By Tom Aherne
HERITAGE WALK: St. Kieran’s Heritage Association are doing a walk to Rathronan Church on Wednesday, June 7. Leaving from St. Molua’s Church at 8pm sharp and all are welcome.
VOLUNTARY HOUSING: Ardagh Voluntary Housing Association will be holding their AGM in the hall Ardagh on Thursday, June 8 at 8pm. New members would be very welcome.
GAELIC GAMES: St. Kieran’s defeated Father Casey’s by 1-9 to 0-7 in the West Senior Football League semi-final at Athea Gaelic Grounds on Wednesday, May 31. They led by 1-4 to 0-5 at half time. TEAM Anthony Molyneaux, Johnny McCarthy, Diarmuid Mulcahy, Aaron Heffernan, Anthony Mullins, Brendan McCarthy, Mossie Shine, Darragh Treacy, Cormac Mann, Mikey Long, John Hayes, Noel Callanan, Alan Daly, Seamus Mangan, Adam Lacy. Subs: Kevin Meade, Crain MacInness, Sean Ryan, Donie Nolan.
St. Kieran’s lost to Feohanagh by 2-20 to 2-14 in the West Junior B Hurling League played in Coolcappa on Thursday June 1. Feohanagh led by 1-11 to 0-8 at half time . TEAM Liam Ward, James Woulfe, Billy Breen, Liam Scanlon, Edward Fitzgerald, Anthony Mullins, Darragh McMahon, Mikey Long, Conor Kelly, Tom McMahon, Conor Woulfe, Cathal O’Connor, Danny Collum, Anthony Molyneaux, Con Enright. Subs Michael Murphy, Jack Flavin, Donie Nolan.
John Doyle from the club was a member of the Limerick Masters football team that lost to Kerry by 3-9 to 2-7 in the All-Ireland Championship at Raheenagh on Saturday, May 27. Limerick play Laois in Kilteely on Saturday June 10.
SCRAP METAL: St. Kieran’s GAA club will be holding a scrap metal collection on Saturday, September 23. In advance of that date the club have sourced a skip for people who may want to dispose of unwanted scrap metal. If they wish to do so they can contact any officer of the club to finalise the arrangements.
SOCCER NEWS: Creeves Celtic defeated Kilcornan 3-0 at home in their final match in the Desmond Premier Division on Sunday, May 28. Darragh O’Connor 2, and Ray Cahill scored their goals. They finished in seventh place and avoided relegation to Division 1. They played 18 matches won 7, draw 5, lost 6 and finished with 26 points. Carrig Celtic finished fifth in Division 3. They played 12 matches, won 4, drew 1, lost 7 and finished with 13 points. Kilcolman Rovers defeated Rathkeale United 2-1 in the Desmond Under 16 Division 2 Shield final at Ardagh on Thursday, May 25. Eoghan Sheahan and Shane O’Mahony scored their goals. Kilcolman Rovers lost 1-0 away to Charleville in the Desmond Ladies Cup semi-final.
COMMUNITY GAMES: St. Kieran’s participants have been very busy in the various community games events in recent weeks. They have participated in Under 11 Tag Rugby, Under 12 boys’ soccer and Under 12 girls 7-a-side soccer. They held their own sports day on Bank Holiday Monday.
LADIES FOOTBALL: Limerick ladies’ footballers lost to Clare by 0-13 to 1-6 in the Munster B Final in Mallow on Sunday, May 28. Alva Quaid, Róisín Ambrose and Iris Kennelly from the Old Mill club were involved.
OLYMPIC BALLROOM: Many older readers especially around the West Limerick area will have happy memories of attending the Olympic Ballroom in Newcastle West, from 1960 onwards. It was the in place for dancers during the Showband years. All the top Irish and international bands groups and artists performed there to large crowds a couple of nights per week. The last dance was held there on New Year’s Eve 1987. 35 years ago on May 18, 1988, The Olympic Ballroom was advised for sale in the Limerick Leader. The sale was held at the River Room Motel (now the Longcourt House Hotel) Newcastle West by O’Donovan and Associates. It was not sold on the day. It changed hands a few times over the years and presently is unoccupied.
LOTTERY DRAW: The Ardagh Development Association and Saint Kieran’s GAA joint weekly lottery draw took place on Monday, May 29. The numbers drawn were 4, 18, 25, 30, and there was no winner of the €13,000 Jackpot. Congratulations to the five lucky dip winners who received €40 each: Ann Molyneaux, Ardagh, Dawn and Martin O’Sullivan c/o Dawn’s Launderette, Bernie O’Flynn, Ballyegna (Online), Cathal McEnery, Skehanagh (Online), Michael Harnett (Online). Next Monday night’s Jackpot will be €13,100. 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.
RADIO DRAW: Congratulations to Jerome Scanlan, Feohanagh, who won €250 in the West Limerick 102fm 50/50 draw held on Friday, June 2. The tickets cost €2, or 3 for €5 and they are available from volunteers, in local shops, (including Moloneys Carrigkerry, and Denis Greaney’s Shop Ardagh) or from the radio station. All support will be appreciated. The station can be contacted at 069-66200 if people have news of interest to the West Limerick area.
GLENVILLE HOUSE: The following are the Glenville House and Gardens, Ardagh opening hours for 2023: June 1-10, (Heritage Week) August 12-20, inclusive. Tuesday to Saturday from 9-30am to 1-30pm. Admission €5, Students €3, children and old age pensioners are free. The house is located a mile from Ardagh on the Kilcolman road and is well worth a visit.
OLD RECTORY: The Old Rectory Ballywilliam, Rathkeale is open to the public from May 1 to November 30. The opening hours are on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 2pm. It will be open also during Heritage Week from Saturday, August 12 to Sunday, August 20. The admission is €8 and additional information available by calling 087-8269123.
FLEADH DATES: The Kerry Fleadh will be held in Ballybunion from Friday, June 9 to Monday, June 19. There will be a set Céilí in the Cliff House Ballybunion on Friday, June 9 at 9pm. Music by Uí Bhriain and admission is €10. The county Clare Fleadh will be held in Ennis on June 10, 11, 17, 18, with an action-packed list of events planned.
FLAG FLOOR: The weekly music and set dancing session will make a return for the summer months at the Flag Floor, Glensharrold, Carrigkerry on Tuesday, June13, from 9pm to 11.30pm. Coming from the Newcastle West/Ardagh direction a first right turn past Carrigkerry on the Glin Road will get you to the old-style farmhouse. There is no Eircode, but the venue is just past V9439N9. Teas are served, admission is €5, and all are welcome.
RAMBLING HOUSE: The next rambling house will be held at Ballyhahill Hall on Wednesday, June 21, at 8pm. All musicians, singers’ dancers and storytellers are most welcome to attend on the night.
GARDEN FETE: The Rathfredagh Cheshire Home Annual Garden Fete will be held on Sunday, July 2. It is their main fundraiser each year and all support will be appreciated.
CUL CAMP DATES St. Kieran’s GAA club will hold their annual Cúl Camp from Monday, July 31, to Friday, August 4, from 10am to 2pm. Supervisor John Lynch. It will cater for football, Ladies football, hurling and camogie. Fees €75, Second child €60,third/fourth child €50. Each child will receive a Kellogg’s GAA Jersey, ¼ zip top and backpack. Participants are asked to bring a packed lunch and drink, Hurley and helmet for hurling and camogie, mouth guard for football, suitable playing gear, tracksuit, shorts, runners, boots, rain jacket and changes of gear on wet days, Labelled bottle of water, Sun cream and baseball hat and labelled Towel.
Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps provide primary school boys and girls – between the ages of 6 and 13 – with an action-packed and fun-filled week of activity during the summer holidays which revolves around maximising enjoyment and sustaining participant involvement in Gaelic Games. Activities are player-centred with a Games Based approach and a strong emphasis on personal development and well-being. Activities are also organised in an age-appropriate manner with a view to: Optimising learning, enhancing friendships, improving physical and psychological wellbeing and Promoting school and club links. The camps are structured so that a different aspect of the game is worked on each day. The programme involves coaching specific skills of the game and provides the opportunity for children to put into practice what they have learned through small, sided games. During the camp week, a “blitz” is organised to provide each child with an introduction to competitive games.