Heritage Golf Club raise €6,100 for Saplings Special School
The Heritage Golf Club in Killenard recently held a Captain’s Charity Golf weekend, raising €6,100, with all proceeds and donations going Saplings Special School in Killeshin.
The school supports children and their families with an autism diagnosis in Laois and surrounding counties.
Heritage men’s captain Kieran Finane and lady’s captain Anne Murphy had fantastic help from their respective committees and all club members kindly supported this great event.
Two Laois finalists in Better Farming Awards
Ballykilcavan Farm and Fiorbhia Farm are finalists in the FBD Better Farming Awards that take place in the Heritage Hotel, Killenard on Thursday, November 7.
Ballykilcavan Farm is a finalist in the Small Sustainable Food Producer of the Year category, FRS Co-op Diversification Farmer of the Year and Dairygold Biodiversity Farmer of the Year categories.
David Walsh-Kemmis is a tillage farmer, forester and brewery owner at Ballykilcavan Farm.
Over half of Ballykilcavan Farm is woodland, mostly mature native trees, which is all managed using continuous cover practices with a special focus on biodiversity.
The rest of the farm is managed to provide habitat for pollinators, barn owls, buzzards, woodpeckers, red squirrels, native flowers and soil-borne organisms.
Fiorbhia Farm is a finalist in the Small Sustainable Food Producer category.
They use forested land in collaboration with nature and animals contribute to the health of the soil and forest.
The farm captures carbon and increases biodiversity, while using no chemicals on the land, in the animals’ food, or medication.
IDA receive planning permission for their site in Portlaoise
Planning permission has been granted by Laois County Council to IDA Ireland for development works at their 45-acre site in Portlaoise.
The permission allows the IDA to proceed with building new roads through these lands, the installation of two new bridges over water courses and various footpaths and lighting.
It is hoped that these planned developments would help to make IDA Portlaoise “ready for new industry.”
The IDA have come in for major criticism from Laois County Councillors in recent years for their lack of progress at the site.
