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The McEnroy Family of Carrickmakeegan, Ballinamore, County Leitrim – their involvement in the Land War, War of Independence and the Civil War in Ireland alongside World War I, the Malabar Rebellion and World War II

Back in 2025 I wrote a post about the importance of having hobbies and interests outside of your work and the positive impacts that they can have. At that time, I had carried out extensive research on my Great Grandfather Brian McEnroy and his role as Secretary of Glenade Land League. I had discovered that as a result of organising and participating in an “illegal assembly” during the Land War in Ireland, he was sentenced to 3 months imprisonment with hard labour.

I set about writing an article on the event and it was published in the Breifne Journal 2023 and online on the Friends of Sligo Gaol website and the Irish Heritage News website. The article is also listed in the Royal Irish Academy Library. However, I knew that the story had to be continued as Brian and his wife Brigid Baxter had 11 children, each of whom had a story to tell themselves.

And so, earlier this year, I set about the mammoth task of putting the story of James, Kate, Patrick, Bernard (my grandfather), Mary, John, Brigid, Anne, Nora, Michael and Margaret McEnroy into one article. The title states the different wars and military battles that they took part in, but the siblings had more life stories to tell than just that.

The Breifne Journals 2023 and 2026 can be purchased by contacting the Breifne Historical Society.

McEnroy Family of Carrickmakeegan – their involvement in the Land War, the War of Independence and the Civil War in Ireland alongside WWI, the Malabar Rebellion and WW2 Carrick on Shannon Historical Society – Lecture on Brian McEnroy February 2023 Breifne Journal 2023 – Brian McEnroy, an account of his role as Secretary of Glenade Land League 1880 – 1881

Safety at work during the school summer holidays 2026

If your child is attending secondary school and did not have any state exams, then you will be well aware that they have a total of three months school summer holidays this year in 2026. Primary schools were still open in the month of June and venues such as swimming pools were still catering for primary school groups which made it awkward for any post primary school student to access a pool during the day. Any teenagers with additional needs need to stay active, stimulated and be able to get out of the house and maintain social connections.

Although camps get up and running in the month of July, there is still a considerable amount of time for teenagers to become bored, and withdraw into the house, or get involved in incidents that are not in their best interests. Some young persons (those who are aged 16 and over) may take up formal employment over the summer months. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 Chapter 1 of Part 6: Protection of Children and Young Persons and Schedule 7 then comes into effect.

According to the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act 1996, “While the employment of children under 16 years is generally prohibited by the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act 1996, a child over 14 years may be permitted to do light work during school holidays provided it is not harmful to health, development or schooling, or may be employed as part of an approved work experience or education programme. A child over 15 years may also do such work for up to eight hours a week during the school term. Any child under 16 years may be employed in film, theatre, sports or advertising activities under licence from the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Any employer wishing to employ anyone under 18 years must first require them to produce their birth
certificate. Before employing a child under 16 years, the employer must also obtain written permission
from the child’s parents or guardians.
The Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act 1996 further provides for the setting of limits to
the working hours of young persons (i.e. 16 to 17 year olds) who may not work for more than eight
hours in any day or forty hours in any week”.

Bear in mind that these regulations apply even when the parent(s) is employing or allowing the young person to volunteer to work in the family business. For example, the family farm and in construction. Due to childcare issues, some tradespeople bring their son or daughter along with them to work which can involve construction sites.

Carrying out a risk assessment before allowing the child and/or young person to carry out any tasks or work is a must. It is also important to explain the hazards, risks and control measures to the child/young person in a way that is easily understood by them. Supervision is also imperative. Some Clients and Main Contractors may not permit young persons on their sites and must be consulted before deciding whether or hot to bring them to work.

The ability of the child and young person must also be taken into account i.e. maturity, any additional needs or learning difficulties have a direct bearing on safety management while they are at work.

If you have any queries on safety at work during the school summer holidays 2026 or would like assistance with preparing for the employment of a child and/or young person, please get in touch. I look forward to hearing from you.

What is the Online Management Duties of the PSCS Training Course? Now 10 years in existence

The Safety Health and Welfare at Work (Construction Regulations) 2006 introduced the requirement for the Client on notifiable construction projects, to appoint competent Project Supervisors for the both the Design Process (PSDP) and also for the Construction Stage (PSCS) of the Project.

In 2013, the regulations were updated. In 2016 Geraldine McGovern designed and created the first online PSCS training course. The Online Management Duties of the PSCS Training Course has been very successful and is now 10 years in existence. It is pre-recorded which means that students can access the course at any time and anywhere that is convenient for them. It simply isn’t always possible or feasible for construction workers to travel long distances for a course that takes more than one day to complete. Upon enrolment on the course, a one calendar month window in which to complete the course curriculum and assessments is provided.

The Online Management Duties of the PSCS Training Course is tailored for persons who have been appointed as PSCS and/or PSCS co-ordinator and/or have an invested interest in the role of the PSCS. For example, the main contractor, the client, the PSDP, subcontractors and self build owners. The course is divided into 5 main sections: Introduction, Legislation applicable to the role of the PSCS, Codes of Practice, Definitions and the specific duties of the PSCS with assessments at the end of the latter four sections.

The course instructor Geraldine McGovern is available to answer any queries that the student may have while completing the course. The estimated learning time in total is 8 hours. It is advised that students take their time while completing the course as there is a large amount of information provided and free downloads that assist the student in carrying out the role after completion of the course.

Click here to sign up for the course.

Click here for testimonials from previous students.

Details of the Online Management Duties of the PSCS Training Course

I found the course both interesting and beneficial. The content was comprehensive, and the assessments were quite challenging, which helped reinforce the learning.

Thank you once again for all your assistance throughout the course. It has been a great experience.

Armando De Vera, Senior RF Engineer, Boldyn Networks, Kimmage, Dublin 12 

The 8 Important Benefits of an External Audit

Whilst it is preferable that each business manages their own Health and Safety Management System, an external audit can help identify weaknesses in the system that can be unintentionally overlooked by staff and management of the organisation.

It is part of human nature that when we are looking at the same environment over a prolonged period of time and have an invested interest in it, we can get to a stage where we don’t see what is under our own noses. Especially if nothing particularly untoward has happened, or at least not that we can recognise.

An External Audit can:

1. Identify poor record keeping. Written or Digital Records are important pieces of evidence which show that required inspections have been carried out e.g. machinery checks, excavations, scaffolding, fire safety equipment and systems.
2. Identify poor internal and external communication.
3. Help improve productivity by introducing new systems that help the current system to work more effeciently.
4. Identify potential breaches of legislative requirements and help get the necessary systems in place for compliance.
5. Identify poor reporting and investigation of incidents which inevitably lead to a high possibility of a reoccurrence.
6. Identify training needs.
7. Assist Senior Management to prepare aims and objectives for the year ahead on how to further improve the safety management system.
8. Help improve management of subcontractors in terms of assessing their competency before awarding the contract and monitoring their performance afterwards.

What does an External Audit entail?

An external audit involves a visit by a person who is qualified and experienced in auditing safety management systems. The audit has two parts: 1. Documentation and 2. Site Visits. Normally documentation such as the safety statement (or in the case of Northern Ireland, the H&S Policy) is forwarded to the Auditor in advance of the scheduled visits. Some other pertinent documents may also be requested by the Auditor. These documents provide the auditor with pertinent information about the company and its operations.

The Site Visit comprises of an interview with the most Senior person in the organisation, an audit of other selected pieces of documentation (policies, procedures, records etc) and a walk around the premises and any off site places of work. The auditor must be accompanied by a person of authority and given access to employees.

The auditor will forward an audit report highlighting what parts of the safety management system were audited, the weak areas (if any) and recommendations on how to strengthen those areas. They may also highlight what sections of the system are working particularly well.

What is the difference between an Audit and an Inspection?

An Inspection tends to be a snapshot look at what is happening on the spot in an organisation whereas an audit looks at the company operations over a prolonged period of time.

Why choose Safety Wise Advice Services as an external auditor?

Geraldine McGovern is a qualified auditor with over 20 years experience. She has carried out audits on Safety, Quality Control and Environmental Management systems in a wide variety of organisations. She brings a practical and down to earth attitude and approach to her audits with a genuine care and concern for the persons at risk and understands the difficulties of running a business in todays global climate.

Contact us today to discuss having an external audit carried out on your organisation.

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The post appeared first on Riversdale Holidays.

Some people see weeds, some people see what makes Leitrim lovely! This canal side walk commences across the road from Riversdale guesthouse and is tranquil and beautiful.

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The post Some people see weeds, some people see what makes Leitrim lovely! This canal side walk commences across the road from Riversdale guesthouse and is tranquil and beautiful. appeared first on Riversdale Holidays.