By Kathleen Mullane

‘Out & About’ 

Congrats this week to Damien Finnerty (grandson of Mary Brouder of Knockaclugga) who has recently become engaged to Jacquie Kelly. Best wishes go to the newly engaged couple.

The death has taken place of Emma (Holly) O’Brien of Moyvane who had not been well for some time. Emma was the owner of the very well established shop “Hollys” in nearby Moyvane until she became ill. She was greatly liked by everyone she dealt with in her shop, staff as well ascustomers. ‘May she rest in peace’.

Sympathy also to the family, relatives and friends of Ron Cooper of Coole who passed away over the weekend. An avid ‘Fulham’ supporter. Many came to pay their last respects at Kelly’s Funeral Parlour on Monday evening. Burial followed Requiem Mass on Tuesday. ‘May the light of heaven be his’.

I just heard on Radio Kerry today about a ‘phone scam’ that’s raging at the moment – a long number starting with ‘00247’ rings your mobile and you answer and hear someone in terrible distress. It cuts off after a while and if you ring back thinking someone is in trouble, it eats up all your phone credit. The advice from the Gardaí is ‘not to answer this unusual number at all.

Parishioners and all avid GAA fans are asked to help out with the cost of the new pitch development by buying a €10 ticket for the National Club draw which will take place in the next few weeks. There are great prizes – a car, trip with the All Stars, travel vouchers, shopping vouchers and much more. All money will go to the new pitch. Also if any family members who are abroad and were Athea players in the past or who have a love of football they might like to have their name on the pitch “Patron Board” by donating an amount to the pitch and no doubt the new running track around the pitch will be well used by walkers and runners alike.

Athea people have been great in the past by helping to pay for the  “Church renovation, then there was the “Footbridge”, then the Colbert and sports hall, the soccer pitch at ‘The Vales’ by supporting the weekly draw so hopefully this great pitch asset will also be well supported.

I loved Donal’s piece last week in this Newsletter, “The Way We Were”,  if our parents and grandparents could come back now and see the technology they would be flabbergasted! It reminds me of the day some years back, Patsy, my sister, myself and a car full of children and my mother, God rest her, in the front and we drove into “The Drive Thru” in McDonald’s and when we asked her what she wanted to eat she got so angry saying we were trying to make a fool of her thinking you could talk to a machine and your food would be ready at the other end – we were in such fits of laughter we couldn’t order and had to leave!