By Marian Harnett
PROLOGUE: You may fail often but you are not a failure until you give up.
CAMPAIGN TO STOP ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVOUR IN ABBEYFEALE: Cllr. Liam Galvin is seeking signatures on the following petition: “ That the Minister for Justice enacts legislation or amends current legislation, as necessary, to put the onus on parents of children under 16 who are gathering /loitering in public areas and engaging in anti-social behaviour, to be responsible for their children and that sanctions be imposed on parents whose children are engaging in such behaviour by means of fines and that these fines would be recovered by means of attachment of earnings, if applicable.” You can sign on line on Cllr. Galvin’s FB page or the Abbeyfeale Community Group FB page. You can also contact Cllr. Galvin on 087 9850435.
AN SIOPA NUA: The queues are still forming on the Main St. to visit the new shop which has opened in Mary Dan G’s. It’s a real blast from the past with Mary Flynn of the welcoming smile and late of Ann Lyons’ behind the shop counter. The counter by the way came from Mike O’Donnells down New St., they have posters from the 60’s and beyond and a fine selection of home baking as well as all the usual groceries, sweets, ice cream and a new addition on the Main St. – a coffee machine. We want to wish An Siopa Nua great success in the years of trading that lie before it and it’s lovely to have Mary to call to, as always, she has the welcome mat out for everyone.
ACTIVE RETIRED: We are inviting expressions of interest from all Active Retired Groups to host an event/ activity for older members of your community during the month of May. All event organisers must ensure that their event is on-line, or alternatively events must be adhering to the public health guidelines that may be in place at the time.
https://www.sdcc.ie/en/news/bealtaine-festival-may-2021.html
COOKING: Certificate in Culinary Arts (Food Preparation and Cooking) starts on Monday, May 10. The course is fully funded, so no fees are payable. It runs for 20 weeks full time and aims to develop a range of basic food prep, cooking and culinary arts skills. Each learner will be based in an industry standard production kitchen at Kerry College’s Clash Road Campus and will have their own workstation. Apply here now: https://kerrycollege.ie/full-time-courses/food-preparation-and-cooking-culinary-arts-tralee/
GRANTS: Limerick City and County Council an open call for Limerick based creative practitioners, organisations and communities of place and interest to submit applications for Made in Limerick Grants 2021 funded by Creative Ireland. The Creative Ireland Made in Limerick Grants 2021 are open for applications until 4pm Wednesday, April 21.
“LAST ONE FOR THE ROAD” UPDATED!: An updated version of “Abbeyfeale. Last One For The Road” by Raymond Fennelly has just been released. (although some may claim that it probably escaped!). Over twenty new stories, articles and illustrations have been added to the original publication which was first launched in 2016. The book is not on sale locally due to Covid restrictions. The late Ann Lyons, The Square, would usually be the first to stock it in normal times. Ann was a great supporter of local writers and artists and is sadly missed. May she Rest In Peace.). However, copies are available on line from Amazon US and Amazon DE. (It may not be for sale on Amazon UK at present due to Brexit.) Hopefully “Abbeyfeale. Last One For The Road” will prove to be a gentle distraction during these difficult times.
CHURCH NEWS: Sincere thanks to parishioners who continue to support the church through their weekly offerings. Your weekly contributions enable us to keep the parish functioning and we are grateful for that. As well as using the weekly envelopes, parishioners can also use the DONATE button on the parish website www.abbeyfealeparish.ie. An increasing number of parishioners are opting to use this electronic donating system. It is a completely secure and confidential method of supporting the church. Fr Tony Mullins 0872600414, Fr Dan Lane (Retired) 087/2533030, Fr Denis Mullane 087/26219.
VIRTUAL FLEADH BY THE FEALE: The 25th annual Fleadh by the Feale will have to take place virtually this year. All workshops are now fully booked.
DARKNESS INTO LIGHT 2021: You can join us at Sunrise – Saturday, May 8. Sadly this year again we can’t come together as a community and walk together, but we can still join Pieta and Electric Ireland for a special Darkness Into Light sunrise, and give the gift of hope to those impacted by suicide and self-harm. Join in any way you can – walk, swim, and bike or simply share your sunrise moment. While we know the majority of people will want to rise on the morning of May 8, you can still wear your yellow t-shirt and do your own walk or challenge at any time that suits you. We know that the yellow Darkness Into Light t-shirt is very important to a lot of people, with many wearing it as a badge of honour. T-shirts are available this year as part of the registration, but if you have an old Darkness into Light t-shirt we would love if you could reuse it. This keeps our running costs down and is kinder to our planet. Our Early Bird tickets are in place until March 31 : Adult – 18+: Early Bird €21; Standard €26. Concession – Early Bird €16; Standard €21. Child – Early Bird €5; Standard €5. Baby/Toddler – €0; Standard €0. Family (max 2 adults + 5 children €52; Standard €6. Take the Challenge. Raise vital funds for suicide prevention. Create your very own Darkness Into Light Challenge – whether you choose to organize a 10k hike, run a marathon, skydive or sea dive, your fundraising will support lifesaving suicide prevention services. All funds raised through donations and fundraising will go back into funding the services that Pieta provides, free of charge to those who need them most. Sign up to Darkness Into light before March 31 and you’ll automatically be entered into a draw to win a year’s free electricity from our proud partner Electric Ireland. A big thank you to all at Electric Ireland for this amazing prize and their continued support of Darkness Into Light. Visit www.darknessintolight.ie to sign up.