November Edition 2006
 
 
 
 

 

Celebrating diversity in Sandwell

By Siobhan Gorman

Left to Right (back): Richard Nugent (Chair Sandwell PCT), Savraj Singh, Pam Bowen (organizer), Dean McCabe, Jugdish Thandi (organizer), and front Ebonie Cotton

There’s a lot to celebrate in Sandwell, and the richness of the different communities and what they bring to the borough is a cause for celebration.
Sandwell Irish Society was pleased to be invited to provide an Irish contribution to a recent event held at the Bethel Centre in West Bromwich, "Celebrating Diversity in Sandwell PCT (Primary Care Trust)”
Sandwell, one of the four
Black Country boroughs along
with Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton, lies north-west of Birmingham. It is estimated that there are over ten thousand people of Irish birth or descent who live in Sandwell.
Two of them, Ebonie Cotton and Dean McCabe, are World Champ-ion Irish dancers and certainly impressed participants at the event with their jig, reel and hornpipe. Savraj Singh plays the dhol drum, practiced with Ebonie and Dean on the day, and within a few minutes, the trio performed a wonderful fusion of Irish dancing and some Bhangra dance steps, accompanied by the beat of the dhol drum – a fine example of diversity at its best and a great opportunity for our young Irish people to show off their talents.
For more information on
the work of Sandwell
Irish Society, or to find out details of events and activities
that they organize, please
contact Siobhan Gorman at the office, 367 High Street, West Bromwich, B70 9QL, by phone on 0121 525 0567 or by email- sandwellirishsociety@btopenworld.com.


Potential €40m Loss
Fine Gael has stated that the Irish government is losing up to €40 million each year due to the evaders of motor tax.
The government failed to put a system in place to catch drivers who evade the road tax so it is estimated that around 10% of drivers that choose not to pay go virtually undetected. Despite a planned government crack down last year, tax-evading drivers still go unchallenged, as the government took no further action towards this crack down.
Landfill Fears
The plans of a new landfill site in Dublin were heard recently.
The proposed location of the new landfill lies west of the M1 and just 11km north of Swords.
Some people have objected to the plans with fears that the site could affect the underground water, potentially contaminating both the water and local crops.
€11m Drug Seizure
Gardaí have seized drugs to the street value of €11m in an apartment in Dublin.
Heroin and cannabis along with a sub gun machine, a silencer for a handgun and ammunition were found when the South Central Crime task force raided the apartment in Clondalkin. Other drug paraphernalia were found in the apartment. Two men escaped from the second floor flat during the raid but Gardaí has identified them. Two people, a man and a woman were later arrested in connection with the raid. It is believed the seized drugs belong to a criminal gang operating in Dublin.
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