Ploughing Event 2017. Based in County Kerry, Censortec LTD secured the Irish rights to distribute the world’s leading animal monitoring systems NEDAP LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS.  NEDAP have been developing animal monitoring systems for up to 35 years and would be considered the original pioneers of sensor technology in the agricultural industry.

NEDAP has recently taken a major step forward in this area with the intelligent Smarttag Neck for Heat Detection with Eating Monitoring & Rumination. The Detection technology not only alerts you to cows in heat in good time, it also draws attention to any animals in your herd with possible health problems. So you can improve your insemination results and check or treat animals with possible health problems in plenty of time and with the greatest of ease. However it’s this development coupled with impressive battery life and a reduced cost of ownership that will make Censortec s introduction to the Irish Market a game changer.

The system is extremely suitable for Irish dairy and beef farms as it is adaptable to any size or shape of farm.

“We are extremely excited about bringing this state of the art animal monitoring systems to Irish farmers”, says Sean Crowley of Censortec. “We are unique to the market with regards cost of ownership, operating costs, accuracy and simplicity.

The most significant benefit the Nedap SmartTag brings to the market is its battery life which makes the system very cost effective. We invite you to come and look at the system for yourself at the upcoming national ploughing” Censortec can be contacted at sales@censortec.com and 086-8592968.