Peg Prendeville

Sympathies to Nancy Langan and family, Glenagragra, on the death of her sister Josie Leane last week.

A few Knockdown locals have been involved in Team Limerick Clean- Up over the past few years picking rubbish off the roadsides. So it is great to hear that  Team Limerick Clean- Up  has been shortlisted for a major award in the European Excellence Awards for 2016. The Awards celebrate their 10th Anniversary this year.

These awards recognise and honour outstanding performance in an extensive range of categories embracing organisations, companies and projects throughout Europe. TLC has been shortlisted along with four other European nominations for the Sustainability and Environment Award. The Award winners will be announced at a ceremony in Berlin on 8th December. This shortlisting is a wonderful acknowledgement of the great work done by the 13,000 plus volunteers throughout the county who have shown such commitment in making TLC an outstanding success.

A huge crowd travelled to the Gerald Griffins grounds last weekend for the Munster semi-final Junior football. Although our team did not win it was a joyous occasion and great to see so many supporters.

The whole country was sad to hear Gay Byrne announce last Sunday on Lyric fm that he has to go for tests for a “touch of prostate cancer”. Everybody wishes him well, I am sure. We all have memories of Gay Byrne whether on the Late Late Show or his radio programme. He has been such an influence on everybody. Back when I was a young mother at home every day I loved to hear his voice on the radio every morning. I never felt alone. Of course there were times when he exasperated everybody too with the various topics he had for discussion but whatever you say about him he was a true professional. I once had an opportunity to be in the audience of the Late Late Show (1995 I think) and it was nice to see him in such command of the whole show. He allowed me to say this verse which I had composed:

Hello there Gay, I just want to say

I’ve realised my life’s ambition

To get on the Late Late I just couldn’t wait

But I must make one confession.

Sometimes I get mad when I think you’re being bad

And I resent all the time that you waste

The day seems so long when I think you are wrong

And the topic is not to my taste.

But just for tonight I’ll sit back and be quiet

And proclaim you the greatest of all.

To all those at home, sorry you couldn’t come

But I’m here and I’m having a ball.

I liked this little snippet which was in the Ballyhahill Newsletter last weekend.

One day Buddha was walking through a village. A very angry and rude young man came up and began insulting him. “You have no right teaching others,” he shouted. “You are as stupid as everyone else. You are nothing but a fake.” Buddha was not upset by these insults. Instead he asked the young man “Tell me, if you buy a gift for someone, and that person does not take it, to whom does the gift belong?” The man was surprised to be asked such a strange question and answered, “It would belong to me, because I bought the gift.” The Buddha smiled and said, “That is correct. And it is exactly the same with your anger. If you become angry with me and I do not get insulted, then the anger falls back on you.