Gerald Fitzgerald, formerly of Clash, Athea, and uncle to Helen & Tommy
Carroll – picture taken on his recent visit home to Athea this week while staying with Helen.
Missing Person
Gardaí are seeking assistance from the public in tracing the whereabouts of 61 year old John ‘Jack’ Keane who is missing from his home in Upper Athea since Wednesday, September 15th.
Jack is described as approximately 5ft 7” in height, of slim build, bald with some grey hair and blue eyes.
When last seen he was wearing a red and black rain jacket, black trousers and brown boots. He usually wears a baseball cap and carries a stick.
He is known to frequent the West Limerick, North Kerry and West Clare areas.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact Newcastle West Garda Station on 069-20650, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.
Athea Drama Group
Athea Drama Group AGM will take place on this Thursday September 23rd at Con Colbert Hall at 8pm. We will discuss plans to hopefully stage a production in early 2022. Please spread the word!
Coffee Morning
The annual coffee morning in aid of Milford Hospice will be held in the Memorial Hall on Thursday next, 23rd. September at 9 a.m.
Athea & District
Credit Union
The Credit Union will be closed on Thursday, September 30th to facilitate year end.
Guitar Lessons
Guitar lessons with Margaret Carroll will return at the Library this coming week. Beginners: Tuesday 7-8pm. Advanced: Wednesday 7-8pm and Adults on Wednesday 8-9pm. Enquiries to 087-9395273.
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S CHURCH, ATHEA
Readers: Sat – Memorial Mass Sun – M. Cotter
Eucharistic Ministers: Sat – M. Enright/M. O’Donoghue Sun – M. Dalton/M Hunt.
Mass Intentions:
Fri Sept 24th 7.30pm Bridget O’Connor
Sat Sept 25th 7.30pm James Nolan – Memorial Mass.
Kathleen & Matthew Dillon.
Sun Sept 26th 10.30am Oliver McGrath – Month’s Mind
All masses and funeral masses are live streamed on the Church Services TV network via the following link https://churchservices.tv/athea
The Church is open daily for private prayer. If you wish to book an anniversary mass, a wedding or get a mass card signed please contact Fr. Brendan on 087-0562674 or Siobhán on 087-2237858.
Sincere thank you to all who continue to support the parish financially. Your generosity is important and we are very grateful for your continued support.
Baptismal Information Any parent who wishes to baptise their child must have the baptismal course completed – for further details please contact Theresa on 087 1513565. Next course date: Tues 12th October.
The Way I See It
By Domhnall de Barra
I do a bit of walking during the week except on the days when I am playing golf. It was something I had to do when I discovered I had type 2 diabetes many years ago and I needed to get my weight down. It was a bit of a chore at first but gradually I began to enjoy it and now I look forward to it, rain, hail, or shine!. The old railway line in Abbeyfeale is an ideal place to walk but we don’t have that luxury in Athea. Here, we have to use the public roads which are not very wide and carry a good bit of traffic at times. I feel embarrassed when cars have to stop before they pass me because traffic is coming in the opposite direction and there isn’t sufficient room. I feel I am interrupting their journey and I wish I didn’t. To be fair, most drivers don’t mind but I do get the odd dirty look. The main walk around here is the “Slí na Sláinte” circuit which is out the Glin Road, up past the graveyard to Fairy Street and back down by the GAA pitch or visa versa. There is one part of that route that is particularly dangerous because it is on a narrow bend with little room at the side of the road. It is the stretch between Sinan’s Gate and Tim Scanlon’s before you come to the waste treatment plant. If you are walking in towards the village from the Glin side traffic can’t see you until the very last minute and have to swerve out onto the road to avoid you. If there is something coming in the opposite direction it is a recipe for an accident and I am surprised that something hasn’t happened up to now. I always have my heart in my mouth until I have passed that stretch and oncoming traffic can see me in time. I was looking at the area the other day and it struck me that it wouldn’t take much to make a footpath on the right hand side of the road as far as Scanlon’s gate. There is a very wide ditch that could be taken away and replaced with a fence that wouldn’t interfere with the farmer’s land. It would make that bit of the road really safe for pedestrians and would also enhance the look of the village from that point. Perhaps the Community Council and the Tidy Towns, together with Limerick County Council could investigate the possibility of a project that could save lives.
The AGM of Athea Drama Group takes place this week and it is great to see they have plans to stage a play in 2022. Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann are also having their AGM in the near future with a view to getting the classes and music sessions up and running again. I’m sure other organisations are thinking along similar lines and it is wonderful to think that, after so long, we are getting back to our normal lives. We are not happy when isolated and I never realised how much I missed social interaction until, I met Johnny Mullane at the Top of the Town the other night and we were recalling old times and things that happened long ago. It was like a breath of fresh air. One of the things we talked about was the way people who retire too early seem to go downhill very fast. We are all living a bit longer these days due to medical care, nutrition and a life that isn’t as harsh as those who came before us had to endure. Retirement for farmers, long ago, was a huge problem. Farmers generally married later in life simply because they had to wait until they got the farm from their parents before they could bring in a wife. It still meant that farmers in their fifties and sixties were obliged to pass on the farm while they were still in good health and condition. Some kept working away but others just sat in the corner twiddling their thumbs leaving the work to the son and the “new” woman of the house. The new wife usually came with a dowry which entitled her to have things her own way. This sometimes did not go down well with the mother of the house who was used to doing things maybe in a different fashion. Sometimes they got on very well but there were houses where there was a lot of resentment. Where there was harmony in the house the set up could be very good. The old man kept himself busy around the yard feeding calves, pigs and bonhams while the old woman was a ready made babysitter and could help with most of the housework. I have seen myself where neighbours had a very happy household but I also have seen how people became bitter and twisted by a situation they could not cope with. Thank God those days are gone and we live in a different world that, with all its drawbacks, is more fair, especially to women. Anyway, as I said I enjoyed meeting Johnny who is a font of information on many subjects.
I was saddened to her of the passing of Kitt Liston of Knockfinisk, a lady who kept the parish warm with her knitwear. She had a good cottage industry going for years and she used to call to me for a bit of printing now and again. Sincere sympathy to all her relations, neighbours and friends and may she rest in peace.