Tommy & Ita Greaney with daughters Andrea & Karen enjoying their daughter Rachel’s 21st Birthday at Brown Joe’s recently.
Search for Jack
It is now six months since the disappearance of Jack Keane.
The group that are involved in the search for Jack are appealing to people from the parish to assist them this Sunday morning if they can spare an hour or two to search again near Jack’s home and surrounding area.
The family would greatly appreciate any help.
Group to meet at Jack’s house at the Water Tower at 10 o’clock.
Glórach News
The red carpet is laid out, the venue is warm and the sound check is ready to go as we eagerly await the return of Seán Keane, whose unique vocal stylings have drawn massive crowds to the Glórach any time he has played there. A few tickets left for the gig this Friday, March 11th, that starts at 8 pm. Don’t delay in ringing 0871383940 or calling to Abbey Tiles or an Siopa Milseáin for tickets, a concert to awaken the Spring senses awaits you. Indoor bingo continues every Monday night at 8 pm, a friendly crew of volunteers and a generous caller are on hand each night, it’s great to see good crowds thronging the venue again.
Good Luck
Best of luck to Adelle O’Sullivan, Hillside Drive, and also to the U17 Quiz Team. who are representing Athea GAA in the Scór competition this Saturday at Pallasgreen
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S CHURCH, ATHEA
Mass Intentions next weekend
Sat Mar 12th 7.30pm: Sr. Rosario O’Sullivan – 75th Jubilee.
Mary & Michael Woulfe and their daughter Catherine (South Keale)
Sun Mar 13th 10.30 am: Moss Reidy.
Lenten Programme
Tuesday 9.30 : Morning Mass
Wednesday 7.30 pm: Evening Prayer Service *
Thursday 3-4pm: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and The Devine Mercy Chaplet
Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday Mornings 10-11am: Prayers for Ukraine.
*The Pastoral Council would like to invite you to our prayer gathering at our Lenten Garden every
Wednesday evening during Lent at 7.30pm.
A petition box will be available for your intentions and we encourage you to bring symbols of you
loved ones which can be placed in our Lenten Garden.
We appeal to you to make a special effort during Lent as it offers a great opportunity for
reconciliation.
Confirmation for 6th class boys and girls will take place Saturday morning at 11.30am.
Baptismal Information: Any parent wishing to baptise their child must have completed the baptismal course. Next course Tues April 12th – Please contact Theresa for further details 087 1513565.
Ministers of the Word and Ministers of the Eucharist
Sat 12/3 Patsy Hayes / Margaret Enright Sun 13/3 Mairead Donovan / Catherine Woulfe
All masses/services 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
“The Fleadh Goes West”
After a hugely successful Fleadh in 2007, Fleadh Cheoil na Mumhan will return to Newcastle West from 13th – 16th July 2022.
Fleadh Cheoil na Mumhan brings competitors from all six counties in the province to compete for the honour of representing Munster at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2022 in Mullingar.
Limerick CCÉ County Board with support from the branches of Comhaltas all over county Limerick will host the festival in the historic county town of Limerick.
Having originally been revealed by Munster CCÉ as host town for the provincial Fleadh in 2020, excitement is starting to build once more in the local community after the 2020 Fleadh had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the announcement of reduced public health restrictions on 21st January by Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, a new committee has been formed and is working hard to make all necessary arrangements for the first Munster Fleadh since it was hosted by Ennis in 2019.
At the launch last Friday afternoon at The Red Door Gallery in Newcastle West, Chairperson of the Fleadh, Liam Guiney shared his delight at the return to pre-pandemic cultural events – “We are extremely excited to be hosting Fleadh Cheoil na Mumhan 2022 in Newcastle West. Having been forced online for the last two years, there is a great appetite to get back to competitions and the buzz that surrounds an event like the Fleadh. Along with it being a huge cultural event for Newcastle West and West Limerick, it will also be a massive boost to the local economy.”
The competitions, which form the backbone of the Fleadh, will take place from 13th – 16th July. Wednesday and Thursday will see the hotly contested dancing competitions fought out, while all other competitions will take place across Friday and Saturday. Newcastle West is set to come alive with the sound of music, song and dance in this enormous cultural celebration.
To keep up to date with preparations for Fleadh Cheoil na Mumhan 2022 please follow the social media updates on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by searching for ‘Munster Fleadh’ or the hashtag #TheFleadhGoesWest.
The Way I See It
By Domhnall de Barra
When people ask me where I come from and I tell them, Athea, those that know the place always comment on how well the village looks and how busy it seems. When you think about all we have lost in Athea it shows that we are doing better than most rural villages of the same size. Once upon a time we had several different types of outlets: grocers, hardware merchants, drapers, harness makers, tailors, dressmakers, butchers, licensed premises, a garage, a creamery, bacon factory, five petrol pumps, two dancehalls, banks, post office and other small enterprises. We now have just the one grocery outlet, one butcher and four pubs, but we have added a doctor’s clinic and a chemist’s shop. The shops are all in the centre of the village so there are always some people around that small area which gives it the impression of being busy. When you look at other villages around, some that don’t even have one shop, I suppose we are lucky to have as much as we do. But what of the future? Over 30 years ago the plan was to secure a land bank so that the IDA or Shannon Development would get some company to build a factory on it. At the time there was a lot of unskilled labour about and there was high unemployment so factory jobs would be a lifeline for the area. Some of these jobs would be on assembly lines, extremely repetitive and boring work, standing or sitting at the same place all day doing exactly the same task over and over again. It was a bit like driving a car. When you start off you have to concentrate on using the clutch, accelerator, brake, steering wheel etc but after a while you do all the tasks without even thinking. The mind can switch off and there is no challenge or sense of achievement. I saw this in England when I was there in the 1960s. At that time it was the home of the car industry with several factories building cars and tractors. The two biggest of these were the Standard and Massey Ferguson employing thousands of people. Again, the work was boring and repetitive and patterns of behaviour began to emerge. The workers became almost robot like, sitting on the same seat in the bus every day and doing exactly the same thing at the factory. It spread to their private lives as well. They went to the same social club on Saturday nights, sat at the same table with the same people, listened to the same music and the same songs. Sunday morning was for washing the car, if they had one, and then they took a drive in the countryside on Sunday afternoon, usually following the same route. When it came to the summer holidays, they went to the same resort each year and stayed at the same boarding house. If anything happened to upset the normal chain of events they became disorientated and didn’t know what to do next. It was a very safe life and many were quite happy to continue all their working lives. Times have changed, some of those factories no longer exist and the assembly line is almost a thing of the past. Car bodies and the likes are all now assembled by robots who, apparently, are far more efficient than human beings. Anyway, we didn’t get the factory in Athea, maybe we are better off, and there will never again be a similar development. If we are to survive into the future we have to have a good look at ourselves, what we have to offer and what we need to create. There is never going to be direct employment in Athea but we are within 15 minutes drive of Listowel, Abbeyfeale and Newcastle West, towns that do have employment so we have to promote ourselves as a great place to live and rear a family. We have the advantage of being off the beaten track but within easy reach of airports, train stations, waterways and seaside resorts. More people living in the area will mean more local enterprise so what do we have to do? Let us , first of all look at the facilities that already exist. We have two great sporting clubs, Athea United and Athea GAA who have excellent pitches. The GAA has also got a walking track that is open to the public. The Con Colbert Memorial Hall complex is available for dances, shows, plays and other functions and the sports hall has one of the best floors in the country for indoor sports. There are many cultural and athletic organisations that cater for music, singing, dancing, drama, field sports etc while organisations like the Community Council and the Tidy Towns committee ensure the village is always looking its best. Broadband speed is very good in the area and roads have greatly improved. To attract families to the village we need to provide land for housing development that will be much cheaper for buyers than similar housing in a large town or city. This may suit people who now have the option of working from home. We need a village park with a playground for children and we could do with a restaurant or two. An influx of new life would mean a bigger school and maybe the chance of getting a filling station back in the village. It would take a lot of planning but it is do able and we need to do it ourselves; there is no point in waiting for the powers that be to come to our aid. To achieve this we will need a new and revitalised Community Council. At the moment, most of the members are getting on in years having given great service in their time. We could do with some new blood so a meeting will be called in the near future to discuss the future of the Council and Athea in general. If you can help in any way please attend. It is our children’s future we are providing for. Watch this space.