Archive for July, 2018

News-25/07/2018

 

Group of parishioners attending the mass at Templeathea Graveyard on Friday evening last
with Fr. Brendan Duggan.

Annual Pilgrmage to Knock

The annual parish pilgrimage to Knock will take place on this Thursday, July 26th. The bus will depart from the hall at 8am sharp. There are still a few seats available and Agatha Barrett can be contacted on 068-52930 to book a seat.

Seisiún

The Comhaltas Summer Seisiún season is continuing at the Devon Inn Hotel Templeglantine on Thursdays. It is a traditional music song dance and storytelling show that entertains the audience for over two hours.

Vinny Wrenn with his grandson Cathal during a recent outing to Carlow

Joan Lane and Eileen Woulfe at the motor neurone walk
in the Phoenix Park in Dublin on Saturday

The West Limerick group who travelled to Carlow last week on a visit to the Delta Sensory Gardens and also Carlow Museum.
The night ended with dancing in the Greenhills Hotel in Limerick. Thanks to everyone who made the day possible. Marie & Joan.

Chickens Home to Roost

Once upon a time, not that long ago, the job of Air Hostess (“cabin crews” hadn’t been invented yet) was thought to be a very glamorous one indeed. There was great competition for places and only those with exceptional looks and personalities were considered for a position. In those days only women were considered, men did not start doing the job until much later. Air travel was expensive as well so passengers, who were not short of a bob or two, were very well looked after. I remember the first time I travelled by plane after winning a few bob on the horses. It was from Birmingham to Cork in the ‘sixties and it cost a small fortune. Ordinary working people couldn’t afford the luxury of air travel so they travelled by boat to England and before that to America. Aer Lingus had it all to themselves in Ireland so the fares remained high until Ryanair started operating. They brought a whole new model to the industry with cheap flights available for the first time. It opened up the market and soon other airlines began to lower their prices to compete for business. Ryanair continued to grow and eventually became what it is today; the biggest airline in Europe. They had low fares, at least at face value, but they maximised their profits by getting the last ounce out of their employees. Turnaround time was cut to the minimum and cabin crews had to act as cleaners as well as looking after the passengers. Their wages, which were fairly low,  also depended on the amount of sales they made during a flight. Under no circumstances would unions be recognised so workers had no protection. Passengers were not treated very well either. The basic cost of a ticket might be low but then the add-ons started; extra money if you had a bag too big for the cabin, very low weight allowances, extra money if you wanted to choose your seat or get priority boarding at gates where there were no seats so passengers had to stand for long periods in a cue. On board, the cost of food and drink was excessive but they had to make money some way to satisfy the shareholders who, at the end of the day, financed the airline. It is the ugly side of capitalism where workers are exploited to make money for investors. I always thought that some day the bubble would burst when Ryanair employees would be pushed too far and would organise themselves. With what is happening at the moment, it seems that day has arrived. There is unrest among pilots and cabin crews throughout Europe and we are witnessing strike action by a quarter of the pilots in Ireland which is having a very bad effect on business. Share prices have dropped and people are cautious about advanced bookings because of the uncertainty. Eventually management are going to have to recognise trade unions and it is their own fault. They were making great profits for years but instead of treating their employees in a decent manner they sought to get more and more out of them. Now the chickens are coming home to roost and  life in Ryanair will never be the same again. We have to be grateful to them for making air travel more affordable but we should also condemn their management style which is nothing short of dictatorial. I hope common ground can be reached and that  everyone will be satisfied.

The problem of worker exploitation is not confined to airlines. Big supermarkets use the same tactics to maximise their profits. So called “zero hour” contracts mean that workers only work when required and have no protection. The government have promised to move on this and I hope they do it soon. Every worker is entitled to some type of job security and should have the protection of the state. Having somebody on a beck and call basis is not on.  With a job like that a person will never be able to get a mortgage for a house or a loan to buy a car because they do not know from week to week how much, or how little, they might earn. Supermarkets are “cleaning up “ in Ireland, especially the multinational ones. In the trade they refer to Ireland as “treasure island” because they can get away with charging much higher prices than they do in mainland Britain or the North of Ireland. They will not reveal what their profits are in this country but we know that they would not be here unless it was worth their while.  I am not a communist and I saw, fist hand, in England how trade unions became so powerful that they practically ruined the car industry, but there is no doubt that good workers deserve decent pay. Treat people well and they will pay you back in kind. There would then be no need for trade unions but I am afraid that many companies cannot be relied on to do the decent thing so it is inevitable that workers will try to defend themselves. We need Ryanair to keep the cost of travel down and to provide destinations for us that other carriers do not. They should not drag out negotiations but grasp the nettle and deal with the dreaded unions, even if it does give Michael O’Leary apoplexy !!

I had a great few days in Seattle. The best part was spending time with my son Sean and his wife Maria. Seattle is a beautiful place that is growing at an alarming rate with lots of good employment on offer. I will write a few words about it later on.

Hope for the day:  “May the best part of your today be the worst part of your tomorrows.”

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Kathleen’s Corner-25/07/2018

By Kathleen Mullane

Well hopefully at this stage Domhnall & Lillian have enjoyed their week’s break from our “Parish Newsletter” – it’s great to get away from the usual surroundings to ‘recharge the batteries’.

Happy 21st birthday wishes are extended to Clodagh Histon of Hillside Drive who recently celebrated her 21st birthday along with family and friends at the Top of the Town. All had a very enjoyable night 

Lorcan McAuliffe (son of Rose and Bill, Lower Athea) celebrated his 21st at home with family and friends last Tuesday evening – it was on to Ballybunion then where celebrations with friends continued. Best wishes to Lorcan for his 21st.

Congrats to Áine and Moss O’Connor of Carrigkerry on the birth of their 1st baby – a little girl they are naming Sophie-Mai. We also congratulate the proud first time grandparents Margaret and Jim Geaney of Toureendonnell.

Special birthday wishes go to Raymond Brouder (son of Bridie and Jerry, Templeathea) who celebrated his 30th birthday with a great party attended by his family and many friends at the Top of the Town recently. The night was made extra special by the music of Liam O’Connor (the fastest fingers on the accordion) joined of course by Raymond on bodhrán. It was “an electric night” of music.

This Thursday sees the annual parish pilgrimage to Knock taking place. There are still a few seats available. Agatha Barrett is taking the names if you would like to go. She can be contacted on 068-52930. The bus will leave from the hall at 8am sharp.

Tenders are being invited from contractors for the proposed work in relation to the extension of the church car park. Full details with closing date can be seen in the church porch or details can be got from Fr. Duggan re where to apply.

Great news for Jane Stackpoole who married Michael Guinane here in Athea recently, who have been chosen, along with Miriam Langan of Glenagragra who will be getting married in September to Pa Brouder. They have been chosen to attend the Pope’s mass in Dublin in the Pro-Cathedral in August. This will be an intimate gathering unlike the thousands who will be attending in Croke Park and the Phoenix Park, so they are very privileged. Fr. Duggan put forward their names and it was the ‘luck of the draw’ after that!.

Well done to Fr. Duggan who I see doing his daily walk around the ring each morning, by the time he is finished – he has his plastic bag full of rubbish. In a “5 minute” stretch yesterday I picked up 6 cans and a big glass Cider bottle – please help our dedicated Tidy Towns volunteers.

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Knockdown News-25/07/2018

By Peg Prendeville

The summer is going well and people have a chance to sit out and enjoy the weather. Children have school holidays and parents are doing their best to keep them entertained and away from the TV and Nintendos etc. The Summer Camp which was held in Ballyhahill school last week was a great success from what I hear. A lot of the activities were held outdoors thanks to the continuing fine weather. Thanks to Sharon Griffin, Rosemary O’Connor-Bray and helpers who provided a fun week for over 30 young children – including seven of my grandchildren!

Thanks to all the children who have joined the Glin library reading challenge which is to read at least 8 books during the school holidays. They will be rewarded with a medal and certificate when eight books have been read. Reading can be done outdoors too under the sun in the shade of a tree. It does not need bad weather at all!

The summer is always a busy time down in Glin. This weekend they had the Estuary Swim and the Cycle race and next week the launch of the Glin Public Realm and Tourism plan will be held in Glin Library after 7pm Mass on Saturday night. Refreshments will be provided as well as face painting for children. All welcome. Following that Glin Castle will host an Open day on Sunday 29th July with tours of the Castle and Garden every hour from 12 noon to 6.00 p.m. Refreshments included which will be served in the Castle. Admission €10.

The Abha Bhan Drama group is as enthusiastic as ever with weekly rehearsals. Sive is the play that will be presented in November. I went to see Big Maggie, by the Corofin Drama group, in St John’s Theatre on last Saturday night. The Manager Joe explained that it would have been John B’s 90th birthday but though he has died he still lives in his powerful plays and writings. I wrote the following poem on the day that John B Keane died on May 30, 2002 when I was spending a few days in Bray, co. Wicklow. They say the same thing.

A Tribute to John B. 

Walking along Bray Esplanade

Even the waves seem to whisper

The sad news that John B. has died.

But in their quiet sadness

They continue their even pace

Gently sloshing over the pebbles

Re-assuring me that “It’s OK,

Yes, that witty genius

Is gone from your sight

But his words will continue

To lap against the shores.

For the tide can never go out

On such wisdom and wit.

And on the stormy days

We will shout the words

He was not afraid to shout

As we blast the rocks

With our frothy anger.

The waters of his native river Feale

will carry his words

to the oceans of the world

and his hearty laugh

will always be heard

as long as the tides ebb and flow.

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