Eating snails in the name of Rotary?


Monaghan Rotary in Bulgaria


Thatʼs the proud achievement of a 10‑strong group from the Rotary Club of Clonmel who tucked into snails as part of an exchange visit with the Rotary Club of Carcassone in the south of France last October.


The link was established by the Clonmel clubʼs


Treasurer, Brian Sheerin, who is a frequent visitor to the historic walled city and has attended club dinners on several occasions.


He was joined on the visit by President Anne Marie OʼBrien, former Presidents John OʼSullivan and Tadg Browne and their wives, Patricia and Geraldine, and Rotarian Gerry Flynn and his wife Anne, and Tadg brother and sister‑in‑law, Anthony and Kay Browne.


They were welcomed with open arms by the Carcassone Club who laid on a programme of activities ranging from guided tours of the old citadel – very well worth a visit, with buildings dating from Roman times to the nineteenth century – to a cruise on the Canal du Midi, a rugby match involving Carcassone and two wine tastings, one in the winery of their incoming President, Christian Bousquet. The highlight of the visit was the clubʼs dinner, at a Michelin‑starred hotel, which included the afore‑ mentioned snails, plus wild boar, a sublime fig tart and wines from the vineyards of some club members.


They were surprised to hear that the Clonmel club confine themselves to water, tea and coffee at lunches!


The Clonmel club are hoping that the Cascassone club will pay a return visit to Co. Tipperary next year to enjoy the many attractions of Clonmel and the surrounding area.


Interact comes to County Wexford


Another part of Monaghan Rotaryʼs Bulgaria story was written recently with the supply and fitting of two hearing aids for 18 year old Goran, who lives in Pavelsko village in the southern Rhodope Mountains. Goranʼs hearing had progressively deteriorated to 20% of normal, following an adverse reaction to medication during childhood, and the hearing aids have changed his life completely. The €4,000 project was made possible by the generous donation of the hearing aids by Widex/Bonavox in Dublin, through the good offices of Neil Elworthy of Kel‑tec Media Solutions, who earlier this year completed a ten‑minute segment on the Monaghan Clubʼs 19 year involvement, as part of an hour long documentary on Irish links with Bulgaria. Copies of the DVD are available from the Monaghan Club.


Pictured in Bonavox, Earl Street, Dublin (L‑R) Morten Sorensen, Managing Director, Widex/Bonavox, Neil Elworthy, Kel‑tec Media Solutions, and Raymond Wilkinson.


supplement as of right to the 50 further adult PKU sufferers.


The Rotary Club of Monaghanʼs first Bulgarian project started in 1992 with the annual supply of the special food supplement for Theodora (now aged 23) who has PKU, a metabolic condition which requires an almost protein free diet. Each year Monaghanʼs twin Club in North Down contributed generously towards the annual cost of €5,000 approximately. In 2007 the Bulgarian Health Ministry undertook the provision of the supplement to the 100 under 18 year old PKU sufferers. Theodora was then aged 20, but by a special protocol she has been included in the state provision since March 2010. Theodora, having completed her secondary education, is currently employed as an administrative assistant by Chepelare Municipality. Monaghan Rotarians are continuing to lobby the Bulgarian health authorities to provide the special food


The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recognised the work of Monaghan Rotary and the Friends of Bulgaria at a Reception in Sofia on 7th October 2010, with presentations by the Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikolai Mladenov, in the presence his Irish counterpart, Mícheál Martin. This followed recognition by the Bulgarian Embassy in Dublin on 3rd March, Bulgariaʼs National Day, and by the Municipality of Chepelare at the naming of Ireland Street (Ulica Irlandya) on 18th March by Mayor Georgi Popov and outgoing Irish Ambassador to Bulgaria Geoffrey Keating. Then on 16th October 2010 the community of Ballinode village and the Monahan family dwelling, which has hosted many Bulgarian visitors, was recognised by the Bulgarian Ambassador to Ireland Emil Yalnazov by the unveiling of a plaque designating it the “Bulgarian Embassy in Monaghan.”


From small acorns mighty oaks can grow.


Londonderry Rotary charity mission to Romania


The Rotary Club of Londonderry has a longstanding association with the Rotary Club of Brasov, Romania, which proved to be very beneficial when completing a mutual project in the nearby town of Fagaras, where a Matching Grant assisted orphanage was extended and officially opened in June 2008. This project was also part financed by the North‑West Romania Fund, a community based support group in Londonderry.


Colaiste Bride Enniscorthy Interact inaugurated. First such club in County Wexford.(Front row) Interact President Ciara Murphy, President Peter Prendergast and Youth Chair Edel Fitzmaurice


When the Rotary Club was offered – in the summer of 2010 ‑ a substantial supply of second‑ hand school furniture for physically impaired children, wheelchairs and other school equipment, Rotarian John McMonagle did not hesitate in recommending the transport of these items to Romania, where there is a great need for specialised equipment. He generously sponsored two of his new company vans for the trip. The goods were loaded onto the appropriately decorated vans, together with 7 new trampolines and a substantial amount of nappies and other materials, and both vehicles left with a total of six drivers on 25 October 2010 for the more than 2,000 miles long journey: Londonderry – Belfast – Ferry to Stranraer – Newcastle – Ferry to Ijmuiden (Amsterdam) – Arnhem – Frankfurt – Nürnberg – Regensburg – Passau – Linz – Vienna – Budapest – Szeged – Brasov. This distance required four full days of extensive travel, with drivers changing every 200 miles or so. It was Friday morning of


10


that last week in October when we presented our van loads to an orphanage / school in Codlea, a few miles outside Brasov. Some items, in particular the wheelchairs, were put to immediate use, to carry handicapped children around


Overall, the report can hardly express the worthiness of our efforts. Despite a cargo load of over £10,000, this barely scratched the surface of what is still needed to be done in Romania. It was concluded by all involved that more transports of this kind should (and will) be organised in 2011 and thereafter. Werner Scheel, Past President


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