By Marian Harnett
The Mental Health Ireland Art & Photography Competition is now open for entries to all Secondary School, Special Education and Youthreach students!
The deadline for entries is 5pm
November 12th 2020
2020 has been a turbulent time for many of our young people. They have faced new challenges and continued to grow up in a reality very different to the one they were prepared for at the start of the year. With this in mind, the theme of our 2020/21 Art and Photography competition is ‘Reflecting on How I’ve Grown’ – in the face of the uncertainties and challenges of the year.
This is a celebration of our young people, and we want to give them the space to reflect on what they’ve learnt and how they’ve grown during these tough times so help us spread the word to the young person/s in your life!
National winners in all four categories in both Art and Photography will receive a One4All Gift Card, feature in Mental Health Ireland’s calendar alongside four additional Judge’s Choice entries and their pieces will be publicly exhibited in 2021! As a partner piece to this year’s Art & Photography Competition we are hosting online Five Ways to Wellbeing workshops for Parents, Guardians and Teachers of secondary school students.
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.
SPIRITUAL WELLNESS ADVENTURE TOUR: taking in Killarney through the Dingle Peninsula. The aim is to enter into the prayer life of the early Monks as they wrapped themselves in the beauty of God’s creation, our common home. Through music, song and story we connect with these early spiritual masters in the Irish cradle of Christianity. Accompanied by: Deacon Thady O’Connor. Ring Evelyn on 087/9365383 for information.
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.
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.
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.
EVENING CLASSES: New Courses starting in September/October 2020 in the Further Education & Training Centre, Abbeyfeale (The Old Tech). The following free classes are starting up soon: Beginners Art, Painting Level 5, Cookery class, Machine sewing, Furniture Upholstery, Furniture Restoration (Level 5), Beginners Art. If you wish to register for any of the above free classes, please call Mary in the office: 06831198 or log onto www.learningandskills.ie, click on ‘our courses, and select the location as ‘Abbeyfeale’. You can also enrol for Autumn courses at Kerry College contact 066 714 9696 or sign up on line at www.kerrycollege.ie