Educ8.ie is delighted to launch their annual School Art Competition for budding artists here the prize for the winning work of art is a fantastic day trip for the whole class to some of the historical and fun sites that Limerick has to offer.

The Educ8.ie School Art Competition is offering first and second class students in Limerick, Clare and Tipperary Primary Schools the opportunity to win an amazing school trip that promises to be full of history, education and most importantly fun! The prize covers all transport, entry tickets and lunch for a class of up to 45 students. The school trip includes a visit to the Frank McCourt Museum, Thomond Park Museum with lunch provided by Carambola Kidz Lunch and then it’s onto Delta Sports Dome for more fun!

All wannabe Picasso’s can either send in individual entries or a class entry so long as it is original, unaided and a work of art it could be a winner. Local artist Una Heaton, sole judge for the competition said “I am delighted to be a part of such a wonderful initiative. I would like to see plenty of imagination in the entries showing us the wealth in education for the future”.

The Educ8.ie School Art Competition runs from today, (Thursday 15th February) to 30th March 2012, with the winner being announced on April 16th on the educ8.ie website. For entry forms and full terms and conditions log onto www.educ8.ie.

The winning class will start their 2012 Summer School tour with a visit to the Frank McCourt Museum, where students will see world renowned Limerick writer’s classroom and recreations of impoverished Limerick homes of the 1930′s.

Then it’s onto the home of Munster rugby where the kids can follow in the footsteps of their Munster heroes by taking a look behind the scenes at the historic Thomond Park Stadium. The stadium tour will take them to places usually only accessible to players and officials. From a seat in the home dressing room to a walk down the tunnel, the tour gives a unique opportunity to experience how the Munster players feel on big match days.

The day will finish at the Delta Sports Dome where the kids will take part in their own soccer match, penalty shoot out, novelty soccer game on a 3G pitch.

Educ8.ie is a new approach by a number of established owner run businesses working together and sharing a common goal of providing a range of quality services to schools including photocopying and printing (Copytype), educational software (EdWare); photography (Paul Dorrell); graphic design and branding (Orchard and Maye); Cleaning equipment and supplies (Cleanwell); school transport (Kelly Travel); sanitary disposal solutions (Curtin Environmental); school specific cloud computing (Digico) and: school furniture and equipment (Munster Office Furniture).

SAVOUR Limerick Food Event will bring one of Ireland’s Top Chefs Derry Clarke to Limerick.

Ireland’s cooking sensation and Michelin Star Chef, Derry Clarke is confirmed to attend this year’s Savour Limerick’s Food Festival and will be showcasing his talents at the event’s food demonstrations.

SAVOUR Limerick launched in style at Thomond Park today, with chefs from all over the region turning up to celebrate, as well as special guest rugby player Denis Leamy.

SAVOUR Limerick is a celebration of Limerick’s culinary expertise, showcasing the very best the region has to offer in terms of top quality produce, fantastic chefs, cookery demonstrations and more. Participating outlets to date from the region including Café Noir, Masterchefs Hospitality, The Cornstore, Hamptons, Mustard Seed, Adare Manor Hotel, River Bistro, One Pery Square, Bella Italia, Carrigerry House and many more.

All restaurants, cafes and hotels participating will offer menu tastings from their Seasonal Spring Menus. Several artisan food producers and wine companies will also be showcasing their produce, offering tastings, advise and samples for everyone to enjoy.

Also included will be hugely popular live cooking demonstrations from celebrity chefs, including Derry Clarke from Michelin Starred Restaurant L’Ecrivan, as well as tips and helpful advise for your personal culinary challenges. Expect many surprises that will make this event like no other. You may even see several Munster Rugby legends also displaying their talents behind the stove as well as an insight into their diets and exercise regime.

The, not to be missed, 2012 SAVOUR Limerick Food Celebration is in aid of the CARI Foundation and takes place on the 15th March 2012 in Thomond Park from 6pm until late. The event is coordinated by students from 2nd year Business Studies with Event Management group in Limerick Institute of Technology and is supported by the Restaurants Association of Ireland. The event will be held in Limerick’s most iconic venue, Thomond Park Stadium from 6pm onwards.

Tickets

Tickets for the event are priced at €20.00 which includes vouchers to sample the culinary delights of the evening and are available from Thomond Park Stadium on 061-421106 / 061-421109 and email hidden; JavaScript is required.

Following a dramatic conclusion to the Pool stages of the Heineken Cup which confirmed the line-up for the last eight of the 2011/12 tournament, ERC has announced the dates, venues and kick-off times for the quarter-final matches.

Edinburgh Rugby will become the first Scottish club to stage a home game in the knockout phase of Europe’s premier club tournament when they kick-off what promises to be another riveting weekend of action against four-time champions, Toulouse, at Murrayfield on Saturday, 7 April.

Defending champions, Leinster Rugby, are next up against Cardiff Blues at the Aviva Stadium where are they are undefeated to date in all four of their Heineken Cup matches staged at the 50,000 capacity Dublin venue.

Top seeds, Munster Rugby, who won all six of their Pool games, will meet Irish rivals, Ulster Rugby, for the first time in the tournament at Thomond Park on Sunday 8 April, while the sole English representative, Saracens, will round off the weekend with a mouth-watering clash against ASM Clermont Auvergne at Vicarage Road.

HEINEKEN CUP QUARTER-FINALS

Saturday 7 April:

• Edinburgh Rugby v Toulouse, Murrayfield 15.00
• Leinster Rugby v Cardiff Blues, Aviva Stadium 17.45

Sunday, 8 April:

• Munster Rugby v Ulster Rugby, Thomond Park 13.45
• Saracens v ASM Clermont Auvergne, Vicarage Road 16.30

Thomond Park Stadium has been chosen as one of 18 venues chosen to host Rugby World Cup games.

The RFL has confirmed 18 venues across four countries will host games in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. Avignon and Perpignan in France and Ireland’s Thomond Park, the rugby union stronghold of Munster, are among those that will stage games during the 14-team tournament. Six other venues which will host participating teams while venues for the opening ceremony, the semi-finals and the final, as well as the precise fixtures, will be confirmed early in the New Year.

Organisers are using the new grounds which St Helens and Salford will move into for the start of the 2012 Super League season, as well as the planned Pow Beck Stadium in Whitehaven. Widnes’ Halton Stadium misses out, though, because its synthetic pitch has not been sanctioned by the Rugby League International Federation.

The quarter-finals will be held at Headingley, Wrexham, Warrington and Wigan.

Tournament director Nigel Wood said: “We experienced massive interest in hosting matches from all across Europe and we have had to make some tough decisions.

“We are excited that the tournament will visit established world-class rugby league venues but will also visit some new locations, including Bristol and Whitehaven, where we see unique opportunities to grow the game and to deliver a lasting legacy for our sport.”

The tournament will consist of two pools of four and two of three.

England have been drawn alongside Australia, Fiji and Ireland in Group A while holders New Zealand will face Papua New Guinea, Samoa and France in Group B.

Scotland will face Tonga and Italy in Group C and Wales have been drawn against the Cook Islands and the USA in Group D.

The 2013 World Cup Grounds

1. Avignon: The Parc des Sports, which drew a crowd of 16,866 for France’s recent international against England, will host a group match.
2. Bristol: The Memorial Ground will stage a group match, while Filton College will be used as a team training venue.
3. Halifax: The renovated Shay Stadium will host a group match.
4. Huddersfield: The Galpharm Stadium, a semi-final venue in 2000, will host a group match.
5. Hull: Both the KC Stadium and Craven Park will host group matches with the city also hosting two team base camps and team training venues.
6. Leeds: Headingley will host a group match and a quarter-final while two teams will set up base camps in the city along with a team training venue being utilised.
7. Limerick: Thomond Park, which hosted a first rugby league match last month, will be a venue for a group match.
8. Perpignan: The Stade Gilbert Brutus, home of Catalan Dragons and a regular Test venue, will host a group match.
9. Neath: The Gnoll, home of South Wales Scorpions, will host a group match.
10. Rochdale: Spotland Stadium, which is the home of Championship One club Hornets, will host a group match.
11. Salford: The Reds’ new City of Salford Stadium at Barton will host a group match and the city will also host a team base camp.
12. St Helens: Saints’ new ¬£26million Langtree Park will host a group match.
13. Warrington: The enlarged Halliwell Jones Stadium will host a group match and quarter-final. The town will also host a team base camp and the University of Chester will be used as a team training venue.
14. Whitehaven: The planned Pow Beck Stadium, whose initial capacity of 3,200 can be expanded to 5,000 with the use of temporary stands, will host group matches, with the Cumbria Sports Academy used as a team training venue.
15. Wigan: The Leigh Sports Village will host a group match and will be used as a training venue while Wigan’s DW Stadium will host a quarter-final.
16. Wrexham: The Racecourse Stadium, home of North Wales Crusaders, will host a group match and a quarter-final, while Wrexham will also host a team base camp and training venue.

Host Venues

1. Bolton: Will be a team base camp with Bolton Arena’s facilities used as a team training venue.
2. Bradford: the Bulls’ Tong High School facilities will be used as a team training venue.
3. Manchester: Will host a team base camp and will also provide a team training venue.
4. Preston: The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) will provide team training facilities at UCLan Sports Arena with Preston also hosting a team base camp.
5. Widnes: Will host a team base camp and the Stobart Stadium will be a training venue.
6. Workington: Will host a team base camp.

Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) and Thomond Park have entered into a partnership which will enhance collaboration between the higher education provider and the iconic rugby stadium.

The Stadium Director of Thomond Park, John Cantwell and President of LIT, Dr Maria Hinfelaar signed a Memorandum of Understanding which takes the collaboration between the two organisations to the next level. Given their close proximity, LIT and Thomond Park already have in place a number of existing arrangements with regard to match days, and this new agreement will seek to extend this collaboration to academic areas.

A number of key and immediate areas of collaboration have already been identified such as: guest lectures, field trips, student internships or placements, active learning assignments and student or staff volunteering.

Speaking at the signing of the MOU with Thomond Park, Dr Maria Hinfelaar, President of LIT said, “This agreement will build on the existing relationship of collaboration between LIT and Thomond Park, in light of our co-location as a major sporting venue and a major educational institution in Limerick city it is mutually beneficial for us to develop synergies. Discipline areas within LIT that are likely to benefit from the Thomond Park agreement are students from Business and Humanities, Video and Sound Technology and the LIT Sports Services.”

There is enthusiasm in both organisations for the partnership and both LIT and Thomond Park have designated a liaison officer to develop and coordinate specific activities and programmes of collaboration.

John Cantwell, Thomond Park Stadium Director welcomed the new agreement with LIT, “On behalf of Thomond Park Stadium, I am delighted to enter into this expanded agreement with LIT as it represents a positive commitment from both organisations to work together to develop new and mutually beneficial initiatives. Our agreement is structured to deliver benefits for both through integrated programmes involving education, sport, and business”

Wheelchair rugby scored a major result today as none other than the spiritual home of Irish rugby, Thomond Park, rolled up as a sponsor.

The dream of Mid West Spina Association’s sports club Рaptly named Wheels in Motion – of forming a wheelchair rugby team became reality thanks to the hallowed ground coming on board as a final key sponsor of its ‘MunStars’ team. The club is open to people of all abilities and always welcomes new joiners. The club gives an opportunity for wheelchair bound athletes to exercise and compete on a level playing surface with able bodied friends, while also having the opportunity to really enjoy the social aspect of an organised club structure

The new MunStars jersey was unveiled at Thomond Park today at an event attended by a range of supporters of the fledgling club, among them Munster rugby stars Barry Murphy & Ian Dowling, Gordon Matthews, General Manager, Rugby League Ireland, John Cantwell, Thomond Park Stadium Director & Lynn Buffington, General Manager, Mid West Spina Association.

Also in attendance was Tony Fleming, representing the world-famous cricket charity The Lords Taverners – another key supporter of the new club after sponsoring the majority of the specially adapted sports wheelchairs. He was also joined at the celebration by Ralph Parkes, Delta Sports Dome who was also central to launching the team by sponsoring the remainder of the wheelchairs required for participation in training and competitive games.

The club is also getting off to a perfect start by bagging former Munster and UL Bohemian rugby legend Michael Murphy, father of current Munster player Barry Murphy, as their specialist coach.  He will be supported in the role by another current Munster star Jerry Flannery, one of Mid West Spina Association’s long-standing patrons.

Speaking at the launch Lynn Buffington, General Manager of Mid West Spina Bifida said, “Today is a dream come true for our Wheels in Motion and our MunStars team. Getting us to the stage where we can now formally launch and have so many amazing supporters behind us is beyond our wildest initial expectations. Having the Thomond Park name on our team jerseys will be a particularly significant motivational boost for our athletes.  The MunStars are the only team in the country that will have the honour of wearing jerseys with Thomond Park emblazoned upon them.  How great is that?”

“We are honoured to be partnering with Thomond Park and thank them and all our supporters. Wheels in Motion truly embraces the ‘Limerick the City of Sport for Everyone’ concept and the support of all our sponsors is central to making this happen. We are truly indebted and forever grateful.”

John Cantwell Thomond Park Stadium Director said, “We are delighted to give our support to this positive initiative as it reflects our commitment to assisting with all inclusive sporting programmes throughout the community. Thomond Park Stadium is looking forward to its association with Wheels in Motion and the MunStars team .

Wheelchair rugby is a wheelchair based version of rugby league football and Rugby League Ireland have weighed in with their support for the Limerick based side through the appointment of  Development Officer Cathal O’Reilly to work on the exciting initiative with Spina Bifida’s own sports co-ordinator Steven Casey.

Mayor recognises Thomond Park Stadiums achievement on being a finalist for a Green Award.

Mayor of Limerick City Concillor Maria Byrne presented the Thomond Park Stadium’s management team with a certificate to mark the Stadium’s achievement on being a finalist for a Green Award.

Mayor Cllr Maria Byrne: “I am delighted with Thomond Park Stadium’s achievement. Not only is the Stadium a leading venue regionally and nationally it is also a leader when it comes to the environment. I wish you every success at next week’s Green Awards.”

Stadium Director Mr. John Cantwell: “We are very pleased to be nominated for this Green Award as we take our responsibility to manage the stadium in an environmentally conscious and energy efficient manner very seriously. I would like to acknowledge the Thomond Park Stadium team and contractors as this nomination is due recognition for their initiative and efforts to progress our greening programme.”

The Green Awards 2011 aim to celebrate excellence in sustainability and to encourage green best practice amongst organisations and individuals. Thomond Park Stadium is a finalist in the Green Entertainment and Leisure Award Category. Other finalists in this category include; Croke Park Stadium, Aviva Stadium and the Guinness Storehouse (Winners).

Thomond Park Stadium management have integrated environmental actions into the day to day management of the stadium. In 2009 the stadium became a participant in the EPA sponsored Local Authority Prevention Network Project coordinated by the Regional Waste Management Office and Limerick City Council. This project is aimed at assisting businesses & organistaions to become more resource efficient in water and energy use, waste management, green supply chain and awareness raising for stadium users.

The management team at Thomond Park were proactive from the start. Some the stadium’s greening measures include; rainwater harvesting and the trialing and installation of waterless urinals throughout the stadium. Most of the Stadium’s energy needs are supplied from a green energy supplier and the use of diesel to power generators has been reduced by 50% since 2009. An active switch off energy campaign is ongoing within the Stadium and management are continuing to research green energy initiatives for the future.

A strict three bin waste management programme has been introduced along with a tailor made ‘after match’ clean up regime. The waste management programme also engages spectators. The results are impressive with an average recycling rate of 52%. In some instances after match waste has only included recyclables and compostables with no general waste being generated. Many of these initiatives have related cost savings which allow the stadium to further its greening programme and other stadium improvements.

Customers can now guarantee their parking space for those big match days at Thomond Park!

Q-Park has partnered with Thomond Park to provide customers with an online pre-booking service, enabling customers to park for discounted rates

Match goers can now pre-book their parking online for Q-Park Harvey’s Quay. This innovative approach by Q-Park and Thomond Park, not only guarantees customers a space on match days – they also get to avail of the reduced parking charges.

Customers can simply pre-book parking online, park their car, enjoy their lunch in the city centre, and then make their way to the stadium. There are a range of options to suit everyone, including all day parking €8, afternoon parking for €5, or evening/overnight for only €3.

This service is available to all customers 7 days a week. Customers can book online, and pay with Visa, Visa Debit or MasterCard at www.q-park.ie.

Regarding the partnership, Ray Peers Chief Executive Q-Park Ireland stated; “Given the restrictions on parking around the stadium itself, we are delighted to partner with Thomond Park to offer this convenient service which will give customers peace of mind, a guaranteed parking space, and value for their money.”

This service is also available in Dublin’s City Centre at St Stephen’s Green, Q-Park Clerys and Grand Canal Square in the Dublin Docklands.

John Cantwell, Stadium Director at Thomond Park Stadium added; “We are delighted to partner with Q-Park to offer our patrons this excellent value for money service which will improve their overall match day experience. As parking is not permitted in the residential areas around Thomond Park on match days, this service will provide a very convenient parking solution for match goers in the future”.

About Q-Park

Q-Park is ranked in the top three of European parking companies, who own, manage and operate parking facilities. Q-Park is the recognised leader in quality parking, has a portfolio of over 600,000 parking spaces and offices in The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, France, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Q-Park partnered with ParkMagic to bring this online solution to our customers.

About ParkMagic Ltd

Based in Limerick, ParkMagic is a leading innovator and solution development provider for the transportation payment industry. Current services range from pay by phone parking in Limerick and Cork, airport parking reservations and providing toll tags that work on all toll roads nationwide. With in excess of 250,000 customers, Convenience and Cashless are the two main drivers behind making ParkMagic a consumer success. For more information visit www.parkmagic.net.

Notes

There is a dedicated public shuttle bus service from the city centre Henry Street to Thomond Park for all Munster matches and there is also a number of independently run shuttle bus services in operation.