By Tom Aherne

The death has taken place of Mary Feane (née O’Donnell), Killaheen, Reens, Ardagh and  late of Boherbuoy, Rathkeale and Kilmanihan, Brosna, County  Kerry. Peacefully in the loving care of the staff at St. Ita’s Community Hospital, Newcastle West surrounded by her family on Monday, January 18. She was predeceased by her sister Sheila and brother Willie. A family Requiem Mass took place in St Kyran’s Church, Coolcappa on Wednesday,  January 20, at 12 noon, followed by burial afterwards in St Mary’s Cemetery,  Rathkeale. We extend sympathy to her  husband John, sons John, James, Michael, Paul, daughters Mary, Breda, Margaret, loving grandchildren, sisters Nellie and Bridget, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, a wide circle of kind friends and neighbours. May she rest in Peace.

The Covid cases thankfully are beginning to level off after the very highs in recent weeks. With January being a quiet month hopefully they will continue to decrease and our health services will be able to cope. All frontline workers  are to be complimented as they continue their great work  for the benefit of all others. By now nearly every parish town and village has seen cases of the virus, and our thoughts are with those affected and their families. A speedy recovery to all, and looking forward to the vaccine rollout which is another positive on the horizon.

The reopening of our schools has caused a lot of comment in recent weeks, and three  locals expressing their views featured on radio and print. Ann Horan, the Principal of Carrigkerry N.S. and  INTO representative for Kerry and Limerick, was on with Jerry O’Sullivan on Radio Kerry. Lorraine Madigan O’Connor  parent Lisgordan, Ardagh was on RTE Radio 1 Drivetime. Conor O’Donoghue, Commons, Ardagh parent and Aontú party representative featured in the local paper. We hope the Government will find a solution to suit all the party’s concerned.

January is slipping away and the mornings and evenings are getting brighter which is to be welcomed during this third lockdown of level 5 restrictions. Nature is taking no notice of the virus, and daffodils and primroses are flowering already, and some of our birds are building their nests for the next cycle of life. People are being encouraged to get outdoors if possible and to enjoy what nature has to offer around their  restricted area.

Minister Heather Humphrey has announced funding for ten walkways in Limerick totalling almost €175,000. In West Limerick three walkways will receive funding which is great news for their communities and all walkers who avail of them. Knockfierna  Famine Memorial Trail walk will receive €20,000, Mullaghareirk Walking Trails in Broadford/Ashford will receive €19, 332. and the Abha Bhán River Walk, Ballyhahill will receive €8,955. The importance of outdoor recreation is gradually  being recognised in recent years, and during Covid -19 these  trails, walkways and cycle ways  are providing great spaces for people’s physical and mental wellbeing.

Creeves Celtic  held their split the pot draw at Hanley’s Food store  Creeves, on Monday, January 18. Congratulations to John, Liam, and Lilian Guinane who won €120. The weekly entry fee is €2, with €1 going to the club and the other €1 to be paid out in prize money each week. The envelopes to place your two Euro in plus details, are available at  Hanley’s Food Store Creeves,  and from committee members.  People can also sign up by standing order for €9 per month. The  draws will be held on Monday nights, and all support will be appreciated.

The Ardagh Development Association and Saint Kieran’s GAA joint weekly lottery draw took place on Monday, January 18, in the Community Centre, Ardagh. The numbers drawn were 2,6,20 and 21, and there was no winner of the €4,000 Jackpot. Congratulations to the five lucky dip winners who received €40 each: Geraldine Liston c/o Denis Greaney’s, Noreen Ambrose Lee online, Rosemary Enright Hodgson online, Marina McDonagh online and Robbie Moriarty c/o Anne Mullins. Next Monday night’s Jackpot will  be €4,100. People can play online using club force on the club’s Facebook page, with 6pm on Monday evening the deadline. The tickets are also on sale at the usual outlets, and all support will be appreciated.

The Saint Kieran’s  senior footballers and junior hurlers are running a Last Man Standing Fundraiser starting on Tuesday, January  26. Pick 10 winners in 10 Premiership games over 10 weeks to be in with a chance of winning. the first prize of €150. You can participate by contacting members of both panels, and by sending a private message to the club’s social media page.  The entry fee is €10.

The Saint Kieran’s GAA Club membership for the 2021 season is as follows, Limerick Development draw €100, senior adult player €50, senior adult player plus Limerick Development draw €140, family membership €70, family membership plus Limerick Development draw €160, adult social non playing €30, adult social non playing plus Limerick Development draw €120, under 21/student membership €30, single juvenile membership €30. All the membership can be paid through the Club force APP with direct debit options available.

The final  Limerick GAA Club draw for 2020 will be held on Saturday, January 30. The first prize is €10,000, 2nd prize €3,000, 3rd prize €2,000, and 28 additional prizes of €500, €250 and €100. For the final draw the  entry fee is €10, and the exclusive star prize is €500.  To join contact the local St Kieran’s club members in person or online.  The club will be promoting the 2021 draw as well. It will run on the same lines as last year and it will commence in the Spring.

By Damien Aherne

**NEW PROJECT**

Athea GAA Walk & Talk Track – Get Happy, Get Healthy!

1. Take to the Field with others, there’s strength in numbers.
2. Catch up with a friend who doesn’t feel up for the match.
3. Drink less and great nights become great mornings.
4. 8 Hours rest helps you perform at your best.
5. Keeping Active is a winning tactic.
6. Take a shot at sharing a problem.
7. Ní neart go cur le chéile
8. Boost your mood with Healthy Food.
9. Add friend to your cupán tae

Together with the signs, a ‘Happy to Chat’ bench will be installed at two locations around the track with the following message ‘Sit here if you do not mind someone stopping to say hello’.

It is hoped to have this project complete in the springtime with thanks to funding received from The Community Mental Health Fund. We are also appealing to the public to support our club by purchasing Club Membership/Club Development Draw tickets which will be on sale shortly through ClubForce.

We are now encouraging everyone to come visit our track and to join us in promoting the messages of positive mental health putting the health and wellbeing of our community to the forefront.

**Please ensure to follow the most up to date HSE Covid 19 Safety Guidelines at all times.

By Marian Harnett

TEN QUOTES FROM PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN’S SPEECH TO REFLECT UPON:  On Wednesday, January 20, Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46^th President of the United States. In his inaugural address he urged the American people to come together and to unite in working for their country. His words while addressed to the American people are words and sentiments that are relevant to all of us especially when relationships have broken down between us.. I ask every American to join me in uniting to fight the common foes we face: Anger, resentment, hatred. Extremism,  Lawlessness, Violence. Disease, Joblessness, Hopelessness.  Through the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifice, and setbacks, our “better angels” have always prevailed. In each of these moments, enough of us came together to carry all of us forward.  History, faith, and reason show the way, the way of unity. We can see each other not as adversaries but as neighbours. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting, and lower the temperature. For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury. No progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos. This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward.  Let us listen to one another. Hear one another. See one another. Show respect to one another. Politics need not be a raging fire destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war. We must reject a culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured.  Many centuries ago, Saint Augustine, a saint of my church, wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love. What are the common objects we love that define us? I think I know. Opportunity.  Security.  Liberty.  Dignity. Respect.  Honour. And, yes, the truth. In my first act as president, I would like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer to remember all those we lost this past year to the pandemic. To those 400,000 fellow Americans –mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, friends, neighbours, and co-workers. Let us say a silent prayer for those who lost their lives, for those they left behind, and for our country. Amen. I will give my all in your service thinking not of power, but of possibilities. Not of personal interest, but of the public good. And together, we shall write an American story of hope, not fear. Of unity, not division. Of light, not darkness. An American story of decency and dignity. Of love and of healing. Here is the thing about life: There is no accounting for what fate will deal you. There are some days when we need a hand. There are other days when we’re called on to lend one. That is how we must be with one another. And, if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future.  Abbeyfeale Parish Newsletter.

DEAR HEALTH CARE WORKERS–‘YOU CAN’T FILL FROM AN EMPTY CUP’ Breathe, Reflect, Refresh :   All Health care workers are invited to join Fr Chris O’Donnell and the Pastoral Team online on January 28 at either 3pm or 8pm for a short time of quiet reflection, nourishment, and peace. Those of all faiths and none are welcome to attend. Please register using this link https : //www.surveymonkey.com/r/healthcare_breather.

GRANDPARENTS DAY:  It has become an important part of Catholic Schools Week. This year we will celebrate Grandparents Day with a special Mass at 10.00am on Wednesday,January  27 at 10.00am. This Mass will be streamed live through the Church Services TV network. You can link in by clicking on www.abbeyfealeparish.ieor www.churchservciestv.ie We will conclude Catholic Schools Week with a special Mass at 10.00am on Sunday, January 31. Prayer for Grandparents:   Lord Jesus, you were born of the Virgin Mary the daughter of Saints Joachim and Anne. Look with love on grandparents the world over.  Protect them! They are a source of enrichment for families, for the Church and for all of society.  Support them! As they grow older, may they continue to be for their families strong pillars of gospel faith, guardian of noble domestic ideals, living treasuries of sound religious traditions.  Make them teachers of wisdom and courage, that they may pass on to future generations the fruits of their mature human and spiritual experience. Amen.Pope Benedict XVI.

TAKEOUT AVAILABLE:  We all need something to look forward to during these months of pandemic so why not treat yourself to a meal from Leens Hotel.  Available from 1-8pm seven days a week.

ABBEYFEALE COMMUNITY ALERT: Beware of text messages looking for your DOB, Address, Banking details.  IGNORE ALL.  Only answer phone calls from numbers you recognise,  let the rest leave you a message and listen back at your leisure.  Call none of them back unless they leave a message so you know who you are talking to.  Wear a high viz jacket every time you go outside on the road. Be careful in the ice and frost and only go out these days if you really need to.   If you have a panic button, check to make sure it 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.  Try and make a note of their general description i.e. height, accent, hair colour, tattoos etc.  Write down the vehicle reg. colour and make.  We are all being asked to make only essential trips to the shops, chemist etc. for the next few weeks to help break the cycle of Covid.   If you need messages collected contact our local Garda Station on 068 30010 and they will organise someone to do them for you.  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.