Comhaltas A.G.M.
The AGM of Athea branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann takes place at Batt’s Bar on Monday night next at 8pm.
All members are asked to attend. New members especially welcome on the night.
The next session will take place at the Top of the Town, Ballyhahill, on next Saturday, Oct. 14th., at 9pm. Singers, musicians, dancers, story tellers and anyone interested in Irish traditional culture all welcome.
Athea Drama Group
Following on their AGM Athea Drama Group have decided to stage John B. Keane’s play, “Sharon’s Grave” in the springtime.
Reading for Sharon’s Grave continues on Thursday night at 8pm at the hall. The group are looking for males aged 30 to 45 to read for a part. If interested please come along on Thursday or contact any member of the group
The Way I See It
By Domhnall de Barra
Have we become immune to news on the Radio and TV?. At one time, if there was a murder or serious attacks on people, it would be the talk of the week. I well remember the news breaking of the death of Maurice Moore back in Kerry, in a dispute over land, an incident that prompted John B. Keane to write “The Field”. We were all aghast and found it hard to comprehend how such a terrible thing could have happened Murders were so rare at the time that each one affected the population in a way it doesn’t today. Now we hear, almost on a weekly basis, of someone being shot or knifed to death and it hardly raises an eyebrow. We forget that each victim has a family; mother, fathers, brothers, sisters and they are the ones who have to live with the trauma for the rest of their lives. How have we become so cold? Films and videos may be partly to blame as they regularly portray scenes of extreme violence that certain people would like to imitate. Whatever it is, we have become a far more violent society than we used to be. There is little regard for human life anymore. That is not to say there weren’t fights and confrontations in the past, of course there were but there was a certain code that dictated what level of violence would be used. A person would never be kicked while down on the ground long ago and the use of any kind of a weapon was frowned upon. There were many rows at matches and at dance halls but the worst thing you could expect was a split lip or a bloody nose. The whole scene has changed. When I was in Coventry, back in the ‘sixties, I played the accordion every Sunday night in the Kerryman’s Club which was in the centre of the city. Afterwards I would have a couple of drinks before walking the coupe of miles to where I lived because the busses would have been finished by that time. I was never once accosted or felt I was in any danger as I walked through the streets with my accordion case. The same thing was true of other cities I lived in like Birmingham, Dublin and Liverpool. I could walk through the centres of those cities at any hour of the night. Nowadays I wouldn’t attempt to walk through them on my own in broad daylight. One thing that has changed over the years is the amount of policemen and Gardaí on the beat. Back then they were visible and you were never far away from a couple of them patrolling the streets. Their very presence was a deterrent to would be wrong doers and made the rest of us feel safe. Those custodians of the law knew their patches very well. They knew all the people who lived and worked in the area and they could spot a stranger acting suspiciously very quickly. Now we have cars that drive by occasionally but it isn’t the same and there are far less members in the force for the size of the population than there used to be. Being a policeman is not an easy job so it is not surprising that recruitment to the force is down. It should be a rally well paid job because we depend on them to keep us safe. They have far more to contend with today with drugs and gang feuds and of course they are supposed to keep an eye on motorists as well which is another area of concern. We now hear, almost daily, of some fatality or maybe two or three on the roads. Just this weekend another young man lost his life in an accident in Duagh while another man was killed near Glin the week before. There is no doubt that speed plays a big part but I am appalled at the incidents of bad driving I see on the roads every day. Not long ago, a young driver overtook me at speed between the forge and Leahy’s Cross. No sooner had he passé me than he put the brakes on and indicated his intention to turn right. I had to brake hard to avoid a collision . What was in his mind that caused him to take such a chance, facing a bend when he was turning right anyway? I also noticed, on dual carriageways, people driving at slow speed on the outside lane causing other drivers to take the risk of overtaking them on the inside which could easily cause an accident. Disregard for the basic rules of the road is a huge problem. I think learning to drive properly should be part of secondary education as soon as students become of age. It is such a necessary skill in these times that needs teaching at the earliest opportunity. There is one problem with the driving test that bothers me. As a learner driver I am not permitted to drive on a motorway but as soon as I have passed I can do so even though I had never driven at 120 Km an hour or learned the proper way to drive on a two or three lane highway. I am glad to hear that they are going to change some of the speed limits because, at the moment we are allowed to drive at 80 Km an hour on what I would describe as bog roads that have only room for one car and are full of bends and potholes. Contrast this with the speed limit of 40 on some dual carriageways near cities and the whole thing makes little sense. Changing the speeding limits however will not make a difference to those who ignore them at the moment. For them there are no limits and we can’t expect the Gardaí to be on every road in the country at all times of the day and night. Fixed speed cameras are the answer but they are very expensive to buy and operate but, if they save lives wouldn’t the expense be justified? In the meantime there should be a crackdown on people using mobile phones while driving. How often have I noticed people texting while driving and it is a recipe for disaster. It only takes your eyes to be off the road for a split second to cause your car to go off track. The messages are not that important and will wait until you are safely parked. Even pedestrians on rural roads are in danger of being knocked down because they are so interested in what’s on their phones that they become oblivious to their surroundings and wander out onto the path of traffic. Only the other day a young lady, with phone glued to her ear, suddenly crossed the road in front of me. Luckily I wasn’t going fast and was able to avoid her but the story could have been so much worse. We must all take responsibility and try to make the road a safer place for everybody.
Church Notices
Ide Naofe Pastoral Area (Athea, Abbey Feale, 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). Sunday Duty Oct. 15 th Rev.F Duhig
087-6380299
Weekday mass this week on Tuesday evening at 7pm .
Mass Intention next Saturday evening Oct 15th 7.30pm: Ann Carroll (months mind).
Our weekend mass will change to Sunday mornings commencing the first weekend in November
Annual Harvest mass of Thanksgiving next Saturday evening Oct 15 th 7.30pm.
Baptism Information . Next baptism date is Saturday Oct 28 th at 3.30pm, thereafter baptisms will be on the fourth Sunday of the month at 12 noon. Contact 087-3331459 for further details.
Next baptism course on Tues Oct 10 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]
(All masses are streamed live on https://www.churchservices.tv/athea)
Our Weekly Lottery now has a jackpot of €18,000. If you would like to support Athea Community Counmcil in its efforts to promote the wellbeing amnd prosperity of Athea pleas fill in the form in the link below and return to me: Domhnall de Barra, Athea Community Council, Athea, Co. Limerick or e-mail: [email protected]