Fair Day in Athea

The weather did not oblige for the Fair Day last Saturday which made it difficult for people to come out and enjoy the event. It was such a pity to see all the stalls with their variety of goods on display to almost empty streets. You would have to feel sorry for the traders who put a lot of work into erecting stalls and displaying their goods but, this is Ireland and we can never rely on the weather to do us a favour.

Ceili

There will be a Ceili in the Hall on Sat. Nov 18th at  9pm. Contact John Joe Tierney at 086 9963859

Annual Remembrance Mass

This will take place in St. Bartholomew’s Church, Athea, on Nov. 10th remembering all lives of our loving friends who have passed away.

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí

 Éireann

Save the Date

The local branch will hold it’s Christmas party with a session of music, recital from the music and singing classes and  plenty of treats and refreshments at the Con Colbert Memorial Hall on Sunday, December 17th at 5pm. Everybody welcome for an evening of “Ceol agus Craic”

The Way I See It

By Domhnall de Barra

Can’t believe we are into November already. It only seems like yesterday we were celebrating the new year and suddenly the Summer, or what passed for one, is gone and we are into Winter time again. November seems to be a month with no expectations. The Summer months are full of activity, September had the All-Irelands, now changed, and the Listowel Races and October has Halloween but the next we have to look forward to is Christmas. November is  the month of the Holy Souls, a time when people remember and pray for the dearly departed. Years ago the month used to start with a Holyday of Obligation, All Saints Day, and everyone went to Mass. It was compulsory to do so and  was regarded as a sin if you didn’t. The following day was far more important to most people as it was the day when indulgences could be gained for the departed by visiting a graveyard or saying a prayer in the church. There used to be a constant flow of people to the cemeteries and the church was busy too with people doing “the rounds”.  This meant visiting the church on several occasions to gain indulgences for different people. There was usually a holy water font between the church gates and the main door so people would go into the church, pray for the souls and then come out as far as the font, sprinkle themselves with holy water and then go back in and do it all over again. The more people you had to pray for, the more rounds you made. You won’t see many people doing the rounds these days but you will see them visiting the graveyards.

The clocks going back meant that the days were shorter and the nights were getting longer. When we were young it meant getting things done a bit earlier and forgetting about outside pursuits for the remainder of the Winter. A typical evening for us was doing the jobs before dark. These were tasks like bringing water from the well. Not every house had a good well but those who had shared the water with the neighbours. We drew the water in gallons and buckets. This water was strictly for making tea and drinking so water had also to be brought in for washing etc. This  was usually collected in a trough at the end of the house that gathered rain water from the roof. We got our water from a spout across the road from Cusack’s house next door. This was just a pipe that brought the water from a dyke inside the ditch and it flowed constantly. The water from the trough was a much better quality since it came from rainfall on the roof while the dyke water was  full of iron deposit from up the hills. Turf for the fire had to be brought in from the turf shed to keep the open fire, the only fire in the house, going for the night.  Other jobs included putting in the hens and other fowl. Everyone kept hens for the eggs and to eat when they were past laying. Some people also kept ducks, geese and, at this time of the year, turkeys would be fattened for the Christmas market. Farmers would have to tend to the cattle that were housed for the winter but, in those days, even people in cottages kept a cow to supply milk for the house.  That is why each cottage had an acre of ground with it, enough for a cow and a garden. It was also customary for people to rear pigs, one to be killed and the others to be sold. All theses had top be looked after before the supper. That meal wasn’t by any means a great feast; it was usually just tea with bread an butter. There might sometimes be a bit of cold bacon left over from the dinner but more often than not it was just the bread. Afterwards, while we were all together, the Rosary had to be said. As children we weren’t too keen on this but we had no choice. My mother would “give out “ the Rosary and the first decade and then other members of the family said the other four decades. Sometimes our minds wandered as we said our decade and we would forget the count but, as soon as we started on the Hail Mary for the eleventh time, shouts of “glory be, glory be” would come from the others. Sometimes we would get a fit of the giggles, especially if somebody started making faces behind our mother’s back but a swift lash of the sally rod that was never far away from her hand brought us back to paying proper attention and respect. The Rosary was soon over but that was not the end of it. Now came the “trimmings”. In these all the Saints in heaven were invoked to pray for us and those gone before us. This was a long list and was followed by the same entreaty of the different names for the Blessed Virgin of which there are quite a few. At last it would be over and then our homework had to be done before the ramblers came.  It was the custom for people to visit each other’s house at night, sit around the fire for a couple of hours and discuss all the news and gossip of the day.  I was the eldest of our family so I used to go up to Davy Connors’ house  to learn how to play cards. We used to play football and hurling there during the long evenings so now we went indoors.  Dave and Liz had great patience with us as we argued about the rights and wrongs of the playing of 41. Dave also taught myself and his son Mick, who was the same age as me, how to play the tin whistle. He would sit opposite us and play the tune slowly while we copied the movement of his fingers on the holes. The first two tunes I learned from him were “Going to Mass” and “The  Wearing of the Green”, tunes that were very important for the Wren Day which was coming up. We had many a great night in that house and always came down the road happy, especially if we had won a game or two and had a couple of pennies to show for it. Those days, however, are long gone and times have changed out of all proportions. We are far better off nowadays and we don’t need to keep pigs, fowl and cattle but I think we have lost a lot too. Neighbours don’t visit each other’s houses any more and youngsters are too busy on their mobile devices to play cards or even have meaningful discussions. I am glad though that we now have central heating and we don’t have to rely on mountains of bedclothes to keep us warm. As I get older I am more appreciative of my creature comforts.

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 12^h Rev. W Russell 087-2272825.

Baptism Information: Next baptism date is Sunday November 26^th at 12 noon and on the fourth Sunday of the month thereafter. Contact parish administration for details.

Next baptism course on Tues Nov. 14^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]

Mass Intentions Sunday Nov 12^th 11am– Michael & Peg Reidy and Johanna Sheehy and Chris Goodale. (All masses are streamed live on https://www.churchservices.tv/athea)

The Annual Remembrance Mass for all those who died in the parish during the past twelve months will take place next Friday November 10^th at 7.00pm. During the mass a candle will be lit for each person who died. For those who died outside of the parish and you wish to remember them at this mass please text/call the parish office phone number. Prayers in Templeathea Graveyard will take place after mass next Sunday Nov 12^th A Memorial Mass will be held for all deceased members of Kerry Ingredients, Listowel at St. Michael’s Church, Lixnaw on Wed. Nov 15^th at 7.30pm.