Working, Living & Travelling In Ireland

Author: Katleen Bonjean

  • Are you due a refund from Revenue.ie ?

    Are you due a refund from Revenue.ie ?

    If you are reading this in January you are probably trying to figure out if there are ways to help you get over a super long month … maybe you are due a refund from revenue.ie ? Or maybe you are reading this and you are new to the Irish PAYE system, or maybe you have never claimed before and you have decided to up your game a little( yes, a deposit for your dream holiday could be on the cards!!)

    Looking for Cycle Trails in South Galway, check out the loops I have documented so far here !

    I recently did my ITR (Income Tax Return) on-line, and was pleasantly surprised I was due a refund from revenue.ie! The good part was, it was quite easy and it took only 3 days to get the refund from revenue.ie  in my account.Read on to find out if you are due a refund from revenue.ie by doing your Income Tax returns ( ITR) online for the previous year(s). I say years as if you have never done an Income Tax Return before ,you can go back 4 years. Hurray 🙂 Wouldn’t be nice to get a refund from revenue.ie ?

    Groundwork to do before you start the refund claim process

    I know, you are itching to press buttons who doesn’t want to find out if they are due a refund from revenue.ie … let’s get organized 🙂 Before you even start registering,  to find out if you are due a refund from Irish Revenue, I would do the following groundwork! 

    Start collecting all your bills :

    ->>Medical bills ( Doctor’s bill and health Insurance bills) , Tuition charges, nursing charges and if you are working remotely, your Broadband and Energy bills

    >>Put them in a physical folder and take a picture of them if you haven’t got them electronically already.

    ->> If you are all new to this, I would recommend you start an online bills folder in Google Photos or any other solution such as DropBox or Microsoft One Drive.

    TIP : I use Google Photos a lot, and as soon as I take a picture, it gets uploaded to my Google Photos account. To find out how to set that up on your phone, click here and select Android or Iphone. Once you have the picture, you will then be able to upload it to the Receipt Tracker on revenue.ie and any other places you may need to receipt to claim a refund.

    Luckily these days many of the bills already come in electric format, so it’s just a matter then to download the document so you can then upload it on the revenue.ie website, so you can claim your refund. Particularly for medical bills, you may need to upload it multiple times to claim a refund, more about that later.

    So where do you start to find out if you are due a refund from Irish Revenue?

    Register at revenue.ie – Check out this video 

    There are a number of videos on their Youtube Channel that will help you to find out if you are due a refund from Irish Revenue and detailed instructions for various situations.

    Select to do your Income Tax return ( Automatic)

    If you haven’t claimed for 2021/2020 yet, you’ll see an option in the portal that offers you an automatic calculation of your Tax Return, based on the details they already know such as your salary and your tax credits. (not including medical expenses)

    Did you know :

    • If due to covid ( or any other reason), you were unemployed in 2020/2021 and got a new job since, you are very likely due a refund from revenue.ie  The reason is that the monthly tax-free allowance assumes you work the full year. If therefore you only worked 20%, you are due a prorated refund from revenue.ie Keep on reading to find out how you can increase your refund.
    • If you were so lucky to get married in 2021, you may well be due a refund too from revenue.ie ( more holiday money 🙂 

    Check out this video that gives you all the steps !

    Have you Checked your Tax Credits, Reliefs and Exemptions.

    There are all kinds of ways to reduce your tax bill through a tax credit, a relief and an exemption. The explanation of each can be found here. To find out what you can claim for, check out this article.

    Have you added all our Health/Medical Expenses, you may well be due a refund from revenue.ie 

    In the past, claiming health expenses involved a cumbersome process of filling in a Med1 form you had to return by Post. A new feature has been added recently for Health expenses! They can be claimed now through your Income Tax (IT) return, making it that much easier to get a refund from Irish Revenue, using the Receipt tracker. Check out below video on how to use the new receipt tracker .

    Find out about Health Insurance Premiums that either you or your employer pay and the reliefs where available. Particularly when your employer pays your health insurance, you may not be aware that you can claim a tax relief, as you are getting taxed at source for receiving this Benefit in Kind. You’ll need to go quite detailed and specify the contribution that is made per member of your family, all to be found in the policy of your Health Insurance Provider. Health insurance can run into a few thousand euros a year, so it’s worth doing it.

    Don’t forget, If you have been/are going to the doctor, ask for a receipt. This receipt will come in handy when you do your Income Tax Return, regardless of whether you have health insurance or not. I say doctor, but there are many other health expenses that qualify, check out this article for more details.

    Question : My employer pays for my health Insurance, and I have a consultant’s receipt for 150 Euros.  I uploaded it with my insurer and they paid me 75 Euros. What do I do next?

    Answer : Use the same receipt, upload it on the receipt tracker on the website of revenue.ie Add a new claim by clicking on “manage your Tax 2022” >Add a new Credit > health >expand all >Select Health Expenses >> enter Gross relief( total amount you paid) >> Add your receipt.

    You will then come to a screen where you can specify the total amount, amount claimed elsewhere and the amount you wish to claim for. It is in that box you enter  ( in this example) 75 Euros.

    Nursing care expenses to consider

    If you or your spouse or civil partner need nursing home care, there are schemes you can apply for.

    Nursing Home Expenses Relief  You can claim tax relief on the nursing home expenses you pay for.

    • Nursing Home (Fair Deal) Loan Scheme :   The Nursing Home, or Fair Deal Loan Scheme is run by the Health Service Executive (HSE). The scheme offers financial support to  people who need long-term nursing home care. See the Nursing home (Fair Deal) Loan Scheme section for more information.
    • Exemption relating to medical expenses of incapacitated persons : You may be permanently incapacitated due to physical or mental illness. If you are, any gift or inheritance you receive to pay your medical expenses is exempt from Gift and Inheritance Tax. This can include the cost of your nursing home care.

    You can learn more about this exemption in Exemption for qualifying expenses related to physical or intellectual disability.

    Are you availing of (all)  Flat Rate Expenses ?

    Do take a look at the Flat Rate Expenses you may qualify for a flat rate expense that increases your tax credit. Whether you are a teacher, a radiographer, a shop assistant, a plumber/welder, a member of the philharmonic orchestra,  nearly all hotel-related jobs, your job is associated with a flat rate expense you can apply for. 

    Remote Working Relief ( E-Working), you may well be due a refund from revenue.ie

    Some employers pay their remote employees a daily amount. This is however not a benefit an employer has to pay. It’s worth to enquire with the HR Department if your company offers this “additional” benefit.

    For all other remote employees, you can claim a percentage for broadband and energy expenses.

    Until recently, you could only claim at the end of the year, and as the amounts are low, it was a big effort to collect all the bills and upload them. So really, a pain in the neck if you ask me. 

    Fast forward to 2022 and there are a few changes… the energy percentage was only 10%, this has been increased to 30% in budget 2022. With rising energy costs, this is one to keep in mind.  You can upload your bills as you get them in the receipt tracker  in your account ( The app has been deactivated) and the credit gets applied instantly ( so you will see a small increase in your salary) aka “ Instant Credits” Or see it as a small bonus you’ll get in January if you do your tax return then, the choice is yours 🙂

    Education : Tuition charges

    Are you upskilling by learning a foreign language or improving your IT skills? 

    Tuition fees paid 3rd level education

    Follow this link to find out how you can claim and approved courses and colleges 

    You can claim tax relief on qualifying fees (including the student contribution) that you have paid for third level education courses. The qualifying fees must be paid for an approved course at an approved college.

    The maximum amount you can claim is €7,000 per course, per person, per academic year. 

    Each claim is subject to a single disregard amount of €3,000 or €1,500 each tax year.

    The first €3,000 is disregarded for of a full-time student or €1,500 for of a part-time student. If you have paid fees for more that one student, this disregard amount will only be deducted from your claim once.

    Good luck doing your tax returns, and hope you are getting a refund!

    Katleen 

     

     

  • My 2021 in review

    My 2021 in review

    This is a long  blogpost with my 2021 in review

    January : #100daysofcycling & #Keepwell and #KeepActive

    #100daysofcycling

    With the 2nd(!) lockdown announced just before the new year, I really needed something to keep me going, and started my #100daysofcycling in January. I saw it through and saw amazing places. And I stayed sane..this then motivated me to explore further… once the lockdown was eased,  I couldn’t wait to go explore.. All I remember are bright sunny days and incredible landscapes- oh- I want to go back!! To check out the places I visited, click here.

    #Keepwell and #KeepActive

    Galway Sports Partnership organized this exciting programme – I became the leader for the Peterswell/Gort Community and combined cycling with walking every day! 

     

    February : #RedRoute5 

    Back in January 2021, I saw a Bridge that Gap posted a note on  Facebook that there was a public consultation to get feedback from the public to connect Athlone with Galway by means of Greenway/Cycleway.

    Bridge That Gap Post
    Announcement Public Consultation

    When I saw the map, I noticed that one of the proposed routes,  the Red Route ( because it was coloured red), was routed via Gort. I admit when I saw that, If had been on a bike, I would have fallen off it. But then I started to dream …..

    Back in 2019 I cycled a lovely, safe route from Gort to Coolepark, I wrote about it here, and called it the #GortMiniGreenway – if we can have a Mini- Greenway, why not have a REAL Greenway

    It was clear to me this was not an obvious choice, as all the other routes pretty much go via the middle of the country, some of them via old railway lines, and it was also the longest option, and there was also the added confusion with the yellow corridor… so we were outliers.

    I recommend you read Malcolm Gladwell’s Book Outliers: the Story of Success ( Affiliate link)

    The other communities had campaigned before, and as this outlier would be pretty much a Virgin Greenway ( as in not using previously made infrastructure) it nearly had a holy meaning to it all.

    Still, having been part of the community here in South Galway for almost 20 years, there is an immense beauty, heritage, history, music and major potential for the development of the area and there are strong community groups! Rural regeneration must be prioritized before communities die( I hate to use that word, but the reality is that services in most of the smaller villages have been phased out with post offices and local shops closing and public transport tailed back) so except for the fact that people still live there, it has an eerie feeling at times.. ( sorry for the negativity here). 

    There is however the lifestyle factor, people wanting to exercise, get fit, and learn and explore their area — cycling and walking is ideal for that. Also, Failte Ireland seems to think this, and there is this massive shift from a far more experience bases experience, connected with places… and their people …

    This time the development would have to be of a different nature, as constructing a huge factory up the Aughty Mountains just isn’t going to work is it.. So what else is there??? 

    I guess I don’t have all the answers, but clearly Slow Tourism, sustainable tourism is high on the agenda of many.

    For the next 6 weeks, we campaigned to create awareness of the opportunity/potential of the Greenway to come via South and East Galway.

    Looking back ( as at the time it was all very agile as they say) 🙂

    1. I organized a zoom call with the 5 local councillors to formulate our plan to promote and advocate this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of investment in our region and to ask for their buy-in 
    2. Set up a meeting with the project office, to understand what their priorities were and the scorecard used
    3. Set up a FB Group ( not a page) 
    4. Set up a Free Website 
    5. Set up Twitter/Instagram
    6. Agree on a few # to use #RedRoute5 #RedRouteCycleWay and later on #Route5IsAlive
    7. Engage with the community, their leaders , groups, Schools and not to forget, Businesses 

    When I say “we”, there were a few drivers ( and a lot of supporters!!!!)  that decided to give this a go and pull out all stops to have a go at this opportunity – sure, what’s six weeks …

    David Murray, who has done/is doing tremendous work on various local projects, including South Galway Vision, South Galway Floods Bio Gas Plan, and the very exciting Gort River Walk. He has long been involved with projects to do with water and rivers and has a large number of personal connections with farmers and locals in the area. His knowledge and expertise in this area, coupled with his ability to visualise and connect the proposed Greenway as a way to connect communities and other existing initiatives such as the Shannon Master Plan, really helped us to shape our vision.  David created the website, added content, wrote blog posts and as the FB Group developed, added content that was being shared in the Facebook Group.

    Katleen Bell-Bonjean ( Me),  blogging on this website for 10 years, self-confessed social media addict, with an interest in business, enterprise. nature, tourism, and a newfound love for cycling. I set up a Facebook Group called Gort Cycle Trails to document Safe Cycle trails in the region of the Burren Lowlands. Languages are also my thing and have always worked in Pan European Enterprises, primarily looking after customers, using my languages( Dutch, French, German and English).I had been made redundant in  November 2020, and had just successfully completed a Diploma in Digital Marketing. I had time, time I wouldn’t have now, as I recently started a new job:)

    I looked after the Social Media Channels, created content and had a taste of what it must feel like to head up a fully-fledged social media campaign and also what it must feel like when you are canvassing ( for votes). The lockdown really limited our ability to really talk to people on the ground as the furthest we could travel was 5 km and there were Garda checkpoints in various places. Living where I live, this barely brings me to my nearest petrol station. I had brochures that were destined for Gort and  Oranmore. To avoid the Garda checkpoints,  I travelled from Gort via Kinvara and Ballinderreen to Kilcolgan, Clarinbridge and Oranmore. I was never so happy to make it to Oranmore where I handed over the brochures to Mairin O’Reilly from Bridge That Gap that would distribute them to some of the estates there. It gave me a taste of what it must feel when you are a fugitive.I called into as many businesses as possible and talked to anyone that was willing to listen. Though our Facebook group was hopping, people on the street that were not on Social Media had not heard about it or needed help to read the map with the 5 routes. 

    Karen O’Neill –  Up until recently, I was volunteer secretary and Social media person at the Burren Lowland CLG, whose objectives are to make the region of the Burren Lowlands a better place to live, visit and work. During my time volunteering there I worked ( and still do) very closely with another gem of a person Karen O’Neill. Grassroots community activist and a master at connecting with so many people, built relationships, achieving a true shift in the region. Karen also loves cycling and took me on my earlier trips around Ardrahan. In 2019 Burren Lowlands was successful in applying for funding for an Enterprise Business developer, who recently opened the first Remote working, Covid proofed Enterprise hub in Gort called Forgeworks. Karen also drove the completion of the rejuvenation of the Gort Market Square. ( And other projects, Karen never runs out of ideas!!)

    Our 5 local councillors supported our maverick campaign, and as the Facebook Group grew, people were adding stories and most importantly images of places, places that most of us, had never heard about before. There was a fervour in the area that I have never experienced, all rooting for the same aim…. Promoting the potential of the Greenway, which David Murray wrote about on our website here.

    Some of the highlights for me were when Hilda O’Grady suggested we’d reach out to the schools in Gort and Kinvara. Northampton school did a great project on the Red Route.

    An outdoor meeting in front of Sullivan’s hotel at the Gort Market Square that was only meant to be with 1 or 2 teachers, turned out in a much bigger event with several teachers, including the principal Brian Crossan,  Aoife Lynskey Keane, Marian Gardiner and Clora Neilan with their Transition year students, all supporting the Red Route 5. I had asked Susanne Wunsch to call over to do one video. Suffice it to say Susanne did a few videos, below are just a few of them!

     

    As the campaign grew to a close, Gort Community School produced this video – I loved it . For some reason I can’t embed it, you can check it out here!

    The last few days were exhausting, I created lot’s of short videos, all encouraging people to submit their feedback…. It took me about 2 weeks to recover .. Was it worth it???

    March  & Dangerous driving

    Now that I was really getting into exploring, I wanted to record where I was cycling. One of my sons had a GoPro ( he never used it) so I bought it off him and set off. I am glad to tell the tale, as I very nearly got killed. You can check out my article about how to report dangerous driving  As a follow-up, I received an update in September that it was indeed a case of dangerous driving and awaiting court proceedings.

    April-May-June-July

    As there are 18 communities in the Burren Lowlands, I decided I’d go to each and find a loop I could cycle. I wasn’t disappointed. I found many… I started to document them, you can find them here. This was for me a profound experience and really took me to places I‘d seen on the #RedRoute5 such as Ballinderreen. Highlights were cycling from Corofin to Carron, Boston/Kilkeedy via Loughbunny and the Father Ted House, and a bit off the path, Tawin Island – seeing them for myself really made me realize what a beautiful area we really live in. ( written articles in progress) My only reservation was that it’s ONLY accessible by bike /or foot and large throngs of cars let alone coaches wouldn’t be viable.

    I raised almost 1000 Euros for Cycle Against Suicide – a tribute to my funky anty Leen Bonjean in Belgium.

    Gort Cycle Bus  – Aoife Lynskey started an initiative for transition years to cycle from Ardrahan into Gort, I helped out as a marshal.

    August – Visit to Belgium

    Visiting my parents in Belgium in August, gave me the opportunity to cycle there with them, and see what the cycle infrastructure looks like ( and what e-bikes are all about). A few things jumped out for me… no one was wearing helmets or high Viz jacket, and it looked like everybody over 60 was given an Ebike( no, they weren’t), and only those under 18 were on a regular bike. Cycled a beautiful country route called Trappist route and had a beautiful day too.

    Bike in Front of Trappists Abbey in Westmalle
    Bike in front of trappists Abbey Westmalle

    I then went cycling in Ypres, as a friend of mine had asked me about Ypres/Ieper. I didn’t plan this very well( haha) and just caught the train, arrived in Ieper, rented an electric bike for the first time, no maps, no nothing. I followed a marked cycle route ( see markers) for the Vredesroute – 45 km – amazing cycle – great weather — it was an especially fantastic ride, as I had just had my final Zoom interview and was told I was starting a new job in September and that I got funding to set up a #bikeweek event too  — hurray – persistency finally paid off. Feast of famine.. when it rains, it pours!

    Seeing those marked signs, I thought to myself, maybe I should get markers for ( some) of my loops too – so that is my next plan

    Around the same time, I also heard I was accepted on the Cyceright Training course ( evening course with a practical over a weekend)

    September : Bikeweek and Cycleright Training Course

    Bikeweek takes place in September,  30 people registered, 40 people turned up – it was truly a fabulous day…. Cycling our #GortMiniGreenway reminded me …what if we would get a Greenway ….Check out the write up here.

    Completed the CycleRight Training course and took part in weekend practical – I am still dreaming about look – signal – look 

    November – Cyclist.ie Executive committee 

    I put myself forward as a new member of the Cyclist.ie executive team, as the voice for rural cycling in South Galway. The AGM took place and I was elected. I really look forward to working with other cycle advocates around Ireland, so much to learn!

    December 

    Cycling the Limerick Greenway 

    The Limerick Greenway is the nearest Greenway to us, so a few of us got together to check it out. It was a particularly frosty morning, but it was dry.. And it was sunny…Great experience altogether 

    Cycling on this perfectly smooth surface, with windmills in the background my mind went into overdrive… we could have such views too if we are successful with our #RedRoute. I’ll be setting up an event soon, if you’d like to cycle the LimerickGreenway with others, sign up is here.

    Big News #RedRoute5

    Oh yes..so this was brewing in the background – the announcement was due on the 8th – I had been following the press, but didn’t have any insights… and then on the 6th of December, seemingly news had been leaked ahead of the “official “ announcement !! David Murray rang me to tell me that our route was chosen and I was sworn to secrecy… If  I had been on my bike, I would have fallen off it. I was in disbelief… but also extremely ecstatic …. Omg …. We did it….

    Map Red Route Corridor

    Within an hour of that conversation, the news was on Galway Bay FM. It was a Monday and poured myself a glass of wine to celebrate — when communities rally together, great results can be achieved! Check out the Blog article on our website for more detail!

    Image of me holding a glass with Prosecco
    Toasting to Red Route Preferential Corridor

    The following day Galway County Councillor were briefed and announcements were made – Congratulations poured in… there were also many, many disappointed communities .. their disappointment was palpable. Really, all those proposed Greenways should be built( where possible) and serious investment and engineering is needed to once and for all have segregated cycle lanes — I am hopeful this will be the impetus for Galway County Council to really seize the day and do just that!  I have always wondered if I have done anything to contribute to the next generation – my mind is at rest!

    #GortChristmasCycle

    Having attended the #OranmoreChristmasCycle,  I thought, why not set one up in Gort. So I set up #GortChristmasCycle via Eventbrite.. Sullivans Hotel sponsored hot drinks. I thought there would be a good turnout..I hadn’t expected 143!! People to join… also that day, blue skies and not a drop of rain… I will be forever grateful to Nadine Reichel for taking pictures, Karen and Sean for locating a Santa Costume and the many people that turned up and the marshals that helped out to. 

    On another note, we had planned to celebrate Christmas in Belgium- It’s been 6 years since we celebrated Christmas there…. Flights were booked… Coronavirus levels were so high again, and as my parents are turning 80 next year, we decided not to go to at Christmas and stay home instead. It’s all a bit blurry, but managed to watch 8 episodes of #MarriedatFirstsightAustralia.  I have learnt that even when the “professionals” match you with your perfect partner, they get it wrong…. Before starting to watch episode 9, I Googled to find out about a few of the couples ( that I thought were getting on mighty), and found out it hadn’t worked out, so I didn’t watch the other episodes

    It was my big birthday at the end of the year … it wasn’t the tuxedo party with bluegrass music and champagne I have been dreaming about – I am hopeful there will be a time in 2022 to have a garden party to do just that!

    Chocolate Cake 50th Birthday

     

    Thank you for reading & happy, healthy 2022!

    XXX

    Katleen 

     

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  • Visit to CastleTaylor Woodland near Ardrahan

    Visit to CastleTaylor Woodland near Ardrahan

    Where is CastleTaylor Woodland?

    Today’s blogpost is taking you for a visit to CastleTaylor Woodland near Adrahan. Join my Facegroup group here! CasteTaylor Woodland is situated on a road locally known as the  ” Dark Road”.  It’s indeed a dark road as you can see due to the number of trees on the road. 

    The Dark Road in CastleTaylor

    Castletaylor Woodlands is located off the R347 road north of Ardrahan village in Co Galway. The Woods themselves are in Adrahan, the road, which is quite long, brings you ultimately to Kilcolgan!

    Here is a map that will help you find it. Click on the +/- sign on the bottom left to zoom in/zoom out.

    It’s also on this road ( on the Adrahan side) you’ll find the Adrahan Pumpkin Patch and an impressive ruin of the estate of the Taylors. If you are into history, I recommend you read a book called” Tracing the Taylor’s of Kilchreest ” written by Gerry Kearney and available in local shops and online.

    Funny enough I did know about the “Dark Road” but had never noticed the board for CastleTaylor Woodland. It was only when a friend of mine that lives near took me for a walk, I had the opportunity to explore it. I’ll have to return on my bike, and map another loop. Check out the loops I have mapped so far.

    Coilte Information Board CastleTaylor Woods
    Picture of the board at CastleTaylor Woodland

    Where to park at CastleTaylor Woodland

    There are a few places you can park, the main place to park has an information board. The other places to park are smaller and don’t have a barrier.

    The terrain at CastleTaylor Woods

    The terrain at CastleTaylor Woods can be a bit rough, and it requires climbing some stones/walls, some of the paths can be muddy ( I walked it late October) so not suitable for buggies.  It is a great place to take your dog for a walk and have a run in the woods! It’s also very much a great example of forest bathing – immersing yourself in nature, I highly recommend it!

     

    Things to see at the CastleTaylor Woods

    CastleTaylor Woods with its narrow lanes brings you deep into dense woods yet there are also some open spaces.

    In the past, conifers and beech have been planted on the deeper soils overlying the limestone and these plantations have suppressed the native limestone flora. CastleTaylor Woods is part of a Coilte Project to restore priority woodland habitats.  The restoration techniques within the project will be managed to allow for the natural regeneration of the native tree species such as ash, yew, holly and spindle. The bulk of the activity will involve removal of the non-native trees and invasive shrubs, securing the site and the manual planting of yew.

    The limestone in this area is clint-gryke type  ( the type you’ll also find in the upper Burren) and is largely undisturbed pavement with small pockets of limestone grassland and heath, dense scrub, and woodland. The diversity of species include blue moor grass (Sesleria Albicans), bloody cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum), devil’s bit scabious (Succisa pratensis), wood sage (Teucrium scorodonia), burnet rose (Rosa pimpinellifolia), and wild thyme (Thymus praecox). There are also ferns, bracken, mosses and orchids present. Juniper and mountain avens are common. The hazel is encroaching throughout the project site and stands of ash have developed among the diverse plant community. There are examples of blackthorn, whitethorn, rowan, spindle and whitebeam on the site.

    Walks to do at CastleTaylor Woods

    At the moment, there are no signposts in the CastleTaylor Woodland, so you are guided by the paths that other walkers have walked. i recommend you walk it with someone who has walked it before to guide you. The walk I did was a circular walk, where I walked back via the dark road. This walk was 2.6 km and it took me 46 minutes.

    Halloween approaching, there was a lot of Halloween decoration, this was just one of the many decorations on the dark road!

    The horse on top of the Sluice Valve definitely caught my eye!

    My friend mentioned there is a way to do an 8 shaped walk so I’ll have to go back to figure out how to do that one!

    If you are looking for other loops you can do on your bike or by foot, check out my ever-growing list!

    PS. I am currently doing a fundraiser for Gort Cancer Care, Donations can be made via my Facebook Fundraiser! 

     

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  • Custom Charges with An Post

    Custom Charges with An Post

    Custom Charges 

    How are you all keeping?? It’s been a long 18 months since Covid hit us!  Remember Brexit ??? Yup, that’s still going on as well, and with that, all those pesky scam calls and texts( how did they get my details, who made a fast buck with my details!!)

    So far I hadn’t gotten stung with an unexpected bill. This changed the other day when I received a postcard from An Post letting me know there were Custom charges to be paid on a parcel – not a text message, not a phone call.

    It took me a while to figure out what it was I had ordered, and then I finally remembered, it was a  photobook. I have ordered from them before, so was a bit surprised that I had to pay these charges. Anyway, I paid up online as I was quite proud I had succeeded to make a photo album of our yearly InishBofin Trip. 

    Photobook
    Picture of Photobook

    I wrote them a little message to let them know I hadn’t quite expected the “extra” charges. They were apologetic and refunded the extra charges. 

    What did I learn?

    Ignore all those pesky text messages- don’t respond to them, simply delete or even better block the sender. If it’s coming by regular post, you’ll get a postcard with the bad news – it will have details on how to pay, and once paid, you’ll get your parcel.

    If you hadn’t expected these custom charges, drop an email to the company, many companies are still implementing the new rules or An Post is still catching up getting the right rules in place.

    Greetings from Peterswell,

    Katleen

     

     

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  • Visit to the WildAtlanticSeaWeedBaths

    Visit to the WildAtlanticSeaWeedBaths

    Hi all,

    Today’s post is about our visit to the WildAtlanticSeaWeedbaths!

    If you are looking for Gort Cycle Trails, check out this link, with loops I have mapped in the Burren Lowlands.

    We drove out to NewTownLynch Pier in Kinvara on Saturday– instructions below. It was a most beautiful day!

    If you are familiar with Traught Beach, you’ll be heading the same way, until there is a fork, just before the Travellers’ rest.  Take the left fork and keep to your right, until you come to a bend. Take the (small) road to the right, that brings you to the Pier.

    Picture of people sitting in a whiskey barrel

     

    Tell me more about WildAtlanticSeaWeedBaths

    It’s a mobile business that sets up around the Western SeaBoard, check out the WildAtlanticSeaWeedBaths website here. They use Whiskey barrels also referred to as baths and fill them with lovely heated Ocean water, seaweed is added. A real treat to your skin and your mind!

    How to arrange WildatlanticSeaWeedBaths

    As this is a mobile business, you’ll have to join their email /text message service here or follow their social media pages here Facebook Instragram , where they advise where they are setting up next. Spots go every quickly – so once you get a notification, I  recommend you act fast to secure your spot!

    Okay, how much does a visit to the WildAltanticSeaWeedBaths cost?

    It’s 40 Euros for one person, to be paid online. If there is a second person, you can pay an additional 20 Euros cash. Yes, two people fit in the barrel. More info here 

    How long is the visit to the WildAtlanticSeaWeedBaths?

    Each visit is 1 hour  – if the water in the whiskey barrel cools town, you can ask for a top up!

    What to bring for your visit to the WildAtlanticSeaWeedBaths

    The day we visited, the weather was dry and wind still, so all we needed to bring was a towel and a swimsuit. A while back we also went for a visit to the WildAtlanticSeaWeedbaths. It was one hell of a windy, cold day.. some people obviously had done this before and had brought a dressing gown and a hat! So it all depends on the weather really:) 

    Would you recommend a visit to the WildAtlanticSeaWeedBaths

    Yes! Absolutely! It’s such a treat, overlooking beautiful scenery, immersed in hot water.. you really don’t want to leave. It would also make a great gift as it’s quite a unique experience! I am already planning our next trip!

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  • Cycling the #GortMiniGreenway

    Cycling the #GortMiniGreenway

    Hi all,

    Back in 2019 I cycled Gort’s Mini-Greenway with a friend so I thought that would be an ideal loop cycling the #GortMiniGreenway for #BikeWeek2021 . It’s a 9.2 km loop starting from the Gort Railway Station, via Glenbrack ( which I renamed the #GortMiniGreenway) into Coole Park and then return over the motorway bridge onto the main road, back into Gort. 

    If you like cycling for fun ( and love eating cake),  join my  Facebook Group Gort Cycle Trails 

    Using EventBrite to set up an event for #BikeWeek2021

    I messaged a few people with the registration link, put it onto Twitter and very quickly I had 26 reservations.  Towards the end, there were a few cancellations that were very quickly snapped up by others that were interested to join the Cycle. The one headache/concern I had was insurance for such an event. I recently joined Cyclist.ie which put me in contact with many more rural cycling initiatives, and the added perk of insurance…  so that part was covered. Definitely recommend using EventBrite so you know who has committed to coming.

    RSA & Galway Sports Partnership goodies  and Drink Bottles

    Thanks to the very efficient team at both RSA and Galway Sports Partnership they turned around my order super fast and I received a number of drawstring bags, high viz backpack covers,  safety straps, facemasks. All ready for cycling the #GortMiniGreenway !

    RSA High Viz Drawstring Bags
    Cyclists at the Gort Railway Station, Draw String bags against the wall

    I separately ordered Drink Bottles via Printon Galway. I highly recommend them as they got my order printed in time!

    Image of drink bottles that has Gort Cycle Trails printing on it
    Drink bottles for BikeWeek

    I’d love to see pictures in my Facebook Group of people using the #GortCyCleTrails bottles – please post them in the group!

    Additionally, I also got Wheely Lights for the kids! Did anyone succeed to actually install them? (Click on the image to order)

    Wheely Lights - click to order via Amazon
    Image Wheely Lights

    Hot Drinks and Bailey’s Chocolate Cake at Coole Park TeaRooms

    Part of the funding I received from Galway Sports partnership  for cycling the #GortMiniGreenway was for the participants to get treated to hot drinks and cake from the Coole Park Tea Rooms…  I pre-ordered for almost 40 people so there was no congestion — it all worked out perfectly. Big thank you to the Coole Park Tea Rooms for having it all perfectly organized and ready .

    Image of Chocolate Bailey's Cake Coole Park Tea Rooms

     

    #RailAndBike

    I decided I wanted to invite people to come to Gort by rail and pay for their Return Trip. I had added this as part of the funding, and 5 people came from Galway and 5 people came from Ennis! Check out the video I took as the Ennis Group arrived at the Gort Railway Station.

    As I was booking the tickets, I realized there were very limited spaces available to book Rail Tickets with bikes. Turns out that there is a maximum of 2 bikes that can be booked in on the train that comes from Limerick or Galway. Luckily they were all let on, but it does make me wonder if more people would use the train to get into Galway/Gort and bring a bike, if they can’t actually book their bike online, they may not choose that way to travel.

    Safety First

    Setting up an event requires you to ensure the participants are as safe as they can be, so I did a short safety talk, recorded by Lilya, who has been promoted to the chief photographer for Gort Cycle Trails. 

    Picture of Lily
    Image taken at the Gort River Walk

    Check out the safety talk here before we headed off cycling the #GortMiniGreenway 

     

    Thanks to my husband who drove the front car, and Karen O’Neill for driving the back car. Couldn’t have done it without your help!

    David and myself
    The hubby and myself
    Image of Karen O'Neill and Myself
    Karen O’Neill and myself
    Image of the Back Car for our cycle
    The Back Car following those cycling the #GortMiniGreenway 

    I am currently taking a Cycle Right course by Cycling Ireland to become a Qualified Safe Cycle Instructor and it’s thanks to this course I was able to talk about some basics, such as when and how to break, what to look for etc. There is more to cycling than meets the eye.

    Garda Help

    Setting up an event also requires you to do a risk analysis, so I cycled the route again to remind myself where there are risks, and there are quite a few. I contacted the Local Garda Station who were extremely helpful and provided us with our very own escort from the Gort Railway Station to just past the Roundabout. 

    Image of Garda Car
    Gort Garda helping us out to stop traffic at the roundabout

    Once we left Coole Park on our return journey, I rang the Garda to stop traffic so we could safely cross the main road back into Gort. Looking back this really made the cycle very enjoyable, the look of surprise on people’s faces as they saw a sea of people cycle on the streets of Gort was priceless.

    I had a dream

    I think it was when we were campaigning for #RedRoute5 I had this vision /dream of seeing a sea of people cycle in Gort. I hadn’t really given it much thought until I looked back on our way to the roundabout and saw…. A sea of people..

    picture of people cycling in Gort
    Sea of People on the streets of Gort on their way cycling the #GortMiniGreenway 

    Also looking back as we were cycling the #GortMiniGreenway, I saw a sea of people cycling and smiling

    Image of lot's of people cycling
    Happy people cycling the #GortMiniGreenway

    Call me sensitive, but I cried….. A dream came through when I least expected it.

    Videos taking during the Event.

    One of my favourite clips is this one where Amelia – 5 years old, heads up the whole group and we are just turning into the #GortMiniGreenway — the weather was on our side at that point:) 

    Here is a longer clip I created from the footage I took on my phone.

    Thanks also to Joe( Amelia’s dad) for taking this footage on his rear-facing camera whilst cycling the #GortMiniGreenway 

    Go Pro Footage from Gort to Coole Park cycling the #GortMiniGreenway 

    What’s next? 

    Well, I have been talking about the Woodford to Flagmount cycle quite a bit now, it’s 25 km one way, but it is not the easiest of cycles( read = hills). If you are interested to join this cycle, just fill in this form (if you haven’t already ) and I’ll be in touch when we will do this one ( very likely next year) 

    Another cycle on my radar is the newly opened Limerick Greenway. It’s 45 kms but it’s flat – so that’s the one I’d like to cycle first.. As it’s a Greenway, there is no need for Garda etc, making it quite a bit easier to organize it. All you need to bring is a bike  ( or rent one) and bring good humour.  I haven’t planned it yet. Register if you are interested to join this one – I do hope to get this done before the end of the year, the sooner the better… just need a semi-dry day for it:)

    Come say hello in the FaceBook Group or contact me here.

    Thanks all for coming & Thanks for sharing!

    Katleen

    #GortCycleTrails #SafeCycleTrails #BurrenLowlands 

     

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  • Fundraising via Facebook or Idonate – what works best?

    Fundraising via Facebook or Idonate – what works best?

     

    At the end of April I saw an ad on Facebook to raise funds for Cycle Against Suicide. As I have been cycling pretty much every day, I thought I’d give it a go. The aim was to raise 500 Euros and cycle 670 km by the end of May. Funds will then be used to train somebody in my community to become a buddy to help someone vulnerable.

    CycleAgainstsuicide

    Questions is now what works best, fundraising via Facebook or Idonate?

    Fundraising via Idonate

    When I signed up for the fundraiser for Cycle Against Suicide , an Idonate account was set up for me straight away. I shared my fundraiser on Social media (Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin), and got a few donations. 

    I was then able to provide updates on my specific fundraiser. The update field allows for text and image.

    Update fields Idonate Fundraiser

    I downloaded the very handy App on my mobile and add images to the gallery that turn into a slideshow.

    If you use any of the mainstream fitness trackers, you can connect them so your supporters can see exactly how many kilometres you have cycled! I use FitBit and that connects to Strava – so I didn’t have to keep track of how many kilometres I cycled. I am not entirely sure that it is always accurate, as on a few occasions I had cycled, and it took a while for the numbers to update.

    Stats I donate Fudr

    Funds Raised : 140 Euros

    Click here to donate via Idonate.

    Fundraising via Facebook/Instagram 

    Fundraising as an individual

    I then noticed equally I could fundraise directly via Facebook and Instagram. Facebook takes no fee,  I thought I’d do the two, and see what works best. Once I set up the fundraiser on Facebook, it was very easy to invite friends, share updates and also see the progress % and funds raised. As you can see I raised 600 Euros, where 26 people donated! Thank you! 

    Facebook Fundraiser cycleagainstsuicide

    Click here to donate on Facebook  as an individual

    Fundraising as a page on Facebook

    One of the days I posted an image on Instagram on my mobile and this image goes to my Facebook page. There is an option then to attach a fundraiser to the image on the page, so I selected Cycle Against Suicide – ending up with a SECOND Facebook fundraiser, this time on a page.

    I didn’t find that scenario as easy as fundraising as an individual, as it seems to create a separate fundraiser per post, so wouldn’t recommend that!

    Funds Raised : 70 Euros

    Click here to donate on Facebook ( goes to fundraiser as an individual)

    Facebook page Fundraiser Cycle Against Suicide

    Instagram

    Instagram offers the option to fundraise. Attaching the fundraiser on Instagram was easy, and it says on your profile for 30 days . 

    Neither Facebook or Instagram have an option to link it to your fitness tracker.

    Instagram Fundraiser

    Fund raised : 80 Euros

    Click here to donate via Instagram

    The Verdict?

    Fundraising via Idonate or Facebook, what works best? On this occasion, Facebook fundraising wins, hands-down! Facebook does recommend you invite 270 friends and provide updates.  I am quite active on Facebook and have a lot of Facebook friends so that may explain why the Facebook Fundraiser took off faster than the IDonate!

    The moment I provided updates with pictures of my cycle adventures and thanked donors for their donation, donations started to come in from friends around the world and also local people that “ know” me from Facebook.

    Some of my friends didn’t like donating via Facebook or Instagram, and preferred to donate via Idonate so definately a channel not to ignore!

    How much have I raised so far?

    As of Today 24th  of May In,  I have raised 890 Euros in total for Cycle Against Suicide. Thank you very much for your support!!

    140    Euro via Idonate     

    670  Euro via Facebook  

    80     Euro via Instagram 

    I have set myself a target to raise another 310 Euros by the end of May so 3 people can get trained to become a buddy!

    How far have I cycled?

    I have cycled just over 180km – I know already I will not meet the target of cycling 670 km!

    Thank you for your support on your preferred channel:) & sharing this post!

    Katleen

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  • #GortCycleBus Information Session – Wednesday 19th of May, 5 PM

    #GortCycleBus Information Session – Wednesday 19th of May, 5 PM

    Have you heard about a  #CycleBus ? Is there an interest in a #GortCycleBus ? Want to find out more what this would mean for #Gort?

    To find out more what a #CycleBus is, how it works, how you can get involved, give input, I have set up an information session!

    Join us to learn more about what a cyclebus is & how it all works & how you can get involved, Q&A session
    📍When : Wednesday 19th of May , 5 PM
    📍Where : MS Teams Meeting – Click on the link below to join:

    Join the meeting on your computer or mobile app
    https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_OWM4ZjA0MTctMjhmYy00ZWMyLThiMDAtNWU3NjExZTdiNTQ2%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%222356e3eb-2e4a-45f8-ae90-f4737ba99c15%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%220e1f8b4b-6827-442f-a7f4-5443b82d34bb%22%7d

    Check out this video of the Cyclebus in Clarinbridge to get an idea what a cyclebus is!

    Contact me here if you have any questions!

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  • 5 Loops to Cycle in the Burren Lowlands this May Bankholiday #GortCycleTrails

    5 Loops to Cycle in the Burren Lowlands this May Bankholiday #GortCycleTrails

    Hi all,

    Making plans to go for a cycle this May Bank Holiday? Let me give you 5 loops you can cycle/walk in the Burren Lowlands. Support my fundraiser for #CycleAgainstSuicide #ShareTheLoadOnTheRoad  I am also planning a community cycle from Woodford to Flagmount – if you are interested in this, sign up here to get updates.  Join the Gort Cycle Trails Facebook group here.

    Mary’s Walk Peterswell

    Mary’s Walk Peterswell – 5 Kms —  Peterswell is approximately 10 Kms from Gort and has a number of walking loops and cycle trails( OK, the higher up you go, the more muscle power you need) I mapped Mary’s walk a while back! Mary’s Walk does have a few hills, so if you are cycling, I recommend you do the cycle clockwise ( I walk some of it where the hills are too taxing), but very doable… Beautiful country views on very quiet roads. Instructions here.

    Gort’s Mini-Greenway

    Gort’s Mini -Greenway – 5 kms ( one way)—  This is a hidden treasure that very few people know about – a very safe way to cycle or walk into Coole Park from Gort! Walk or cycle into Coole Park and reward yourself with your favourite tea/coffee, delicious sandwiches and cake at Coole Park Tea-Rooms ( I’ll have one of their rocky roads any day – tell them I sent you) Instructions here.

    Sean Bingham Mausoleum Ardrahan 

    Sean Bingham Mausoleum Adrahan – 10 km — Also this is a little treasure I’d recommend you check out… It’s a gentle cycle, starting from Labane ( or you can start from Ardrahan). Bring a picnic to eat at the picnic table and enjoy the views. Instructions here. If you are looking for a longer cycle, check out the Adrahan Drumharsna Castle and Old Mile Stones Bikeride here.

    Thoor Ballylee to Gort RiverWalk Via Kiltartan Gregory Museum

    Skehanagh -ThoorBallylee – Gort River Walk – Kiltartan Gregory Museum Loop – 20 Km  This is a very nice cycle/walk on (mostly very quiet scenic roads) from Thoor Ballylee into Gort via the Gort River Walk. It would make a great day out, take your time, enjoy a picnic at the Gort River Walk, at Thoor Ballylee or at Kiltartan Gregory Museum. Instructions here.

    Join my Facebook Group Gort Cycling Trails and let me know if you cycled or walked any of the trails, what you thought about them, and if there are other cycle trails that should be mapped in the #burrenlowlands 

    For a full list of #SafeCycleTrails  and maps I have mapped so far, click here. I have done a lot of cycling in the last few weeks, and will be adding a number of new loops shortly!

    Gort Cycle Trails raising funds for #CycleAgainstSuicide

    I am currently raising funds for #CycleAgainstSuicide to raise 500 Euros to train someone in the community to become a buddy. The Community buddy programme trains and equips participants with the practical, hands-on skills and knowledge they need to deliver support to those in mental health distress in their local communities.  Donations can be made via Idonate , Facebook and Instagram or simply click on the below image !

    Have a great May Bank Holiday

    Katleen

     

     

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