Members of the local CE Scheme making a presentation to Supervisor
Jim Carmody on the occasion of his retirement after 14 years service in Athea.

Retirement

Community Council Chairman, Domhnall de Barra, making a presentation to Jim Carmody, CE Supervisor, on the occasion of his retirement

Jim Carmody retired as supervisor of the local CE Scheme on Friday last having reached the age of 66. Jim has been with us for 14 years and has given great service to Athea during his time in charge. During the Comhaltas celebrations, down by the bridge on Saturday evening last, presentations were made to Jim by participants in the CE Scheme and by Athea Community Council Ltd. He was always ready to help in any way and he came to Athea from Templeglantine, during the weekends when we had the Fleadh Cheoils, to clean the streets at the end of the day. He will be missed by all who had contact with him and we wish him a long and happy retirement.

Because of  a drop in the number of people eligible for the scheme, we will not have another supervisor in Athea. Pat King, who has been looking after the Carrigkerry/Old Mill side of the scheme, will take over but we are allowed to have an assistant supervisor who will be based in Athea and look after the scheme here. Interviews for the position took place on Tuesday night last and we hope to have somebody in place by next week.

The Way I See It

By Domhnall de Barra

I know that I complain a lot but I suppose it is the ageing process that lets us see things in a more critical light. Noreen’s father Jack Hannon, God be good to him, once said: “being old is great because you can say what you like”. Maybe there is a bit of Victor Meldrew in all of us but I am the lucky one because I have this platform to air my views. This week I am taking issue with the media, and RTE in particular, for the way in which they cover tragic events. The latest was a terrible car crash in Clones when two beautiful young girls, on their way to a debs ball, lost their lives.  You would want to be made of stone not to be moved by that news and, rightly, it was reported in the papers and on the airwaves. I have no problem with that; it is the invasion of privacy that I object to. The cameras hone in on the site of the crash and there is then a kind of a formula they follow. A reporter on the spot interviews the local priest then a politician, local teacher and then a few random neighbours to get their thoughts on what has happened. Fair enough, but then they continue to report on the accident for the rest of the week, especially when it comes to the funerals. This is what I object to most of all. The families of the crash victims need privacy and time to mourn their loved ones, not have their every move followed by a camera. It is bordering on the ghoulish and we, the viewers, have no right to be witnessing their most trying times.  I don’t think it is right to have cameras at any funeral, it only panders to those amongst us who have a morbid interest in tragic events. Some may say that it is news and we have a right to see it but I disagree. It can be shown discretely without panning in on mourner’s faces at a time when they are most vulnerable. I don’t suppose anyone will take much notice of what I am saying but I would appeal to RTE to show a bit more tact and respect when covering tragic events.

This past weekend was the August Bank Holliday and it was good to see a bit of local activity. We had a bit of craic down by the bridge on Saturday evening when the local Comhaltas branch put on a bit of open air entertainment in the pagoda. The sound of music filled the air and there was a great smell from Jack Quaid’s Bar-B-Cue down by the river. We were extremely lucky with the weather which was dodgy up to the last minute but stayed dry for the duration of the performance. There was a good crowd in attendance and the reaction was very favourable so we will probably do it again next year. On Sunday I went playing golf in Ardagh as usual and when I was coming home I passed  through Carrigkerry. There was a great buzz around the place and  a big crowd in attendance for the Vintage Rally. Moore’s car park was full of vintage tractors and cars of all shapes and sizes. The road was lined with cars and the shop was doing a roaring trade. I came on to Athea and drove into another carnival atmosphere. The bikers had their get-together and there were stalls all over the place. The fine weather brought out the crowds and I’m sure the local businesses had a great time. It was so good to see life in the locality. We were starved of it during Covid but, at long last, things seem to be back to normal. Long may it last.

Was the weather better long ago?  That is a question I am often asked and my immediate answer is yes. Sometimes we look on the past with rose coloured glasses only remembering the good bits but, if we look at the facts, the weather must have been better. If my memory serves me I believe we had more balanced weather; colder winters and more sunshine in the summer. We seemed to get snow and frost around Christmas and January/February. The old people welcomed this because it was supposed to get rid of all impurities and prepare for the season of growth. They also believed it was good for the health, killing off dangerous bugs. It was normal to wake in the morning and see the “Christmas trees” formed by the frost on the windows. There was no central heating in those days but we didn’t take too much notice. It was normal for us and we compensated for the cold by wearing layers of clothes and of course we had plenty exercise to get the blood flowing. As we went through spring the weather got milder and the gardens were set. 1st of April was the official day for throwing off the shoes and they stayed off until the end of September. I don’t ever remember a time when we couldn’t do that because of the weather but for the last few years we have had hard frost in April so things have changed. The summers had to be better too because the hay had to be saved, no silage in those days, and it was all done by hand. If we had weather back then, like we have had for the past month or more, the hay couldn’t possibly have been turned, shook out made into grasscocks and eventually into wynds but apart from on very rare occasions it was always ready for drawing in by the end of July. There is no doubt that the world is changing and weather is going to become more unpredictable. Too much rain or too much drought will play havoc with tillage farming and there is a real danger of a scarcity of food in the not too distant future. People say we must reverse global warming but I think the damage is already done. We will have to get used to more extreme weather with droughts followed by floods. Even now some land along the Shannon is under water. All we can do is hope that some change will come and we can continue

Church Notices

Ide Naofe Pastoral Area   (Athea, Abbeyfeale, Mountcollins, Templeglantine and Tournafulla).

Canon Tony Mullins 087 2600414, Fr. Willie Russell 087 2272825, Fr. Denis Mullane 087 2621911 and Fr Dan Lane 087 2533030 (retired).

Priest on call

13^th Aug: Rev. T Mullins                     087-2600414   20^th Aug: Rev F O’Dea   087-2443106

27^th Aug: Rev. W Russell                     087-2272825

Eucharistic Adoration & The Devine Mercy Chaplet on Tuesday morning after 9.30am mass.

House Calls: Each month Fr Tony, Fr Willie and Fr Lane visit the sick and the housebound in our parish … if you would like to add your name to the list or the name of a family member, please contact parish admin at the number below or any one of the priests directly.

Baptisms on the 4^th Saturday of the month at 2.30pm – next date Saturday August 26^th .

Next baptism course on Tues Aug. 8^th at 8pm, contact Theresa for further details 087-1513565.

Parish Administration: Tues-Fri 11am-1pm. call Siobhan on 087-3331459, outside these hours text or email [email protected]