Eamonn Brosnan, grandson of the late Pat & Mary Brosnan, pictured with his parents, Sean & Marie and his sister, Siobhán. Eamonn graduated from the Institute of Technology Tralee with an Honours Degree in Interactive Multimedia.

Eamonn Brosnan, grandson of the late Pat & Mary Brosnan, pictured with his parents, Sean & Marie and his sister, Siobhán. Eamonn graduated from the Institute of Technology Tralee with an Honours Degree in Interactive Multimedia.

Rosary For the Holy Souls in Graveyards

Templeathea Old Graveyard

Rosary on Sunday, November 20th at 12.15pm.

Holy Cross

Sunday, November 27th at 12.15pm.

Going StrongChurch Gate Collection

The Going Strong committee wish to thank sincerely all those who contributed to their collection at the weekend. A total of €723 was collected.  The Going Strong Christmas Party will take place on Wednesday, December 7th. Please give your names to Rose at Brouder’s Shop or Peggy Casey.

Table Quiz

A table quiz in aid of Fr. Tim Galvin’s Sudan Mission will be held in Thomas T.J’s, New St. Abbeyfeale on Friday, November 25.  Raffle.  Tables of 4 €20.  Quiz Master Lorcan Curtin.

St. Vincent de Paul Church Gate Collection 

The St. Vincent de Paul annual collection takes place on Sat. 3rd/ Sun.4th December. Your support, as always, would be appreciated.

Noonan’s Christmas Lights Official Opening

Limerick Rose Marie Hennessy from Rooskagh, Carrigkerry will perform the official opening of Noonan’s Christmas Lights in Templeglantine on Friday November 18th at 7.30pm. Santa will make his appearance to collect the children’s letters to take back with him to the North Pole for sorting and packaging for Christmas Eve deliveries.

The proceeds from the winter wonderland display will go to aid local charities, and all are welcome on the night to kick start this year’s event

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A Move to the Left

So, the unthinkable has happened and the world is reeling from the news that, despite all predictions, Donald Trump is the next president of the USA. If somebody wrote a book or a film about a man who had no political background or experience, is totally un-pc, insults women and ethnic minorities, threatens war on illegal immigrants, says global warming is a fabrication of the Chinese, wants to build a wall to keep the Mexicans out and wants to tear up all trade agreements and has no defined policies could take on his own party first, then the might of the Clinton regime and get elected president, that author would be laughed out of every producer’s and publisher’s office.

Yet, once again, truth is stranger than fiction. How did everyone get it so wrong and what now for the market researchers and pollsters who claim to have made a science out of predictions. It is a wake-up call for all politicians. For too long those who govern have been far removed from the ordinary people they have vowed to help and instead have cosied up to bankers and business people who fund their electoral campaigns and look forward to the “quid pro quo” after they have gained power. Western governments, in particular, have succeeded in making billionaires out of millionaires while the lot of the common man has deteriorated. There is so much wealth in the world that nobody should have less than a decent living wage but our rulers, who believe in the capitalist system, haven’t the courage to take the steps necessary to reverse the huge gulf that is growing between those at the top and those at the bottom. They even protected the gambling investors when the financial crash came and then made ordinary workers pay the bill. No wonder there is a revolt among the working classes and a huge swing to the left. Donald Trump is a very clever man. He told the American electorate exactly what they wanted to hear. They were fed up of the same old mantra, time after time, and looked for an alternative to the status quo. Keep telling a people they are great, that they belong to the greatest nation on earth, that non-Americans are inferior beings who are taking their jobs, raping their women and posing a threat to national security, and eventually they will believe it. If you don’t think so just read a bit of history from the last century. Adolf Hitler did that to the German people and look at his legacy. I  am not suggesting for a moment that Donald Trump is in any way like Adolf Hitler but it would be foolish in the extreme to ignore the signs in many countries at the moment. The French left are gaining ground day by day, Brexit has proved that the British establishment is totally out of touch with the working class people and here at home we have a government that is a bit like the house that Jack built, made up of the two main civil war parties and a group of independents. The people spoke and told the two mighty parties what they thought of them. They also elected the independents who promised to look after their local issues and people from the left wing parties who champion the rights of the ordinary man and woman.

I must admit to having great admiration for some of the opposition members in the Dáil. The contributions of Claire Daly and Mick Wallace have been immense. Mary Lou McDonald, Pierce Doherty, Ruth Coppinger, Paul Murphy, Richard Boyd Barrett and others are extremely good at getting their points across and the government would be very foolish to try and fob them off as cranks. One may not agree with their politics but it is a fact that their supporters are growing in numbers and will soon be a major force for change in this country.

We are witnessing a remarkable period in our history and I sincerely hope that the politicians will take a lesson from the brexit result in Britain and the election of Donald Trump in America. They must put the citizens of the country before their friends in high places and ensure that the Ireland Con Colbert and his comrades died for is not a myth. I am not sure the heroes of 1916 would be too happy if they came back and saw what we have achieved with the freedom they made the ultimate sacrifice for.

In the meantime we hold our breath in trepidation, waiting to see how the most powerful man in the world is going to rule. There are checks and balances through the house of representatives and the senate but he will have the nuclear codes and has the ability to plunge us all into the abyss. Let us pray that the man we saw during the election is not the real Trump and that he will be ready to take  proper advice from those who are more experienced than he is.

 

Domhnall de Barra