Pa Dillon and Clodagh Prendeville raise the National flag in Ballyhahill N.S. on March 15th to commemorate the centenary of 1916
HAPPY EASTER TO ALL OUR READERS
ATHEA TIDY TOWNS Team Limerick Clean-up
Athea Tidy Towns in conjunction with Team Limerick Cleanup are holding a massive clean upon Friday 25th March 2016 .Volunteers in all our townlands are encouraged to participate. Refuse bags and pickers will be provided.
We would much appreciate your support to make our parish a litter free area.
If interested please contact one of the following: Damien Ahern, Margaret Scanlon or Eileen O Sullivan
Mike Ahern, Damien Ahern, Eileen Sullivan, Lal Browne, Linda Mumbray, Donncha Quille,
Margaret Scanlon, Henry Moran and Thady Hunt
ATHEA TIDY TOWNS FUNDRAISING FASHION SHOW
Dedicated followers of fashion will be in for a real treat later this month as the Athea Tidy Towns Group hosts another fundraising fashion show to aid their vital work in the village. A highlight of the social calendar in Athea in previous years, this year’s show has been set for Thursday, March 31st at 8pm, with the Con Colbert Hall once again providing the perfect setting for the event. The show itself will showcase the latest trends (Men’s, Women’s and Children’s ) from all the top boutiques from West Limerick and North Kerry, and will be preceded by a cheese and wine reception. Judges will also be on the lookout for the best dressed lady on the night, with some lovely prizes up for grabs.
Tickets are now on sale at Brouder’s Shop, Athea Credit Union, and Collins Shop Athea and are priced at just €10. For further information
Athea Vixens U16 boys and girls who are heading to Barcelona this Thursday to participate in the Thomas Sola Trophy 2016
Athea Vixens Basketball Club
As the county league draws to a close we look back on a very enjoyable and successful season.
As always, our approach is to do your best but we want the kids to have fun too.
We had our first ever U11 girls. We had U12 and U14 boys with a small number of dedicated, talented boys. We just missed out on the U14 play offs.
At U14 girls we had great success, we have some very talented young ladies hence we won our plate competition at Killarney in February and our league will be decided on the last game of the season v St. Mary’s on Tuesday next at 7pm.
Our 16s girls worked hard all year and got to the semi-finals of our competition but a very strong Caherciveen dashed our hopes last Saturday.
Our 16s boys also had a good season again a small number of dedicated, talented boys. We got to our plate finals and were narrowly defeated by our close rivals Gneeveguilla and of course our league was decided last Sunday on our home game v Gneeveguilla. An exceptional game was played. We were down at half time but hard work and determination won through and we won by 3 points and so winning our league. Well done boys and well done to their young coach Samantha Ahern and a very special thanks to Mr. T. as we call him – Mr. Ger Tarrant, his help at the beginning of the season was invaluable.
It was our first year with a Senior team also. A young team that faltered at first but when they started to play, as I knew they could, they started to win and finished on a flurry of winning games, looking forward to next year – a great future ahead and looking forward to coaching ye !!!
And so, as you know, we never close the door. Training as normal after Easter.
Going forward we have Community Games, School League in Killarney, The Easter school blitz at Listowel. We look forward to the U10s on a Thursday evening, camp during early July and the big event for the U16 boys and girls – We go to Barcelona to participate in Thomas Sola Trophy 2016.
A brilliant opportunity for all. We worked for 12 months to raise the funds and would like to thank everyone for their support but we came up short on funds and had to ask for further help and almost everyone helped. So thanks to Ahern Concrete, Kearney’s Bakery, Credit Union, Athea, FloGas, Aughinish, B.C.D. Tralee, Bank of Ireland, AIB, TSB, Leens Hotel, Newtownsandes Co-Op, Adrenalin Sports, David Quaid and MTD Eng, Cork, Hogan’s Concrete, Hunt Office, Feale Oil, Lenihan Drilling, Southwest Autos, McDonnell Haulage, Finnegan’s Restaurant and Bar, Limerick. Helen Kelly Athea Community Centre, Drama Group for allowing us to cater with teas during their productions. Thank You All.
Will check in with you all again after the blitz and let you know how we get on!
A final word of thanks to Tina Byrne, Rita Collins and Noreen O’Neill, Samantha Ahern and Helen Kelly, without your help and input we couldn’t do all we do………
On the Lighter Side
Johnny was born in a tenement building in Brooklyn, New York in the middle of the 1940s. His grandfather had emigrated from Ireland and worked hard all his life on the railways. His father became a policeman and again worked hard at his job. Johnny never knew his mother. She died shortly after he was born from consumption which was rampant in the damp tenements at the time. His father wasn’t able to cope so he was reared by his aunt, a dour woman who had a big brood of her own. Life wasn’t easy for Johnny but he became tough and grew up learning in the university of life in the back streets of the area where everything could be got for a price and every scam in the book was in operation.. He decided that since his father and grandfather had worked so hard, the state owed him something better so he wracked his not inconsiderable brain for a scheme that would earn him a lot of money without too much physical effort on his part.. His father, who had taken to the drink after the death of his wife, died from liver failure and left Johnny a tidy sum from an insurance policy he held. With his new found wealth, he left New York armed with a degree in medicine and psychology he had obtained in a back street forger’s shop and headed for San Francisco where nobody would recognise him. He bought a house in a city street where consultants and specialists had their clinics and put a brass sign outside the door proclaiming, “Doctor Connolly, cures for all ailments, $30. He had inherited the gift of the gab and charm from his Irish background and with the knowledge he had gained on the street and a nimble brain, he was able to hoodwink his clients into parting with their money and soon made a name for himself. There was a lot of work in construction in San Francisco in those days and quite few Irish lads came to the city for the big wages that were on offer. One of them thought he recognised Johnny from the old days in Brooklyn but he wasn’t quite sure. He was discussing it in the pub with his mates one night and they decided to play a prank on Johnny and find him out. They discussed several options and finally hit on a plan. One of them was deputised to do the deed so, even though it was well past clinic hours, he arrived at Johnny’s door and rang the bell. A maid appeared and when he asked for the doctor she told him it was too late. He said, “I have three ailments. That would be worth him $90”. She told him to wait and after a minute came back and said that he would be seen. He was shown into a room and asked to wait. Soon Johnny arrived dressed in a silk robe and asked him what the problems were. “I can’t tell the truth” he said, “I can’t eat and I forget everything. Can you cure me”. Johnny smelled a rat straight away but he never let on, only asked him if he was able to take strong medicine.. “Of course I can” came the reply, realising that if he said he couldn’t he would be telling the truth and would be caught out in his first complaint. “Wait there”, said Johnny and he left the room and went into the back yard where he had some pet rabbits. He took a spoonful of rabbit’s droppings from the hutch and brought them in. he ordered the patient to open his mouth and thrust the spoonful in. Swallow that”, he ordered and, after gagging a couple of times, the patient managed to complete the task. “What did that taste like” he was asked. “it tasted like shit” came the reply. “Very good”, said Johnny, “that is correct. That is the truth so your first complaint is cured. Now, your second complaint about not being able to eat; the man who can eat rabbits droppings is able to eat anything so that is cured, and as for your third and final complaint about forgetting everything, I’ll guarantee you that, as long as you live, you will never forget the day you ate shit. That will be $90 please”.
Now, on a more serious note, there was a letter from Fr. Bowen in last week’s issue about a bad accident he had come upon, caused by headlights left on a car facing the wrong way. I have noticed the same practice in Athea where cars pull up double parked, so that the occupants can converse through the open windows, with the outside car facing oncoming traffic with it’s lights on. If the oncoming car is dazzled by another car coming down the street, the driver could quite easily decide to go on the wrong side of the parked car and there would be tragedy. Remember it is illegal to double park and also to have headlights on facing the wrong direction. So please, drivers, be aware of the danger you might be causing and have consideration for other road users. Thank you.
Domhnall de Barra