by Kathleen Mullane

Wasn’t it great to have the Athea Parish Newsletter back on the shelves for the first time since March last week. Hopefully now that as many as possible will buy it each week thus enabling  it to be printed, it’s especially welcomed by the elderly and those who don’t have Internet etc and keeps everyone in touch with what is going on in our parish and beyond.

The collection for our parish clerk Carol O’Connor will take place on the weekend of August 15th/16th, envelopes will be available at the church doors this weekend, or you can use your own and put your name on it. Now we all know the immense amount of work Carol has done in recent times especially during the Covid, opening and closing the church, doing the altar, arranging flowers every week, taking mass bookings and a lot more, so we all need to show our continued appreciation.

Tuesday  evening’s mass has been cancelled  for the time being, as now there’s Saturday evening mass at the usual time of 7.30pm. Therefore all masses now are at the weekend Thursday and Sunday mornings at 10.30am and Friday and Saturday evenings at 7.30pm. Any day will cover you for Sunday. 

Well today (Sunday) we took a drive to Ballybunion, and thankfully it’s great to see a buzz around the place, with people queuing outside restaurants and shops etc. They need the business moreover now having been closed all along, and their season is so short anyway. If you haven’t taken  a trip out to Bromore Cliffs just outside the town on the Doon road it’s well worth the visit. For €5 at the gate you get to walk around the Cliffs and view the breathtaking scenery, and if you are lucky you may get to see the dolphins swimming and the seals who live in the caves. Tim Flahive, the farmer who owns the area of land, gave us a low down on the walk and told us the funny story of the fox that tried to eat all his hens and the job he had to catch him eventually getting stuck in an outhouse chimney and photos to prove it.

It’s  great to have such scenery so near us with tourists raving about it. And with just a few weeks left of the extended school holidays  it’s as well to make the most of it before getting back to our daily routine  of watching the clock etc for schools. 

Thought for the week —gratitude is the best attitude.