St. Bartholomew’s Church, Athea

Mass Times:

Sunday & Thursday mornings at 10.30am

Friday & Saturday evenings at 7.30pm

Readers:              

Sat 26^th Sept –       Patsy Hayes

Sun 27^th Sept –      Linda Hunt

Eucharistic Ministers:

Sat 26^th Sept –       Margaret Ahern

Sun 27^th Sept –      Mary Dalton

Mass Intentions this week:

Fri Sept 25^th 7.30pm: Jack & Mary Kelly. Bridget & Richard Sheehy.

Patrick & Josephine Enright. Bridget O’Connor.

Sat Sept 26^th 7.30pm:

Kathleen & Matthew Dillon.

Sun Sept 27^th 10.30am:

Margaret O’Connor -1^st Anniversary.

Jackie & Nora Hassett.

Collections: Sept 19^th/20^th  €735.00 

Harvest Dues:  The Harvest Dues (which form part of the priests income) are to be taken up on the 4^th October, the envelopes which are in your box can be handed in at any mass from next weekend onwards and if you are not back attending mass yet and use our webcam services you can also drop your envelopes in to Fr Duggan at the parish house. This year has been unusual as due to Covid 19

Fr Duggan did not get to have a Lenten or Easter dues collection, therefore your kind generosity is greatly appreciated.  We are very lucky to have Fr Duggan in our midst as some parishes around do not have a resident priest and are not having their priest replaced when he retires

Milford Hospice:  The annual coffee morning is the main fundraiser for Milford Hospice, however this year due to Covid 19 it cannot take place – local ladies Ann O’Keeffe & Peggy Casey usually organise this – so this year instead donations may be given to Ann or Peggy, O’Riordan’s Pharmacy or Collins’ Shop. All donations greatly appreciated.

Church Opening Hours – Due to the recent increase in the COVID 19 Virus the church will only be open during mass times for the next few weeks – we are taking this measure on health & safety grounds to protect each other. If you need to book an Anniversary mass etc. or get a mass card signed please contact Fr Brendan on 087-2600414 or Siobhán on 087-2237858.

Please always remember to sanitize your hands upon entering and leaving the church.

Once again we thank you most sincerely for your patience and understanding.

Athea Golf Society team receiving the Inter-Society trophy from Andy O’Dea at Adare Manor Golf Club on Saturday last.
L-R – Noel Barry, Declan White, Andy O’Dea (Organiser), Domhnall de Barra, Ned Mahony and Tommy White. Team members missing from photo: Timmy Sheehan, John Redmond, Tony Barry, Billy Crowley and Pat Power.

A Time to be Sensible

By Domhnall de Barra

This has been, up to now, a very different year. We have all had to change our behaviour for the common good because of Covid 19 and learn a new way of living. We are not out of the wood yet by a long chalk and, for some people, life will never be the same again. This is not just us, the whole world is in trouble and nobody knows what the end result will be. We may get a vaccine eventually that gives us some hope but the economic fallout is going to be something else. At the moment governments are giving  money to those workers and businesses that are most affected by the pandemic but this money will have to be paid back eventually and that is a daunting prospect.  Many businesses are going to fail with a huge loss in employment which leads to a downfall in revenue and more people on the dole creating further drains on the government purses. Up to now, whenever we had  a depression in Ireland it created a wave of emigration to other countries but, this time, there is no place left to go because the countries that we normally emigrate to have the same problems as ourselves. Many countries like Ireland will be at the mercy of  the big banks who could land us in debt for decades to come. This is how I see it at the moment and I hope to God that I am wrong. There is nothing I would like better than to see us all getting back to the kind of normality that we used to enjoy but it is difficult to see how this is going to happen. The fight against the pandemic is not helped by a huge number of people who act in a totally irresponsible way. Dublin is under limited lock down but that did not stop people organising a rave in the capital last weekend. There was also the footage of the scenes at the end of the Tyrone senior football final when spectators invaded the pitch and ignored all social distancing advice, hugging the players and each other, thereby increasing the chances of spreading the virus. What is wrong with people?  I think we will have to  follow  some other countries and make it a criminal offence subject to a hefty fine to breach government advice that is there for our own protection. There is no use in appealing to people’s better nature because a lot of them do not have one. The most stupid and unsociable of our population react best to a good slap in the pocket and for all of you out there who want to protest about the invasion of civil liberties, tell it to all the families that have buried loved ones who contracted Covid through social interaction.  The thing is, we have the solution to the problem in our own hands. The religious motto “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” comes to mind. If we approach everyone we meet as if they were infected and we did not want to catch it and also  that we have it and do not want to pass it on, then we will eventually have no new transmissions. It really is as simple as that.  I do not want to be  a prophet of doom and I am really encouraged by what I see locally. People are wearing masks in all the business premises in the village and I haven’t seen any evidence of people gathering in clusters ignoring the social distancing advice. The longer it takes to bring this pandemic under control the more likely we are to experience the future I have predicted earlier in this article. Each one of us, parents, children, grandparents, brothers, sisters, friends, all have a responsibility to put our loved ones first and put our own social needs second.  If we do, this will pass but , if we don’t, God help us.

Next week, Athea Community Council will run off the “Lucky Numbers” draw that was cancelled back in March. If any of you have tickets for the draw please hand them in to the office or to Collins’ Shop. We hope to continue with the weekly draw as it is our only source of revenue. We need to finish paying for the the office (formerly Pa O’Connor’s) as soon as that is done, we can make a start on making fit for purpose. This building could be a great asset to the community and employment in the area into the future but nothing is free so we have to raise the money. The lotto is a great way of doing that but times have changed and many of our outlets are not functioning anymore. We need additional sellers to help us. Could you sell a couple of tickets to family and neighbours?  If you could, please get in contact with me at 087 6758762  or Lillian at 087 7813123. The money from the draw also helps fund the CE Scheme that is so important to enhancing the village and doing vital work for the Tidy Towns Committee. It also provides employment for 15 people locally every year which in turn helps the local economy. People who visit always comment on how well Athea is looking and we want to keep it that way. So please give us a hand if you possibly can.

By Marian Harnett

FAREWELL TO FR. SHOJI: Mass at the weekend was very emotional as our PP Fr Tony Mullins said a fond farewell to our curate Fr. Shoji who arrived here on St. Patrick’s Day 2019 and made such an impression on all parishioners over the past 18 months with his gentle, prayerful manner, his sense of humour, his friendliness and his care for all the people he got to know and he did get to know a lot in a short time.  Fr. Tony told us about the hot spicy curries that his new curate cooked for him and how Fr. Shoji would always check with him the following day to make sure there were no side effects!  Fr. Shoji has been appointed to the pastoral care team in UHL and leaves us tomorrow, Thursday.  The pastoral council have invited Fr. Shoji back in a couple of weeks for a presentation and over the next week people who wish to be associated with the presentation can drop their donation to the boxes available in the church.

COFFEE MORNING FOR HOSPICE:  Thursday, September 24 is the National Coffee Morning For Hospice.  Mary McArthur is hosting one in the open air, at her home in Caherhayes ,commencing at 11am, and continuing  through until 4.30, observing HSE guidelines on Social Distancing.   Proceeds will be shared between Kerry and Milford Hospices. Donations gratefully accepted.  Further details from Mary on 087 6377310

MESSAGE FROM CLLR. LIAM GALVIN:  “Just to let you know that library in Abbeyfeale will re open on Tuesday 29th September. Work will be carried out next week comply with Covid restrictions”.

ABBEYFEALE TOWN PARK:  Congratulations to everyone concerned with the Town Park which, this week , received its second Green Flag.  The town park is a great amenity and is used by all sectors of the community.

HOLY HOUR:  Every Wednesday in Templeglantine church from 7-8pm.  All welcome.

DRIVE IN BINGO:  Glórach Theatre launched their On-Tour Bingo at the Fr. Casey’s car park in Abbeyfeale at the beginning of this month.  Due to its success it is planned to continue the Bingo for the Sundays in October, when gates will be open from 1pm and Game Time is 2.30pm.  Glórach are guaranteeing a minimum of €3,050 in prize money each Sunday.  Wheelchair friendly facilities are available.

ABBEYFEALE FARMERS’ MARKET:  Helga is back with a fine selection of locally grown vegetables which are chemical free. We also have a new stall holder – Máire Griffen from Beale who has set up a new company called OrganiGo making organic noodles from beetroot, butternut squash and courgettes and we hope you’ll all give her a turn.

ABBEYFEALE COMMUNITY ALERT:  Now that the winter is on its way be sure and check that your security lighting is in working order.  Check the panic button is working by pressing it and speaking to the monitoring service – that’s why they are there 24 hours a day and why you are paying a yearly monitoring service fee. Gardai are asking people to let them know when people call selling goods or offering services on 068 30010.  We are still accepting donations of €10 to help run our text alert system as the funds we raised some years ago have now run out When you reach the age of 65 and live alone or with a person/s aged over 65 you are entitled to receive a monitored alarm system. But if you have younger people living in the house who are out for long periods of the day then,  because you are spending hours alone you are also entitled to the system provided that you are over 65.  The free equipment is provided by Pobal following an application from Abbeyfeale Community Alert, there will be a monitoring fee to be paid from the second year of installation to the installing company of €72.  There may be some confusion over the word free –  the equipment which costs in the region of €400 is provided free of charge by Pobal as is the first year of monitoring but after that you will be charged by the installing company for the monitoring.  If you fulfil the criteria for a panic button the installing company will drop the gear to your door and then let you set up the connection yourself with assistance over the phone from their staff.  I have been assured that it’s only a matter of connecting a cable and anyone can do it.   I have not included the phone numbers of the committee in this notice but if you want to get a panic button then ring Abbeyfeale Garda Station on 068 30010 and they will contact one of us. Should you not have a landline the installing company Task provide a sim card at a rate of €7.50 per month payable from day one.  Then, in year two you will also receive a bill for the monitoring fee so in year one the bill will be €90 and in year two and every other year after it will €162 approx. If you wish you can arrange a direct debit and pay this amount off monthly.    We recently received a query about the application of VAT to the monitoring charge, your bill shows VAT but it is included in the cost not extra to it.  Committee members are Michael O’Kelly N.T., Seamus Stack, Mossie Gleeson, Kathleen Collins, Mary McArthur, John O’Sullivan, Billy Quirke N.T., Cllr. Francis Foley, Catherine Daly, Maurice O’Connell, Marian Harnett.

WEST LIMERICK COMMUNITY RADIO PLAYING THEIR PART:  WL102fm has provided a great service throughout West Limerick since the lockdown began with Mass broadcast every Sunday morning at 10am to all the people who are cocooning .  Advertising and fundraising pay their expenses and like everyone else they need money to survive.  Please buy a ticket for their weekly draw and help them stay on air – it’s as simple as that – you’ll never miss the water ‘til the well runs dry.  Tickets on sale at Ann Lyons’s, The Square for €2 each.  Please be generous in your support.  They are also need volunteers to help run the station.

PROLOGUE:  It isn’t where you came from; it’s where you’re going that counts.”
Ella Jane Fitzgerald

Athea Men’s Minor Team

By Damien Ahern

Kilathmoy Wind Farm Fund

We were delighted to receive correspondence from the Kilathmoy Wind Farm Fund this week to inform us that we had been successful in receiving a grant of €3000 from their community fund. This funding will be used to further progress our development plan.

Junior A Ladies

After a great season of football, our ladies team will play Galtee Gaels in the Junior A semi-final at 4pm on Saturday in Croagh. The Athea GAA twitter feed (@AtheaGAA) will feature live updates from the match. Best of luck to the team and management.

U12 Girls

Well done to the Athea Girls U12 team who played Fr Casey’s in Abbeyfeale on Friday evening last. We would like to wish a speedy recovery to Leah Wall who sustained an injury in the match.

Junior A Men’s

Junior A Quarter Final Saturday September 29^th

Venue- Knockaderry 

Athea 2-07 Crecora Manister 3-07

Our year came to an end in Knockaderry on Saturday. We entered the game having won our group comprehensively, and started as such. By the first half water break we lead 2-04 to 1-01. By that stage we had wasted a good number of scoring chances but lead through a Jason Kelly goal, Kevin Murphy penalty and a number of frees from Kevin. A penalty conceded for a leg block just before the water break gave Crecora the glimmer of hope they needed. We failed to really get going after that. Crecora scored three points then before half time. We scored the first point of the second half, well taken by Mark

O‘Connor but then failed to score again until nearly injury time. A Crecora goal and two quick points meant we trailed at the water break. When they got another goal after the break we had a mountain to climb. A brilliant save from the Crecora keeper to deny Brian O’Connor a goal secured their victory.

It was a disappointing end to what has been a great year, especially given these strange times we find ourselves in. A huge thank you must go to Eamon McElligott, who along with Mike Ahern and Roger Ryan created a brilliant atmosphere and team spirit. The performances have been outstanding with many mainstays of the team now seeing younger players join the ranks to give great hope for the years ahead.  There is a lot to look forward to under Eamon’s stewardship next year.

Team: Kieran Hartnett, Padraig Reidy, Martin Chawke, Tommy Reidy, Jack O’Connor, Micheal Reidy, Dylan Griffin, Mark Reidy, Jonathan Fitzgerald, Darren Murphy, Jason Kelly(1-00), Brian O’Connor, Kevin Murphy (1-06), Mark O’Connor (0-01) and James Ryan.

Subs used – Sean Ryan, David O’Connor, Gerard Ahern.

Men’s Minor

Our minors were out on Sunday afternoon in the quarter final against Belleville Gaels in Templeglantine. This game was always going to be a tough one against a strong amalgamated team.

Our boys got off to a flying start with some excellent scores and some early goals to put us in a good position going up 7 points going into half time. As the second half got underway Belleville started to play a lot better and within a bad 10 minutes for Athea we conceded some soft goals and found it hard to claw back. With our boys dominating so much of the game with tireless work rate the small purple patch was just a bit too much to claw back and finished on a score line of Athea 1-11 Belleville 4-05. The boys should be extremely proud of coming so close to getting to a semi-final up against such a strong team and with the majority still underage next year the future is looking in good shape. Huge thanks to all the support from everyone who turned up in Templeglantine. And a huge credit to those young players who put in a massive effort throughout the year.

U16 Boys

Athea 3-13 Blackrock 3-03

Our boys gave an exhibition of point scoring, to claim a well-deserved win at home to the team from Kilfinane/Ardpatrick. Physically the teams were evenly matched, but the opposition had no answer to passing and movement as the scores flowed from Gearoid O Sullivan, Cillian O Connor, Daire O’Shea and the excellent Evan Curry. The bedrock for our win was laid at the back, where Tomás Ahern in goals, the excellent Conor Mullane and Maurice Fitzgerald controlled everything that came their way.

We make the long Journey to football stronghold Ballylanders on Saturday morning for our final group game, with a semi-final place secured.

Team: Tomás Ahern, Maurice Fitzgerald, Conor Mullane, James Lee, Calum Buckley, James Hunt, Gearoid O’Sullivan, Daragh Reidy, James Broderick, Daire O’Shea, Evan Curry, Rory O’Mahony, Cillian O’Connor. Subs: Michael Walsh, Fergal Pierse, Tadhg Ahern and Donnacha Barrett.

Tickets continue to be on sale for our Club Development Draw 2020. Tickets are priced at just €50 which covers entry into all 5 draws. Tickets can be purchased online through clubforce by following the steps below;

Club Draw:

1. Follow the link https://member.clubforce.com/memberships_cart_m.asp?LL_ID=2203&intMF_ID=6206#Anchor. Alternatively, visit Clubforce.com, find my club, search for Athea GAA and click ‘pay membership’
2. The Club Development Draw option will be the third option from the bottom under ‘Registration Plans’
3. Select ‘1’ under quantity of tickets and then click ‘add to cart’. You will then be directed to a registration page.
4. If it is your first time using clubforce, you will need to register as a user. This registration can be completed by using your facebook/google account. If you are a previous user of Clubforce, you will need to log in before continuing to the next step.
5. Once you have successfully completed registration, you will be brought to the payment page.

Tickets can also be purchased by contacting any of the following sellers; Kevin O’Keeffe, Roger Ryan, Paul Curry, Matthew Tierney, Neddie Hunt, Pat O’Sullivan, Mossie Ahern, Gerard Ahern, John Hunt, Ger Collins, Liz O’Sullivan, Dan McMahon, Martin Chawke, Podge Reidy, Mark Reidy, Oliver McGrath, Ned Mahony, Magella Dalton, Declan Dalton, Pa Ahern, Kathleen Mullane or Timmy Enright. Tickets also available to purchase at Athea & District Credit Union. Many thanks to everyone for your continued support, allowing us to continue to invest in our facilities at Pairc na nGael and continuing to support all of the above teams and activities.