Sean Herbert, formerly of Clash, with his wife June
Presentation to Sean Herbert by the Mayo Association in Coventry
The Jim Wash Memorial trophy was presented by the Mayo association to Athea man Sean Herbert as Coventry Person of the Year at their annual dinner and dance on the 8th November 2014.
Sean has taken a lot of stick from friends and family in Coventry for being a Limerick man receiving a Mayo award.
Sean was born in Clash, he is the eldest son of Tom and Norah Herbert (nee Enright ). Sean emigrated to Coventry, England in 1954, he is a frequent visitor to Athea visiting family and friends within the parish.
Sean is the proud father of 5 children, grandfather of 7 and great grandfather of 4.
The picture is taken with his wife of 55 years June outside his home aptly named after his home village.
Sean, June and his family send sincere best wishes for Christmas and a prosperous New Year for 2015
Athea Gun Club
Athea celebrate their 55 years in existence this year, and to mark this occasion we will have a big draw this year on December 27th at the Top of the Town. Our prizes are:
1st Prize – 40” TV 2nd Prize – €200 Hamper 3rd Prize – €100 Hamper 4th prize- €50 and lots of spot prizes.
Our Club was founded on the 19th of October 1959. The people that founded it were: Bill Fealy, Ned Scanlon, Ned Hunt and according to records it cost 5 shillings to join the club. Athea Gun Club was one of the first clubs to join the N.A.R.G.C. In 1968 according to Tom O’Donnell Chairman of the National Association Region Game Council, Limerick (N.A.R.G.C.).
We think of the people who followed on like Tommy Barrett, Mike Kinsella, Steve Leahy, Sean O’Connor, Henry Reidy Jerry Carey, Jim Lynch and many other who followed in their footsteps.
We have 59 members in our club at present. We will continue the workers our founders started.
This year we released 370 pheasants into the wild and 50 ducks into the river.
Sponsors: The first man to sponsor the Long Tail competition was Jerry Mullane, a keen hunter himself. Sean Fitzgerald, Batt’s Bar then sponsored the Pat Kiely Cup, Sean also puts a lot of his time into feeding the ducks. Bill Mulvihill sponsored the present cup. Big thanks to you all for your support.
To Johnny and Betty Cotter, Top of the Town who are good to the Gun Club for years. People like these make our club easy to run, thanks to C.D. Printers for space in the newsletter. Of course we can’t forget the people who buy lines for our fundraising dance and support us at our Church gate collections. We thank you all.
Farmers We thank all the farmers in the parish for letting us walk through their land. Jerry Brouder
Sr. Delia & Sr. Perpetua at the unveiling of the plaque in Abbeyfeale Town Park
Dedication to the Sisters of Mercy Abbeyfeale
Four Sisters of Mercy arrived in Abbeyfeale from Killarney on the 24th September 1871 at the request of Rev. Michael Couglan, the then Parish Priest of Abbeyfeale. At the time a house was donated by the O’Sullivan family, and later the site was developed to include a primary school in 1875, a new convent was built in 1878; ‘Colaiste Ide agus Iosef’ the modern secondary school was built on the grounds of the convent in 2011, and provides for a continuation of the educational function originally carried out by the Sisters of Mercy, the Sisters continue to be active in Abbeyfeale and now reside in a house in Mountmahon, on the outskirts of Abbeyfeale town. Since the arrival of the Sisters of Mercy in the Abbeyfeale area, their role has included parish pastoral works and spreading of the gospel, Charitable and Educational works, and visitation of the sick.
Pairc Cois Feile was opened in 1999, it remains a much used amenity for the people of Abbeyfeale and its surrounding area. The Park envelopes 28 acres of land and is located on the Killarney Road. The award winning Park contains, a junior playground, a basketball court, an all weather floodlit playing pitch, a car-park, a duck pond, forested areas, an administration building, a store house and in excess of one mile of tarmac walkways. Recently a picnic area has been further developed within the grounds. The Sisters of Mercy donated two high quality metal benches for the picnic area. In recognition primarily of the charitable and educational works which have been carried out by the Sisters of Mercy within the locality, for the last 143 years, the picnic area has been dedicated in their honour.
A dedication stone/monument has been erected within the picnic area to commemorate the Sisters of Mercy. When initial ground works begun in the development of the Park, a number of limestone blocks were unearthed. (When the old Abbeyfeale church was demolished, large amounts of the building stone from same were used as landfill, some of which made its way to the site of the current town park.) These large blocks of limestone were used to create the monument. The stones were re-cut, re-shaped and dressed by hand. Traditional techniques using a mallet and chisel were employed by Ruairí Dennison, in creating the monument. Ruairí Dennison, who specialises in grave headstones, memorials and monuments, is a local to Abbeyfeale, he began his training and served his time in the craft with Philip Quinn a master mason. Ruairi has furthered his skillset and has recently completed a Master’s Degree in Building and Monumental Conservation, through Heriott –Watt University, Edinborough, Scotland. The motif of the Sisters of Mercy (a cross within a cross) has been cut in relief on the side faces of the monument and the polished granite plaque on the front face of the monument boasts hand cut lettering. It is hoped that much use will be made of the picnic area, and all members of the public are invited to visit and make use of the facility.