HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY

Celebrating their 18th birthday last weekend…Tomās Ahern, Ciaran Hunt,
Brīd Hunt, Rory Cleary

Athea Drama Group

Athea Drama Group is proud to present ‘Turning Mammy’ by John McDwyer.
Sisters Martha and Mary live together on the family farm. Mary is involved in a long term search for her baby adopted at birth, while Martha is involved in a long term wait for neighbour, Ambrose’s Mammy to die so that she can finally marry the love of her life.
‘Turning Mammy’ has a rich vein of humour running throughout, with the lively wit of rural Leitrim.
The cast is made up of Mary Ellen Tierney, Julie Moloney and Johnny Corkery.
‘Turning Mammy’ will be staged at Con Colbert Hall, Athea on March 16th,18th, 21st, 23rd & 24th at 8pm. Bookings by text/whatsapp 087 6926746.
Proceeds from our opening night on March 16th will be donated to the Carol Liston O’Connor & Family Benefit Fund.
Please note this play is not suitable for Under 12s.

Athea Drama Group pictured during a dress rehearsal on Monday night.

Comhaltas Ceoltióirí  Éireann

Session at Brown Joe’s on St. Patrick’s Day from  7 –  9pm.

All welcome to celebrate our national saint’s day

Proceeds of Raffle will go to the Carol Liston O’Connor Fund

Charity Wallk

Joe Aherne, Athea, is walking 100 miles in the month of March raising funds for The Irish Heart Foundation at The Mater Hospital. Anyone wishing to donate to this cause please contact Joe on: 086 8155614

The Way I See It

By Domhnall de Barra

The Holy Month of Ramadan is now being observed by Muslims  over the world. It is a bit like Lent for Catholics but far more stringent. During Ramadan, believers have to abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk each day. All types of entertainment are prohibited along with sexual activity and impure thoughts. When night-time comes, a big feast is shared by families and they also have a big breakfast just before dawn when they try to eat as much as they possibly can to last them until night. They also have to pray several times a day so it makes Lenten observances a bit of a cakewalk by comparison. I was in Benghazi in Lybia during Ramadan back in the early ‘80s. It was quite an experience seeing how the locals behaved.  Early in the day was ok but later in the evening there would be lots of disagreements and a few accidents because people were so  tense from the fasting and abstinence and tended to lose the rag a bit. Of course there were some who  would go behind a building to have a crafty fag or a drink of water but they had to be very careful because the holy police, or the “God Squad” as we christened them, were on patrol and the punishment for breaking the rules could be very severe.  We lived in a villa and they sometimes raided the house to see if we had any alcohol or offensive written material. The first time it happened we were only there a couple of days and they found a magazine in a wardrobe. It was advertising clothes and on some pages there were photos of women wearing only bras and knickers. This, in their eyes, was pornographic and I had a job persuading them that the magazine was there before we came  and anyway it was in German so we couldn’t read it. They believed me at last and we were warned to be more careful in the future and destroy any offending material.  During Ramadan there was nobody to be seen on the streets just after sunset. It was eerie to stand in the middle of a normally busy city centre with neither a person or a vehicle in sight nor a sound to be heard. After they had eaten  everyone came out on to the streets and it was like a carnival for an hour or two. After the month they celebrated for three days and had a great time.  They had a big problem with foreign papers. I remember one time coming back from a few weeks at home and I had a couple of issues of The Limerick Leader with me for the boys who were anxious to get news from home in the days before mobile phones etc. When they searched my bag  in Tripoli and found them I was immediately taken to be questioned and I was held until my connecting flight to Benhazi had departed. They did not charge me when they saw what type of paper the Leader was but I had to sleep in the airport until the following day so I didn’t try doing that again at any time in the future. We would sometimes go to the cinema because most of the films were in English with Arabic subtitles. The first thing I noticed was that there were no females in the audience. Women were not treated very well as is the case in all Arab countries where they are ruled by religious leaders. On the other hand men have the best of life, looked after hand and foot and they can have up to four wives if they can afford them. There are those who might say that one wife  to nag you is enough but, in those countries, I don’t think the women are allowed to do much nagging. Our own system may not be perfect but it is so much fairer than what I came across in Libya.

The  rejection of both amendments in the recent referendums came as no surprise to me. I appreciate what the government were trying to achieve but when I examined the wordings my mind was made up. We all want to see people who need it supported but when you have words like “the government shall strive…” you realise that it is a meaningless phrase that lets them off the hook. I can “strive” do anything but that does not mean I have to do it. There is also the question of removing  the word “mother” from the constitution. This posed a problem for many people, myself included. Everybody has a mother who is female because men cannot have babies, at least not yet but with modern technology, who knows? Irish people have a very special place in their hearts for mothers  and it would be wrong not to have them recognised for what they do. Then there is the definition of “family”  and giving the same rights to other relationships rather than the conventional man and woman. They got this wrong as well with  phrases like “durable relationships” which are open to interpretation. Groups to be recognised as families should be distinctly identified and not left so vague that the courts would be forever having to make decisions. They simply did not do their homework and in their arrogance ignored professional advised and took the public voters for mugs. The day is gone when people will vote in a particular way just because a certain political party wants them too. We have minds of our own and a referendum is one occasion when we can use our own judgement. The blame game has started but it is a bit much when opposition parties who supported the amendments beforehand, and even campaigned for a yes vote, now want to distance themselves from the government with some of them even saying they voted “no” and “no” despite what the previously advocated. It is a mess but I believe that, if they put the amendments before the people with the proper wording, having taken all the necessary advice, there could be a different outcome. In the meantime the government must realise that we can no longer be taken for granted. Roll on the general election!!

Congratulations to Tarbert Comprehensive Football team who won the All-Ireland recently. Three lads from Athea, Callum Buckley, Evan Curry and James Broderick, were on the team and we are all very proud of them. Many years ago, my own sons, Daniel and Sean went to that school and I have nothing but the highest of praise for it so it is nice to see them achieving such success on the playing fields.

A huge thank you to all who supported the Irish Heart Foundation Collection on 17th February which was run by Health Athea.  A total of €1,203 was collected.

A cheque was presented to Anne Riordan of the Irish Heart foundation on 7th March by members of  Health Athea.

Anne Riordan IHF sent on the following information to the group for anyone in the community who would like to avail of the supports of the Irish Heart Foundation:

https://irishheart.ie/support-for-you/heart-support-services/

The Irish Heart Foundation aims to support individuals affected by cardiovascular disease & stroke

We offer a range of services that include counseling, peer support, expert talks, and online emotional wellbeing program.

Heart Support Network (Facebook):

For individuals with heart conditions and caregivers.

Benefits: Access to Nurse Support Line, monthly Zoom meetings, peer-to-peer phone support, counseling, and monthly newsletter for those without internet access.

Features: Private Facebook group with over 2,000 members, offering advice, information, support, and group activities like online exercise classes and information talks.

Nurse Support Line:

Available at 01 688 5001, Monday 9am – 5pm, Tuesday – Friday 9am – 1pm.

Offers assistance with heart disease management.

Specific Heart Support:

Cardiac Rehabilitation:

“Cardiac Rehab for All”: Exercise program for those who have experienced a heart event.

Heart Failure:

Tailored support for individuals living with heart failure.

SCAD Ireland Facebook Group:

Independently facilitated group for individuals who have experienced SCAD.

Long QT Syndrome Ireland Facebook Group:

Independently facilitated group for individuals living with LQTS.

Support Line:

Speak to a Support Line Nurse at 01 668 5001, Monday 9am – 5pm, Tuesday – Friday 9am – 1pm.

Athea Tidy Towns

Members of Athea Tidy Towns Committee pictured with Sean Ronayne (at the back). Damien Ahern, Colin Mumbray, Donncha Quille, Linda Mumbrary, Thady Hunt, Lal Browne, Eileen O’ Sullivan, John Scanlon, Jim O’Sullivan & Henry Moran.

Athea Tidy Towns hosted a fascinating talk by ornithologist Sean Ronayne on Wednesday evening last at Con Colbert Hall. Sean took everyone present on a listening journey throughout the world to hear the sounds of mammals and birds from the comfort of their seats. There was a mighty turn out from bird enthusiasts , followed by tea and buns provided by Carla Flavin. Keep an eye out for Sean’s Documentary which will be out soon. The event was supported by Limerick City and County Council under the Local Authority Biodiversity Officer Programme which is delivered in Partnership with the Heritage Council. Thanks to everyone who attended.