Congratulations to Molly White, Gortnagross who is pictured here celebrating her 99th birthday.
Wishing Molly many more years of health and happiness.
Peg and Jim Prendeville, Glenbawn with their daughter Sarah at the Mary Immaculate Graduation ceremony
Athea Fair Day
Athea Fair Day takes place on this Saturday, November 5th. Hopefully the weather will remain good for the day which is very much enjoyed by all who attend.
Remembrance Mass
For the Holy Souls in Graveyards
Holy Cross
Remembrance Mass on Sunday, November 6th at 3pm. There will be a certain amount of seating available. Also Rosary in Holy Cross on Sunday, November 13th at 12.15pm. And Sunday, November 27th at 12.15pm
Templeathea Old Graveyard
Remembrance Mass on Sunday, November 13th at 3pm again a certain amount of seating will be available.
Also Rosary on Sunday, November 6th at 12.15pm and Sunday, November 20th at 12.15pm.
Going Strong Church Gate Collection
The annual Church gate collection will take place this weekend, November 5th & 6th at all masses. Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Athea Parish Journal
We are appealing to all organisations and people who wish to submit material to please start doing so now and where possible to email all material to us at [email protected]. Photos can be dropped in to the office for scanning and will be returned safely.
Graveyards Collection
Sincere thanks to all who contributed so generously to the Graveyards collection at the weekend which amounted to €2,779.
Athea Comhaltas Branch
AGM takes place on Monday next Nov. 7th at 7.30pm. All are welcome.
Dangerous Times
Has the world gone mad? This is a question I keep asking myself lately when I look at what is going on and what might be the outcome. People all over the world are getting fed up with the old politics and we see the rise of left wing groups with Nazi like philosophies. There is a real danger that some of these will eventually get into office and who knows what will happen then.
If somebody wrote a book about the US elections and based it exactly on the two candidates, it probably would never be published because it would be thought it was too far fetched. Yet there is a grave danger that Donald Trump will be elected as head of the most powerful country in the world. There is something very wrong with American politics when Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump are the two chosen by the public to contend the election. I have spoken to some very rational friends in the US who tell me they are voting for Trump but they cannot countenance Hilary Clinton in office. We wait for the outcome with some trepidation. The politicians in England got it wrong as well. They thought they could appease the anti-Europe lobby within the Conservative Party by having a referendum thinking that they were on safe ground and that there would be a big majority in favour of staying in Europe. They underestimated the power of the opposition and the mood of people who are fed up with the status quo. Now we are in strange territory with nobody knowing how things will pan out. Are we to have a hard border separating the country again? Will Scotland at long last claim its independence? Until Theresa May pulls the trigger and activates the negotiations we won’t know. Whatever way you look at it, the story is not good for Ireland. We could be looking at the eventual break up of the European union as we know it. Of course there is much that is wrong with it and nobody likes to be dictated to but, in general, it has been very good for most of us, especially here in Ireland. Where would farming be today if it wasn’t for the money that has come from Europe? The same can be said for our exporters who have availed of the huge market so let us hope that sanity prevails and we are not left picking up the pieces.
Here at home we have our own problems. Again the politicians have nobody to blame but themselves. We started to come out of the recession caused by the financial crash and straight away the politicians started to crow and take credit for the recovery and promising good times to all if they were elected. The reality is that we are off the floor but still on our knees and far from being in a position to promise anything but that is not what the unions heard. They had taken cuts in wages on the understanding that, when times got good, the pay would be restored so now they want their piece of cake. To be fair to the government and most of the unions, there is a plan in place to do just that in an organised fashion but one of the teachers unions and the Gardaí are not prepared to wait and are willing to go on strike to further their claims. One may see it from their point of view and admit that they have taken the hit and now deserve to be recompensed but if the government gives in to them there will be a knock-on effect from all the other unions who will, rightly, look for the same treatment. The two unions involved are holding very strong cards. One threatens the education of our children and the other the security of the state. The Gardaí would go on strike and leave the public vulnerable to criminal activity is unheard of and unthinkable but it is about to happen unless some common sense prevails. Likewise with the ASTI. If the education of children is affected, parents will not be in a forgiving mood. Suppose, for a moment, that the pay claims are settled in full and all the other unions have to be taken into account. Where will the money come from? We are on borrowed money as it is and our debt is getting bigger every day. The only way would be to cut back on other spending. That might mean less money for the sick, the old, industry and all the other institutions and organisations that depend on government money to keep going. It is simply not sustainable at the moment.
If we get the growth that is expected over the next few years then we may be in a position to agree terms with all workers in the civil service but until then, the agreements that are in place should be adhered to. Teachers may say they are a special case as will the Gardai but so are the nurses and doctors and all the other cogs in the wheel that keeps our country turning over. Let us hope that common sense prevails and we pull back from the brink. We want to se everybody with a decent wage and this can be achieved with a bit of give and take on both sides.
In the meantime will the politicians stop telling us how great they are and how much “fiscal space” is available. The is no “fiscal space”; it is not our money but borrowed money. Ask the European bank
Domhnall de Barra