Month: July 2019

Violin teacher Patricia loves sharing the world of music with her students


By Louise Harrison

Violin teacher at the Mid-West Vocal Academy (MWVA) Patricia Vaughan loves teaching, and passing on her knowledge and love of music that began at a very early age.

“My earliest memory of music was when I was very small and hearing my father sing. He loved music and singing. He used to sing songs from the shows every day.

“When I was in primary school the pupils were taken to The Savoy Theatre in Limerick and I heard our National Orchestra play Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. I thought I had died and gone to heaven,” laughed Patricia.

Patricia Vaughan Violin teacher at the Mid-West Vocal Academy

According to Patricia, children and adults should learn music for the pleasure of being able to play a piece, perfect it and enjoy it, and to be able to enter the world of music where they can go to a concert and hear all the instruments in an orchestra working together to make beautiful and wonderful sounds.

“To be able to sit down at home in the evening, close one’s eyes and let magnificent music wash over them and maybe calm them. I also have an article ‘Early Music Lessons Boosts Brain Power’ . Shortly after starting lessons parents have often told me that their child has improved in maths and spellings. In my opinion this is because they have learned how to concentrate through music lessons,” said Patricia.                                                                       

Now in her third year of teaching at the MWVA, Patricia has taught for many years in various schools in Ennis and Limerick, a career path that began with her first lesson at nine years of age.  

“I don’t remember much about my first lesson, just going up Crescent Avenue with my mother and into the house where Mr Hasset lived, he was the organist in the Jesuit Church in Limerick. I remember he got me to pluck the violin strings.

“I play two instruments, violin and piano. Mr. Hasset also taught me the basics of the organ but I have forgotten that now,” added Patricia.

While in secondary school Patricia completed her Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) grades while studying with John McKenzy then she went to Cork to study the Suzuki method with Philipp Lees and Trudy-Byron Fahy for five years.

“I love everything about teaching music, the children especially, they are very entertaining and I have so many funny stories I could tell you about what they said and did during lessons.

“The greatest pleasure is in seeing them develop their musical skills. I also like teaching adults when they are starting to learn as they can be so apologetic, wondering if they are too old, then they are so happy when they can play a tune.                                                                                              

“Teaching in MWVA has been nothing but a most enjoyable experience. I must say all the teachers I’ve met there are so friendly and kind but especially Owen Gilhooly,” added Patricia.

http://www.midwestvocalacademy.com/

‘Wheatless’ brothers bring full flavour


Aidan and Ben Doherty the ‘Wheatless’ brothers

It’s the savoury aromas that first draw you towards the ‘Wheatless’ marquee. As a Coeliac, it’s difficult to describe the excitement I felt when I first saw it, and on tasting the food, I can only describe the experience as Coeliac food heaven.

I watched as the owner of the business Aidan Doherty and his brother Ben cheerfully chatted with customers, while wearing their specially printed aprons which display their slogan ‘trust me I’m a Coeliac’. They listened to and shared stories about Coeliac experiences with their customers, forming almost, a support group atmosphere. As a Coeliac I found it extremely comforting that the person cooking my food, understands the disease, and knows from experience exactly what can go wrong if glutened. 

Aidan started his business ‘Wheatless’ in August 2018,  and it is a 100 per cent Gluten Free fast food business which serves fresh handmade, gourmet pancakes and burgers. He operates in farmers markets across Munster and also caters for all occasions including weddings and birthdays. In Limerick they are at the Crescent Shopping Centre Market every Friday from 10am until 4pm and the Milk Market on Saturdays from 8am until 2pm. 

“The biggest motivating factor in creating the business for me was the complete lack of high quality, gourmet Gluten Free (GF) and Wheat Free (WF) food available in the marketplace. 

“For Coeliacs, convenience is not a word we use in abundance when looking for food while out on a daily basis. I wanted to prove that GF and WF food can be delicious and that having Coeliac disease and intolerance doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice quality,” said Aidan.

Having being diagnosed six years ago by complete accident in the UK, Aidan said he had suffered symptoms for many years prior to this and it was completely missed in Ireland, now knowing the signs and symptoms, he and his family have realised that Coeliac disease and Gluten intolerance is prevalent in his family. 

“I believe it is similar for most other families but they have not been diagnosed yet. Once diagnosed, I hadn’t heard of the disease before or knew anyone with it. It was a difficult dietary adjustment but it really got me into cooking which was a good thing. The gluten free market has come a long way since then in supermarkets at least, but has a long way to go to offer high quality, convenient food for us,” added Aidan. 

Aidan said it baffles him as to why it is so difficult to get a Coeliac diagnosis in Ireland, “Ireland has one of the highest propensities to Coeliac disease in the world. The medical community is not as aware nor have the conviction of testing people to identify these issues. A lack of training might point to it, but it has to be a government led testing programme as a simple screening process for this disease may save a lot of money in investigating other avenues that may be simply fixed by a GF diet”.

‘Wheatless’ brothers at the Crescent Shopping Centre Farmers Market


As well as the clever slogans on their aprons, their other slogan is “No Grain, No Pain” which they use because it’s catchy and fun.

“Coeliacs have to be so careful when eating out and trust is a pertinent issue for us. There is a high level of confidence and comfort knowing you are being served by a fellow Coeliac,” said Aidan. 

When Coeliacs first come to their stall, Aidan said their reaction is Surprise. They cannot believe that everything on the menu is gluten and wheat free and that there is so much choice of things that they couldn’t ordinarily have, “Once the shock subsides and they realise they can have everything, everybody is filled with excitement.  

“The Coeliac community is very open and share their stories in a frank manner. Every customer I meet, whether a direct sufferer or not, tells me about their experience or family members’ experience living with Coeliac disease or intolerances. 

“All of these people suffer a myriad of symptoms and no two cases are the same. It can affect sufferers in many different ways. We are living in a society now where people, for the most part, are more in tune with what they eat and how it may affect their health”.

‘Wheatless’ is going from strength to strength, and Aidan said his food is being enjoyed not just by Coeliacs but by everybody, “That was the key for me when starting the business. Serve high quality gourmet food that just so happened to be gluten and wheat free that nobody could tell the difference and to date it has worked. My food appeals to everybody, not just a niche section of the population”.

Aidan’s ambitions for the business are to operate in more farmers markets, then to go on and establish a brick and mortar restaurant and eventually to franchise the business to cover a nationwide market. Ultimately, he would like to see ‘Wheatless’ as being the GF and WF McDonalds of the world.

“Eating Gluten and Wheat free does not have to mean a lack of flavour or quality. I am doing my best to prove this to people and it is working thus far. A lot more needs to be done in offering high quality, not just an option, which can often mean salad without the croutons,” added Aidan. 

https://www.facebook.com/wheatlesscravings/