Athea Taekwondo Class with Instructor Chris Enright and Examiners Well done to all on passing their first grading exam

Atha Tidy Towns

What a difference a week makes. Flowers and window boxes have been placed on every wall/window sill possible on the main street which brightens up the village greatly. We are hoping that all will look after their own flowers by watering them, feeding them etc. McMahon’s butchers has recently been painted which makes a massive improvement to the village.  Tús workers from West Limerick Resources have cleared the overgrown area at the Goold Monument and also have washed all the green dirt off the bridge and its looking like new! Large flower tubs on poles are planted up and ready to be erected at the community  hall and the Church which will add a wanted splash of colour to these areas. We expect to be judged for the National Tidy Towns competition around this week and the Limerick in Bloom competition next week.

We will be announcing a grand fundraising draw within the next week and we hope this will be well supported. This fundraising will help us attain funding from West Limerick Resources and allow us to carry out more projects in our village. Finally I cannot finish this week without thanking everyone for their kindness and support over the last few weeks. The present committee was only set up back in early May but we never would have envisaged the support and help we have received. We are very grateful to ye all. It is about time pride has been restored in our great Parish! And FINALLY, we would like to welcome Margaret Scanlon to our committee, we know her skills will fare well for Athea in the competition!

Hospice Says Thanks

The Sisters of the Little Company of Mary together with Milford Hospice Friends, Limerick wish to thank most sincerely all who contributed towards their annual Church gate collection taken up at Athea on Sat/Sun last 7th/8th July. The amount collected was €909.77. A special thank you to all the collectors who gave so willingly of their time to stand. Renewed thanks to all.

Fianna Fáil Outing 

Bus leaving Athea on Tuesday, July 17th at 8.15am via Carrigkerry, Ardagh & Newcastlewest.

Any queries to  Marie Wrenn on 068-42524 / 087-7674832 or Joan Fitzgibbon on 087-9865005

St. Joseph’s Young  Priest’s Society

A meeting of St. Joseph’s Young Priest’s Society will take place on Monday, July 16th at 8pm (after 7.30 Mass) in the Sacristy.

Charity Cycle

Mizen to Malin & Back In aid of the Glen Wilkie Fund

A reminder that Denny Mulvihill, from Colbert Street is doing a 1500k Cycle from Mizen Head to Malin Head and back to help raise funds for Glen Wilkie from Foynes.

Denny will do the cycle over 8 days starting on this Saturday, July 14th and finishing on the following Saturday, July 21st. He has sponsorship cards and if anyone wants to contribute something they can contact him.

Donations can also be made online if you just Google Glen Wilkie.

St. Vincent De Paul  Annual Holiday 

The annual holiday at the Towers Holiday Home in Ballybunion will be from July 14th to 20th 2012.

Early booking is necessary. Please contact any of the following numbers  068-52953 / 087-2265941 / 068-42123 or any member of St. Vincent de Paul.

West Limerick Resources Ltd

FEALE CONNECTED FOR THE ELDERLY:

A new service recently launched in Abbeyfeale will offer a weekly social connection to older people living in and around Abbeyfeale, Athea, Templeglantine, Tournafulla, Mountcollins and Monagea/Strand.  Developed by West Limerick Resources, the service is run by trained Volunteers who will ring older people to check in on their well-being and inform them of local events and services.  The service is completely free of charge and people will receive calls once a week.   New subscribers are now being sought.  To avail of the service, phone 068 51888 or 087 118 4160 and leave a message and someone will get back to you shortly

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO HELP RAISE AWARENESS OF DIGITAL SWITCH:

West Limerick Resources is now seeking volunteers to help raise awareness of the switch to digital television which take place on October 24^th.  Help is needed to identify older people living alone, those with literacy and other learning difficulties and those with few social networks who may to be aware of the change or who may need basic information on how to make the switch.  The Community Outreach Digital Switchover Programme is heavily reliant on the Irish tradition of caring for our neighbours and we are asking communities to look around and help identify those locally who will need a little assistance and make sure that they get it.  For further information contact Clint at West Limerick Resources on 069 62222

ATHEA COMMUNITY INFORMATION POINT:

Find the information you are seeking a new information point in Athea community Hall (sports entrance) where you can locate the relevant leaflet/form or search the internet.  An information assistant will support you in your search, if required.  Weekly FAS Jobs Lists and courses for both Limerick and Kerry will also be available.  Initially the office will be open on Monday and Wednesdays from 9.30am-5.30pm and on Fridays from 9.30am-1.30pm.  This is a free and confidential service.

WEST LIMERICK RESOURCES OFFICE ABBEYFEALE:

The West Limerick Resources office in Abbeyfeale provides support and services to people (individuals and groups) in Abbeyfeale, Athea, Mountcollins, Tournafulla, Strand, and Monagea. We provide information and support on: employment with support from FAS Job’s Club and the Rural Employment Service;  local training opportunities; general citizen’s information and information on what’s going on in the community. For further information please call us on 068 32444 or call to us at Mountmahon.  Our office is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5:30pm. Our services are free and confidential.

Maura O’Connor Dalton

Dear Domhnall,

Invariably, I only ever put pen to paper on the passing of footballing teammates. Pat and Kathleen have paid well-merited tributes to the girl I knew all through her schooldays in Athea N.S. and it stirred me to elaborate a litttle further on the exceptional Maura Dalton (RIP).

Maura inherited her talents from the genes of a wonderful family; what she did with them was entirely due to her admirable application as she progressed through her academic life. As well as her academic skills Maura excelled at anything she applied herself to. At school her IQ would bear comparison with the most intelligent stratum of pupils: some achievement over such a very long period !

It is fair to say that Maura was one of the most versatile pupils who attended the school. From an early age one had to notice her athleticism and while she became a skilled table-tennis player she was also developing into a top-class basketballer. In an age when hardly any girls played football Maura, along with Dymphna Brouder and Helen Stapleton played for the Athea under 14 boys and I remember remarking the three were the best players we had !

As well as her singing skills Maura developed into a first-class set-dancer, winning more than one county title, when the most difficult part was getting on the Athea Scor team. But time passed on and Maura pursued her career away from home. Imagine my surprise when word spread that Maura had returned to live in Athea, was fitter than any of the Athea ladies team and was ready to tog out once more.

Sadly, it was one of the years we were beaten in the Ladies County final by Mungret, certainly not Maura’s fault because she was outstanding all through. I had only sporadic association with her in latter years and was delighted to hear she was appointed secretary of Tarbert Comprehensive School. Her unexpected passing at such an early age was a hammer-blow, not just to her own family but to the community at large.

Not to finish on a completely mournful note: a little anecdote on Maura’s time in Athea school. Not every creature loved Maura; a stray mongrel – and there were always some in the village – took an intense dislike to her. So much so that the dog stalked her whenever she came out of doors, and managed to bite her on the nose one day. A few days later she bolted in the school gate, absolutely terrified, with the dog in hot pursuit and we had to push her into one of the prefabs for protection : the dog had no interest in anybody else!

An exceptional lady surely she was, universally loved – except by a stray dog. May she have eternal rest.

Timmy Woulfe