ONE of Ireland’s oldest racecourses has announced plans for a 12-month long celebration to mark its centenary next year.

Waterford & Tramore Racecourse will host a series of events to mark its special birthday throughout 2012, starting with a “Welcome the New Century” New Year’s meeting on December 31st and January 1st.

The celebrations throughout the year will involve ‘reeling in the years’ by remembering the dozens of horses and heroes who helped shape the racecourse’s rich history, with exhibitions of old photographs and characters from the past coming back to Tramore to recount old times.
The first racing in Tramore began on the beach in the popular Co Waterford seaside town back in 1785. According to Racecourse General Manager, Sue Phelan, Waterford & Tramore Racecourse is steeped in history and has a proud racing tradition.
“It was so popular with the locals that a six-day meeting was first held there in mid-August in 1807. The August Festival meeting continues to be the highlight of the racing calendar in the South East to this day,” said Sue.
Under Martin J Murphy, the racecourse company established the current course at Graun Hill on the outskirts of Tramore in 1912, where racing continues to this day. “We have become known as a great place to celebrate the New Year. The first race meeting of the new millennium in Europe was held in Tramore on January 1st 2000 when a record crowd of 11,000 turned up. The Euro was introduced on New Year’s Day 2002 and the bookies at the track that day had great fun putting it to the test for the first time on a racecourse!“
Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland said: ‘Tramore is one of the true gems among Ireland’s 26 racecourses, very much at the heart of its community, yet appealing to race-goers from far and wide as well as the many tourists who visit Tramore at all times of the year. Everyone in racing wishes them well and applauds the ‘can do’ spirit which has kept racing alive in the area for centuries,” he said.

Mayor of Waterford, Cllr Pat Hayes, said Waterford and Tramore Racecourse is not only a key economic driver in the region but an invaluable social hub for racing fans and those who just love a day out, particularly families.
“Racing in Tramore has always been about a lot more than the sport. It has been a great meeting place, a fantastic place where people continue to socialise and meet. It has a very loyal clientele and it will be great to see those who may have drifted away from racing for one reason or another over the past years come together again, visit Waterford and Tramore and rediscover what makes this track, this meeting and the people behind this track so special.”

Waterford & Tramore Racecourse is one of only a few in Ireland that races throughout the year, with 11 meetings on the calendar. The highlight of its racing year is undoubtedly the four day August Festival, which offers an exciting programme of Flat and National Hunt racing, attracting great crowds and playing host to all the big names in the racing industry.
Tramore has always been well supported by the racing fraternity. Waterford racing dynasties like the Widgers, Kielys, De Bromheads have all tasted success at the track over the years whilst famous horses include Leap Frog, Skymas, Greasepaint and Sackville.

As apprentices, Kieran Fallon, Tom Queally and Joesph O’Brien have ridden around the undulating, tight circuit making it look easy, whilst top jockeys Seamus Heffernan, Fran Berry, Ruby Walsh and David Russell are generous in their praise for the way they are looked after on race days and rarely miss a meeting.
Throughout the Centenary year, the Racecourse will be given a “new look” with an improved entrance, upgraded stable yard, along with a refurbishment of food and drink areas. The Racecourse was taken over in 1997 by new shareholders. The entrepreneurial directors, which include Music Impresario Vince Power, Dawn Meats’ Peter Queally and champion trainer Willie Mullins, continue to invest further in its infrastructure to create a legacy for the future racing population.
“We look forward to welcoming old friends and making new ones over the year ahead, kicking off with a big party on January 1. Thousands of race horses have celebrated their birthdays at Tramore over the last 100 years, as all thoroughbreds mark their birthdays on Jan 1. We are planning an extra special celebration for them this year,” said Sue Phelan.

“People from Tramore and beyond have really got behind the Centenary theme by sending us memorabilia and old photos that tells the Tramore ‘story’ through the ages and it now seems that everyone has a Tramore story to tell, which we look forward to hearing throughout the year!”

Each meeting in 2012 will have a special theme:

• New Year’s Meet, Dec 31st/Jan 1st – Welcoming the New Century, officially launching the Centenary Year with commemorative race card.
• April 14th/15th – Honouring the Tramore Horses & Heroes, launching the memorabilia and new Racing App.
• June 1st/2nd – Summer “Outdoor Tramore” Festival, with outdoor cinema screenings and a Turf & Surf Barbeque.
• August 16th/19th – Vintage @ The August Races with four days of Vintage style,
• October 11th – 100 Years of Racing Celebration with a Centenary Awards night

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For more details contact:
Sue Phelan, General Manager
Waterford & Tramore Racecourse
051 381425 / racing@tramore.ie
Or
Neans McSweeney, MD Media,
086 2620355

An entrepreneur who turned fond childhood experiences into a growing, export-driven business is about to showcase her scented candles to a global audience, a mega sales opportunity which follows just weeks after signing a deal to sell her products on Aer Lingus flights.

Alison Banton grew up in the picturesque seaside town of Greystones in Wicklow where her passion for fragrance was inspired by the divine aromas of the petals she picked in her great aunt’s circular rose garden as a child. It spurred her to set up her own scented candle enterprise, Brooke and Shoals , a company which now employs Alison and three other staff.

Now Alison and her team are planning for their next big venture, Showcase 2012 which runs from January 22 to 25 in Dublin’s RDS. One of the best boutique shows in the calendar, Showcase is the foremost place for Irish and international buyers to discover unique, design-led fashion and knitwear, jewellery, Irish made craft, gift and interiors and products not available at other shows.

More than €20 million in sales orders are expected over the four days of Showcase 2012, as ‘Ireland’s Creative Expo’ goes from strength to strength. Alison is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring she gets her slice of the trade.

Originally, Alison’s fragranced candles were sold only in her own Brooke & Shoals shop in Greystones. But due to growing customer demand, they’re now on sale online and through over 40 leading gift stores nation-wide and increasingly in the UK and mainland Europe.

Alison is really out to impress at Showcase and is launching two new fragranced candles and an extended range at the RDS and says Showcase is the perfect launch pad as her key focus will be on the export market next year, given the pessimistic economic outlook here.

Alison creates superior Irish made candles using high quality, divinely fragranced natural wax. Her customers love them. She built on her experience of fragrance by going to Grasse in the South of France, the capital of fragrance, to study it in more detail and gather new inspiration.

“My passion for fragrance and smells began as a young child in my Great Aunt’s garden. Molly Gallagher was a primary school teacher and retired the year I was born. She had no grand-children of her own so she doted on me. I loved to pick the beautifully fragrant rose petals in her garden and she would help me crush them and make what I thought, in my 6 year old naivety, was real perfume. In actual fact she used to add real perfume to the mixtures overnight so I thought that I had created wonderful masterpieces. I have such lovely memories of her patience and kindness. In turn, I now love to make fragrance blends with my two little girls”, commented Alison.

“My Great Aunt is also responsible for the name Brooke & Shoals. She used to say ‘the babbling brook and the whispering shoals told me you were a good girl’ (or more probably a bold girl!). So the brook and shoals were familiar to me from an early age. We just added an “e” and turned it into a name – Brooke & Shoals.

“As part of our drive for scent-excellence, we formulate our wonderful smells by blending fabulous fragrance oils and natural essential oils. We also use an exceptionally high level of fragrance within our candles. The combination of both of these factors, create a divine aroma with a strong fragrance-throw that really lasts. To put this into perspective, we use 10% superior quality fragrance in our candles, unlike some candles makers who use 3 to 4% cheap synthetic fragrance,” Alison explains. “We educate your fragrance palate to reach a new level of sensual fulfilment”.

Alison’s candles are also natural and kind to the environment. “We love the fact that our candles are made from sustainably sourced natural soy wax. This means we are condoning responsible re-planting. We would never use paraffin wax as it is derived from the world’s scarce and ever-depleting oil reserves. Paraffin wax also emits toxins when burned. Our natural soy wax blend gives a much cleaner toxin-free burn,” she concluded.

- Further details are available on www.brookeandshoals.ie

About Showcase 2012

One of the best boutique shows in the calendar, Showcase is the foremost place for Irish and international buyers to discover unique, design-led fashion and knitwear, jewellery, Irish made craft, gift and interiors and products not available at other shows.

More than €20 million in sales orders are expected over the four days of Showcase 2012, as ‘Ireland’s Creative Expo’ goes from strength to strength.

Now in its 36th year, the 2012 Showcase runs from January 22 to 25 inclusive and will feature 350 of the country’s leading designers, manufacturers and craftspeople. It is expected to attract more than 5,500 retail buyers from Ireland and over 17 countries around the world including North America, continental Europe and Japan, seeking out the best of Irish creativity.

“Creative Island” – a space dedicated to beautifully crafted products exclusively “Imagined, Designed and Made in Ireland” – has been expanded from 75 to 90 exhibitors, all chosen by an independent jury for their creativity, innovation and craftsmanship.

Showcase also features a wide range of other well known consumer brands including Tipperary Crystal, Belleek, Galway Crystal and Avoca. Making a return this year is Fisherman Out of Ireland from Kilcar in Co. Donegal in the North West of Ireland. The company offers a range of traditional styles and yarns in ladies and gents ranges and ships to the four corners of the globe.

One of the most exciting new developments at this year’s showcase will be Showcase Fashion 2012 – a bold presentation of the best of Irish fashion with a heritage slant from Irish Designer-makers, designers and manufacturers. The initiative will consist of a dramatic runway show at 6pm on Sunday, 22nd January, in the RDS displaying a selected seminal work from Ireland’s leading and up and coming fashion creative.

Other features at Showcase 2012 will be:

The Top 50 New Products Category, with an awards ceremony for the best products.
A Trends Area highlighting the hot products for 2012.
A new “Enterprise Zone” showing the fresh new talent of 15 counties within Ireland under the umbrella of their County Enterprise Boards.
Retailer Seminars with excellent speakers on business development, merchandising and trends forecasting.
Networking Events where visitors can meet new and old friends in a warm, hospitable and friendly environment.
Dedicated fashion displays around the main show highlighting key commercial and contemporary products from the show.

The Crafts Council of Ireland is the main driver behind Showcase which has become an important means of developing market opportunities for Irish business. Enterprise Ireland markets the show overseas and brings huge skills and experience in this area.

Ends – Monday, 19 December 2011

Media contact; Neans McSweeney, MD Media (086) 2620 355

Neans McSweeney

Senior Account Manager

md media

Butler Court

Patrick Street

Kilkenny

T 056 7770400

M 086 2620 355

F 056 7770433

neans@mdmedia.ie

www.mdmedia.ie

Fund raiser at cookery demonstration a massive hit

Top TV cook, Rachel Allen had made a very special “Trip to Tipp”, brought a little early festive cheer to the region and helped raise €3,000 for local charity as she hosted a Tipperary Food Producers Christmas Cookery Extravaganza.

Over 450 lovers of the region’s best food attended the Clonmel Park Hotel on Wednesday night (December 7th) to see the celebrity chef, who was assisted by Sarah Baker create special festive dishes made using the best of local Tipperary artisan food produce.

There festive gathering included a fund-raiser for the South Tipperary General Hospital Special Care Baby Unit, which is badly in need of much needed equipment. Supporters dug deep and the extravaganza raised a whopping €3,000 for the very worthy appeal.

Brid O’Mahony from the Special Care Baby Unit said the money will be put to very good use. “This money will go towards replacing one of our incubators which is now obsolete. It’s a very busy unit, caring for as many as five babies at any one time. We are very thankful to the organisers and to all who supported the event”

Rachel Allen, who is part of the world famous Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork and well known from her regular Television shows and for her bestselling cook books, prepared a variety of delicious dishes for the Tipperary food showcase. As well as her unique take on traditional Christmas favourites, she also offered exciting new ideas using the finest of local ingredients.

Among the dishes and delights prepared and served up were black pudding and Cashel Blue crustini, local pork and apples, apricot yogurt desserts and aromatic Focaccia. Supporters of the event also enjoyed Barbara Russell’s canapés and Sarah Baker’s sumptuous Tipperary Pork with blackpudding terrine, celeriac roulade and red onion marmalade. Imen McDonnell’s butter demonstration was also a huge hit.

The evening was organised by the Tipperary Food Producers Network, which is appealing to consumers this Christmas to support small, artisan food producers and to shop and buy local. Gary Gubbins of Red Nose Wine is renowned for his impeccable taste in wine and advised on the best wines to accompany the sumptuous dishes prepared on the night. He was also one of the chief organisers of the evening and thanked everyone for their support.

“This event took a lot of organising, effort and teamwork and we are thrilled with the outcome. As well as highlighting the abundance of fresh, local produce in this region this event raised badly needed funds for our local special care baby unit.

“Christmas is very much a time for giving and we are very thankful to everyone who supported this gala event and the local appeal. This money will be put to very good use and we are delighted to raise such a tally for a great cause in such tough economic times.”

Chairman of the Network Pat Whelan said it’s never been more important to support local businesses and shop locally. “For every €10 spent with local food businesses, €34 goes back to the local economy. But for every €10 spent with large retail multiples, only €16 is returned to the local economy. When consumers are going about their Christmas shopping over the coming days, we encourage them to think about supporting local jobs and choosing local produce. We have some of the best food on our doorstep here in Tipperary and we urge local people to support their local producers,” Mr Whelan said.

The Tipperary Food Producers network has 30 members who between them employ approximately 220 people with an annual turnover of over €24m. The network includes producers of meat, beverages and bread, soup, sweets, pastry, catering, dairy, cheese, farm shops, preserves and condiments, jams, fruit and vegetables.

Members of the network include Cashel Blue Cheese, Crossogue Preserves, Crowe Farm Meats, Cooleeney Cheese, Cloughjordan House, Baylough Cheese, Boulaban Farm, Brownes, Fine Foods Cashel, Hickeys Bakery, Mags Home Baking, Tipperary Kitchen, Inch House, James Whelan Butchers, Oakpark Foods, Ponaire Irish Handcrafted Coffee, Red Nose Wine, Russell Catering, Seymour Organic Farm, The Apple Farm, The Cookie Jar, The Scullery, O’Donnell’s crisps and The Auld Mill Bakery.

The Christmas Cookery Extravaganza was part of a strategy by the Tipperary Food Producers Network to develop into a regional brand. It is continually highlighting what Tipperary Food has to offer, and the natural linkages food has to the social, economic, tourism and cultural aspects of life in Tipperary.

www.tipperaryfoodproducers.com

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Photo Caption: At the Tipperary Food Producers event with Rachel Allen were: Pat Whelan (Chairman); Nora Egan, Inch House; Rachel Allen, chef; Gary Gubbins, Red Nose Wine and Cate McCarthy, The Cookie Jar. The event raised €3,000 for the Special Care Baby Unit in the local hospital.

Neans McSweeney

Senior Account Manager

md media

Butler Court

Patrick Street

Kilkenny

T 056 7770400

M 086 2620 355

F 056 7770433

neans@mdmedia.ie

www.mdmedia.ie

James Whelan Butchers opens new shop at the Avoca Food Market in Monkstown, Dublin
One of Ireland’s most innovative butchers, Pat Whelan from Clonmel, has brought his renowned specialist craft butcher business to Dublin with the opening of a meat emporium in the new Avoca Food Market in Monkstown.

In the eye of the harshest recession in history, Whelan is steadily growing his business and his new shop will be a veritable “altar to meat” at the food shrine that is the recently opened Avoca shop.

This is the first retail venture outside of Clonmel, Co Tipperary, for James Whelan Butchers in its 50 year history, and the unique shop represents an exciting new chapter in the company’s success story.

With the venture Pat Whelan is merging craft, skill, passion for food, and retail excellence into one wholesome, theatrical experience. It incorporates retail along with progressive ideas including butchery craft classes where groups can come, watch, learn and then salivate before tasting the best of meat.

The layout of the new shop has been carefully planned from every angle and is meticulously designed. It features three specially commissioned round butchers’ blocks made by Irish craftsmen from solid maple to resemble tree trunks.

This nature theme runs throughout this unique specialist craft butcher shop with all materials carefully chosen and natural where possible.

There is also a full glass wall that will allow customers the unusual sight of meat being aged and cuts being prepared for sale, giving them the opportunity to see meat and its preparation laid bare. For anyone interested in cooking and eating meat this will be nothing less than a haven.

According to Pat Whelan the butcher is the pivotal link between the customer and the land or farmer, hence his wish for a natural theme.

“All my meat is sourced either from my own farm and slaughtered in my own slaughterhouse, or locally in Tipperary. For me therefore the ‘farm to fork’ chain is a short one allowing me to stand confidently over every cut of meat which is key to the success of my business.”

Whelan created Ireland’s first online butchers, wwwjameswhelanbutchers.com, and today has a burgeoning internet business. Just like his real shops, the virtual shop is also a food destination. “Not only can you purchase meat but you can also watch video presentations on food and meat, pick up numerous tips or read entertaining regular blog entries.”

He has fully harnessed social media, including Facebook and Twitter, to drive his business and his website has won numerous awards and is highly regarded within the industry.

Pat Whelan also wrote the acclaimed book, An Irish Butcher Shop, which is to be followed next year by a new book, An Irish Butcher’s Kitchen.

Reflecting his appetite for innovation, Whelan has successfully produced his own Wagyu beef at his farm in Tipperary. This is a Japanese breed of beef sometimes referred to as Kobe beef, an area in Japan. ‘Wa’ means Japan and ‘Gyu’ means cow, and Wagyu meat is striking because of its wonderful marbling which results in unbelievable succulence that is guaranteed to send the taste buds reeling.

Whelan currently employs 30 people in his business which centres around a large retail shop in Clonmel and his growing online sales. He is adding five new staff to his workforce initially through his new development, and expects this number to grow in 2012.

The Avoca food shop opened in November and is offering a range of new food experiences under the one roof with 100 per cent focus on delicious, seasonal, Irish food, a perfect fit for Pat Whelan. The shop is bright and airy with a vintage retro style featuring distressed wooden tables topped in white marble, salvage greenhouse window frames.

Whelan says he is seeing an upside to austerity. “People are returning to basics and are going back to cooking their own food. They once again have time to explore food and want to shop where there is expertise and people with real knowledge that can help them.”

He added: “In a time of recession we want to draw our friends and family close and nourish and protect them. There is no greater way of expressing friendship than gathering people around a table and enjoying the simple act of breaking bread and sharing food. But it has to be great food. I have no doubt that this is the perfect time to open and there is a thrill in being aligned with the Avoca brand which sits so well with my own ethos.”

The new shop opened on Friday, December 9th. It will be open 7 days a week at Avoca Food Market, Monkstown.

www.jameswhelanbutchers.com

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Pat Whelan is available for interview at 087 2433100 . A selection of high res images are also available on request.

For more details contact:

Siobhan Donohoe, MD Media, 086 1727972, siobhan@mdmedia.ie

Neans McSweeney, MD Media, 086 2620 355, neans@mdmedia.ie

Many thanks,

Siobhan Donohoe,

md media,

Butler Court,

Patrick Street,

Kilkenny

AND

Rathfarnham,

Dublin 14

086 1727972/056 7770400

www.mdmedia.ie