Following the very successful lecture by Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental, the Mitchelstown Heritage Society are now eagerly anticipating their next lecture on Bee Keeping by Kildorrery bee keeper, David Lee. 

David is the president of the Federation of Irish Beekeeping Association and will give a talk on bee keeping in Ireland, which will be of general interest and will also appeal to gardeners, horticulturists, nature enthusiasts and honey lovers. 

The lecture will take place in the town hall on Tuesday, April 23, at 8pm and David will bring with him examples of the equipment required for successful bee keeping, as well as an actual hive. So, if people have ever considered setting up a hive, they shall learn everything necessary and be set on the right track by Mr Lee.

Chairman of the society, Andrew Dineen explained that bee keeping was once a common enough pursuit in town and rural areas but has died out in recent years.

“Modern agricultural methods and the occurrence of varroa-mite, a pest which has devastated world wide bee populations and led to the scientific community wondering whether we are about to see the demise within our lifetimes of the humble bee.

“Far from being a buzzing irritation, the bee is essential to human survival, pollinating well over 50% of our crops and plants, Albert Einstein was so concerned at the decline in bee numbers that he calculated that life would be wiped out on earth within 10 years of bees dying out,” Mr Dineen said. 

David’s talk will take place after the society’s AGM, which is to be held on the same night and the society won’t be holding people up, as they pride themselves on keeping their AGM’s short and sweet, with their average time being just ten minutes.

There is no charge for the lecture, light refreshments will be served afterwards and all are welcome.

The next event after this lecture and the AGM is an outing in Cork city to see the Masonic Hall and St Finbarre’s Cathedral on Sunday, April 28.

The meeting place is at the Masonic Hall on Tuckey Street in Cork, beside Bishop Lucey Park on the Grand Parade at 2pm on Sunday, April 28 and there is a small charge of €6 for members and €8 for non members to cover entry fees.