Mary T. Mulvihill and her colleagues on a walk in Spain for Crumlin Children’s Hospital
Fair Day
Saturday Nov. 4th is only days away and we hope the weather is good for the annual Fair Day in Athea. There will be plenty of animals, fowl and all types of goods and clothing on display in the stalls and street. A great day out for all the family.
Athea & Distrtict Credit Union Ltd.
The office in Athea will be closed on Saturday Nov. 4th due to the Fair Day in the village. Normal service will resume next week.
Hall AGM
The AGM of Con Colbert Memorial Hall Ltd will take place on Thursday, November 2nd at 8pm. Everyone is welcome.
Athea Gun Club
It’s that time of year again and with the pheasant season fast approaching we would like to encourage people to clean and check their guns thoroughly before use. On Wednesday November 1st we will hold our annual long tail competition in Batt’s Bar. Not only members but all are welcome on the night for anyone who would like to see exactly what we do on the night. Last entries will be taken at 7.15 and measurements start at 7.30 sharp. I would like to thank farmers and land owners for allowing us to hunt on their lands and on that note I would urge all members to be respectful of landowners property and close gates and fences while passing through. Keep membership and insurance with you at all times as you may be asked to produce. I would also ask anyone who has any problems with vermin not to hesitate asking a gun club member for some assistance. Finally, safe shooting and happy hunting
Bodhrán Competition
The annual Bodhrán Competition which was due to be run at Batt’s over the Bank Holiday weekend had to be postponed and will now be run at a later date.
Athea Vintage Club
Our online raffle is continuing until November 3rd with two amazing prizes!!!! Firstly, Aaron Gillane Limerick Hurling All Star has donated signed shorts & socks which he presented to Melissa Dalton – Sophie Mulligans Mother. This is a beautiful piece of Limerick Hurling History displayed in a frame, it would be an amazing addition to any home or business. Aaron kindly gave his time to attend our event on September 3rd and once again Athea welcomed him with huge enthusiasm, it was further enhanced when Roisin Ambrose, Limerick Ladies Football Captain was also in attendance.
Athea Hairstyles have donated a beautiful hamper consisting of hair tools and products. This is a fabulous prize just in time for Christmas. We thank Kathleen & Shannon for their very kind donation.
If you would like to get your hands on tickets then please go to www.idonate.ie/raffle/AtheaVintageClub or scan the QR code.
The Way I See It
By Domhnall de Barra
The ongoing situation in Gaza is the main topic of the day due to the unrelenting bombardment of the region by Israeli forces. We know that Hamas are living and operating from the area but that does not justify the killing of innocent civilians or, what is worse, depriving them of humanitarian aid. We can only try to imagine what the people of the area are going through with the destruction of their homes, lack of food, water, electricity and sanitation. The Israeli government tell them to get out but all the borders are closed and anyway, how can you take seriously ill patients out of hospitals without exposing them to the probability of dying. I suppose it is easy for us to talk from such a distance but surely a cease fire to allow help is not beyond the bounds of reason. There is real hatred between Israelis and Palestinians but nothing justifies the taking of civilian lives. It is difficult to understand how certain countries still say they stand behind Israel; and that they have a right to defend themselves. Defend themselves against what? The civilians of Gaza are not attacking them, Hamas is and here we can see how uncaring that organisation is too. They are using the common people as shields and are willing to watch them die. Where is it all going to end? Are we heading for a huge war in the Middle East that will engulf several nations and bring the big powers who pull the puppet strings into play? It is time for real diplomacy and for world leaders to play their part in getting a just and lasting peace for the region. How many more innocent men, women and children must die before common sense prevails? All wars end in a settlement of some sort. It is better sooner rather than later.
The clocks went back last Saturday night which gave us a bit of a lie in on Sunday morning. Is it time now to leave the time as it is and not go forward again in March? I know it will not give us as long an evening but we don’t really need it anymore. The following comes from the net: “The idea of aligning waking hours to daylight hours to conserve candles was first proposed in 1784 by U.S. polymath Benjamin Franklin. In a satirical letter to the editor of The Journal of Paris, Franklin suggested that waking up earlier in the summer would economize on candle usage; and calculated considerable savings. In 1895, New Zealand entomologist and astronomer George Hudson proposed the idea of changing clocks by two hours every spring to the Wellington Philosophical Society. In 1907, British resident William Willett presented the idea as a way to save energy. After some serious consideration, it was not implemented.”. People don’t work in the fields in the evening like they used to except of course for those involved in hay and silage who sometimes work through the night in the Summertime. They have the advantage of big lights on their machines so they don’t need daylight. If it were to be done it would have to be in conjunction with the UK otherwise we could have different times on both sides of the border with Northern Ireland. I remember well when it was introduced in Ireland and when the clocks went forward it was called “new time”. Posters advertising events would have to specify whether it was “new time” or “old time” because not everybody took to the change straight away.
Different days and different times. Nowadays most modern timepieces change automatically but, long ago, it was quite a job changing the old clocks, some of them worked by chains and pendulums, and they were very easily disturbed. Many of these had to be wound every day to keep them ticking and it was a great advance in technology when the eight day clock, which only had to be wound once a week, was invented. Today a little battery will power a clock for a couple of years. Anyway, I hope that, in the not too distant future, we won’t have to be putting clocks backwards and forwards every year.
There is a severe shortage of workers right across the board in Ireland today. It is a far cry from the times, not that long ago, when we had to emigrate to other countries because there wasn’t enough employment here. Tradesmen are very scarce and it is almost impossible to get anybody to do a small job today. The haulage industry is crying out for drivers and are looking to Eastern European countries to fill the vacancies. Truck driving used to be a very well paid job. I did it myself in England and Europe for some years and, at that time, we were paid more than most tradesmen. It was difficult to get a job in the industry and you had to pass a very stringent test. You also had to have a good sense of direction and be well able to read a map because in those days there were no sat navs to rely on. I remember my first day driving a truck in England. I was living in Coventry and was given a load of five drops in the Bristol area. I didn’t know whether Bristol was North, South, East or West so I had to get a good road map and work out a route. When I got to the first drop they told me how to get to the next one and so on until I had completed the job. Each city had a street map called an A to Z and you could work out short cuts by using it wisely. The only time I got into real trouble driving was in France. The first time I went with a tanker of chemicals I was with two other trucks and, as I had never been to France before, I was taking in the scenery and not really paying attention to the route. The next time I went I was on my own and I realised I had made a wrong turning somewhere when the road started to get narrower and the grass was growing up in the middle. I eventually came to a ford in a river and I knew I had nothing better to do but reverse the articulated unit for about three miles, not an easy job on a narrow road. It taught me a lesson, one I didn’t forget. Lately, a driver from Latvia, got stranded up in Rooskagh because he followed a sat nav that was only suitable for cars and led him from Carrigkerry up to the top of the hill. He had quite a job getting out of there. You can’t really depend on sat navs as they sometimes send you down routes that are the shortest but aren’t suitable. Anyway, there are so many jobs out there now that there is no reason for anybody to be unemployed.
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). Priest on duty Sun Nov 5th Rev. F O’Dea 087-2443106.
Masses this coming week : Wednesday Nov 1st All Saints’ Day 11am, Thursday Nov 2nd All Souls Day 9.30am and 7pm, Friday Nov 3rd (first Friday) 7pm. Sunday Nov 5th 11am.
Our weekend mass will change to Sunday mornings at 11am commencing next Sun Nov. 5th.
Eucharistic Adoration and The Devine Mercy Chaplet on Thursday morning after mass.
Baptism Information: Next baptism date is Saturday October 28th at 3.30pm and on the fourth Sunday of the month thereafter at 12noon. Contact parish administration for details.
Next baptism course on Tues Nov. 14th 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]
Mass Intentions Sunday Nov 5th 11am– Elizabeth & Patrick O’Sullivan (Glasha). Matt Tierney. Cathy Moran and her son Tommy and grandson Sean and all deceased members of the Moran family. Ann, Mary Agnes, Jack & Vincent Barrett
(All masses are streamed live on https://www.churchservices.tv/athea)
Annual Mass for all those who died in 2023 will be celebrated on Friday 10th of November at 7.00pm. During Mass a candle will be lit for each person who has died during the past twelve months. For those whose relatives died outside of the parish and you wish to remember them on that evening please text/call the parish office phone number and give their name to be added to the list.