Athea Drama Group
Dancing at Lughnasa opens on Sunday with a matinee at 3pm. Tickets can be booked by texting or Whats App on 087 6926746 €10 per ticket.
Knockdown Vintage Club
Fundraising Raffle in aid of Irish Community Air Ambulance.
1st Prize: €150 Voucher for O’Donoghue Ring Hotels, Killarney
2nd Prize: €100 Voucher for Home Heating Oil.
3rd Prize: Monster Hamper.
Numerous other Prizes.
Tickets €2 each or 3 for €5.
Draw takes place in the Knockdown Arms on Sunday, March 27th.
St. BARTHOLOMEW’S CHURCH, ATHEA
Mass Intentions next weekend
Sat Feb 11th 7.30pm: Ned O’Keeffe. Nan Hurley. Mickey Flaherty (Month’s Mind).
All masses are streamed live on https://www.churchservices.tv/athea
If you wish to book a mass etc., text/phone Siobhán on 087-2237858
or email the parish office at [email protected]
Ministers of the Word and Ministers of the Eucharist
Sat 12/2 Kathleen Mullane / Betty Ahearne Sun 13/2 Linda Hunt / Mary Dalton
Baptismal Information: Any parent wishing to baptise their child must have completed the baptismal course. Next course Tuesday, Feb 8th – Please contact Theresa for further details 087 1513565.
Confirmation Meeting – Confirmation children and their parents are invited to a meeting in the church next Friday evening at 6.15pm. The meeting will introduce the parish programme for confirmation. Confirmation will take place on Saturday, March 12th at 11.30am.
World Day of Prayer for the Sick – Friday, February 11th also the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.
The Way I See It
By Domhnall de Barra
I had a whale of a weekend! Despite the fact that the golf competition in Newcastle West was called off on Sunday, due to the bad weather, there was a feast of sport on television and I gorged myself. It never ceases to amaze me how much we feature on the international stage when you consider that we are just a small dot on the globe. Our sporting heroes have given us many great moments to savour over the years and last weekend was no exception, especially for the ladies. Monday’s papers featured Rachel Blackmore and Leona McGuire, two of the best in their games. Rachel had a fantastic year last year becoming the leading rider at the home of national hunt, Cheltenham but even that was overshadowed by Leona winning for the first time on the women’s PGA tour in America. She is not only the first Irish woman to win but the first one to actually compete at the highest level in professional golf. I have followed her career with interest since herself and her twin sister Lisa burst onto the amateur scene at the age of ten. They were fantastic golfers and great ambassadors for Ireland. Fiona became the world no 1 amateur and held that position for many years. When it came to turning pro Lisa decided to follow a different path but Leona stuck with the golf and aren’t we all grateful that she did. It wasn’t easy and she didn’t have overnight success but she improved year on year until she was selected to represent Europe in the Solheim Cup competition in America last year. She was the star of that team and it was only a matter of time before she broke into the top ranks. She has now made history and the future is looking bright. It couldn’t happen to a nicer, more down to earth person and I look forward to many more victories to come.
Seamus Power is another fantastic golfer from Waterford who has played his way into the top thirty in the world. He was in the lead for most of the competition at Pebble Beach over the weekend but had a bit of bad luck in the final 18 but still finished in the top 10. This guarantees him automatic qualification to the masters and that is where the big money is. He is definitely one to watch for the future and another credit to Waterford and Ireland.
The Irish rugby team gave me great entertainment on Saturday with a fantastic win over Wales. My son DanJoe, who lives in Copenhagen, a former rugby player in his college days in Dublin, keeps in touch with me during the matches and we keep texting back and forth. It is like being with him at the match and I look forward to it. Next was the match between Kerry and Dublin and it was a really good game with both teams trying to play attractive attacking football. It is a privilege to watch a truly great artist at work and that is exactly what was on our screens on Saturday evening. David Clifford is, without doubt, the best forward in the country at the moment. He makes the impossible things look easy and inspires his Kerry comrades who are shaping up to be real contenders for the All-Ireland. Dublin are not the same team that won six all Irelands in a row. They are going through a period of re-adjustment but, come the fine weather and the hard ground, I wouldn’t write them off just yet.
The cost of living has risen quite a bit since before the pandemic, especially the cost of heating and motoring through oil and gas prices, and the government are going to put packages together to help those in need to make ends meet. There is mention of grants to insulate houses, cuts in certain tax areas and other measures that will cost the country a lot of money. I know there are people in need of help but is this the best way to go around it? Throwing money at inflation usually only fuels the fire and leads to further hikes. I wonder if the money will go to the right people and not to those who are able to work the system and what about the future? Are we in a position to subsidise the cost of living again next year and the year after because there is no guarantee that this is a once in a lifetime crisis. There was a mechanism in this country to help those who needed it the most and it was operated through clinics in every town and village. The person in charge was known as the “relieving officer” and they had the job of deciding who should receive the money they had at their disposal. If the price of petrol or diesel is lowered it will benefit all motorists, some of whom are millionaires already and don’t need the help of government money that is in very short supply. The way some politicians are talking one would think that the government has an endless flow of cash but the sad truth is that, as a nation, we are up to our eyes in debt. It was bad enough before Covid struck but since then so much money had to be spent that we are now in a very deep hole and it will be our grandchildren who are expected to dig us out of it. Our leaders should think long and hard before they make drastic decisions. By all means help those who need it most but please avoid a universal hand out that will further extend the gap between the haves and the have-nots.
Drama time is upon us again and, after a break of two years, Athea Drama Group are taking to the stage with a production of “Dancing at Lughnasa”. What a treat it will be to be able to go and see a play once again. They say you never miss the water ‘till the well runs dry and our well has been very dry for a couple of years. It is also a time of sadness because it will be the first time since the formation of the drama group in Athea that Oliver McGrath will not be there. There is an appreciation piece in the programme this year that outlines his contribution over the years and it will not be the same without his input. When Amina Parkes and myself approached him, all those years ago, to resurrect the Athea Drama Group, little did we know that he would mould it into one of the best groups in amateur drama production. His wisdom, knowledge of human nature and skill brought the group to where it is today and I know they will do him proud with this year’s production. No doubt he will be watching from on high and will have some witty comment to make!
Sean Hanrahan, Mike Hayes (R.I.P.)
Billy Collins,
Liam Mullane, MichaelMoran
& Brown Joe O’Connor.