By Peg Prendeville

Best of luck to Aidan O’Connor, originally from Carrigkerry, who  is heading to Stockholm and this year’s Eurovision Song Contest with his song, I Stand. The song, for which he wrote the words, is this year’s entry from the Czech Republic and it will be performed by Gabriella Guncikova in the first semi-final in May. Adam, who has written lots of songs is very pleased, but says “it has been a long process, a lot of trying, of close encounters. It has taken a while to get to this point. But it feels great.” So now we have two songs to watch out for!

Lent has flown by and we are into Easter time already. It is a pity that the lovely fine weather which we have had last week is coming to an end and rain is once again threatening.

The coming weekend is going to be an historic one with centenary celebrations on all over the country. In our own local area the footbridge in Glin town park will be officially named The Centenary Bridge.  Commemorative plaques as well as an interpretive board will be unveiled. These are to honour the memory of Constable James O’Brien from Kilfergus Glin and Mr Eamon Dore of Main Street.  Please come along to find out more about these fascinating characters and to honour their memory.  An innocent casualty will also be honoured, Michael O’Connor from Ballyhahill, who was killed in crossfire during the Rising.  There will be entertainment in the Park, weather permitting, music, dancing, singing and some poetry reading, all relevant to the period of 1916. Poster replicas of the interpretive board will be on sale at the event.  These are a lovely keepsake and full of information on the two fellow parishioners, each man on opposing sides who fought in the struggle for Irish freedom. One hundred years on, the bridge will stand as a symbol of the ever-growing reconciliation in the differences which separated these two fine men.  After the ceremony and entertainment, there will be tea and coffee and treats available for everyone in Cloverfield Day Care centre. This will be hosted by Glin ICA. There will be wonderful exhibits of 1916 illustrations, put together by the children of Glin and Ballyguiltenane parish National Schools on display in the centre. Everybody is welcome.

The Ark is a children’s museum in Dublin which opened in 1995. Photographs of children then aged up to four years were displayed in the windows of the building to show the world who The Ark had been created for. In 2016 it’s the 21st Birthday and to celebrate this, they are displaying photographs of 264 children now aged one to four (one for each pane of glass). I was delighted to hear that my grandchild Noah Daly will be one of those children. The photographs will be proudly displayed in The Ark’s windows, creating a colourful photographic installation of the children of 2016.

Happy Easter to all of you. May the sun dance in our spirits if not in the sky!