Athea Community Council
“Lucky Numbers” Draw
The weekly jackpot now stands at €20,500, a tidy sum indeed for some lucky winner. Tickets on sale at White’s, Collins’ Shop, Community Council Office and other individual sellers. An appeal to all those who sell and buy tickets. Please ensure to fill in the date on the ticket because a ticket without a date is invalid. Wouldn’t it be awful to have the winning numbers and not be able to claim the prize because the date wasn’t filled in?
The legendary Athea Bookmaker Patsy Browne at Tralee Greyhound Track on Friday night as he keeps a shrewd eye on proceedings while about to chalk up the odds. A moment which has the real meaning of the old dog for the long road.
Photo: Moss Joe Browne.
The Way I See It
By Domhnall de Barra
The Stardust tribunal took centre stage this week and it was great to see those families get justice at long last. That they had to wait this long is nothing short of disgraceful and serious questions must now be asked about the original enquiry that found in favour of the owners by claiming that the fire was started deliberately and there was no evidence of chained emergency exits. This meant that all those who died on the night had the finger of suspicion pointing at them which must have caused untold hurt to their families. How did they get it so wrong? The evidence was there so why did it take over forty years to have it made public? Of course the doors were chained. It was common practice in many ballrooms and big halls to prevent people from opening them from the inside and letting their friends in for nothing. I have seen it myself in many, many places and I am now sorry that I didn’t give it enough thought at the time and report it to the Gardaí. To add insult to injury, the people who were really responsible for the deaths were awarded €600,000 in compensation as a result of the first findings. This would amount to over two and a half million in today’s money. In the light of the latest findings should that money now be returned and those people prosecuted for unlawful killing? The state is apologising but the people in power now weren’t there at the time. Those who were also have question to answer. I hope that this will bring some closure to the families but of course it will never bring their loved ones back or take away the suffering from the injustice they had to endure for so long.
As I write, I can hear the sound of lawnmowers in the distance. At long last we have a bit of fine weather and it was a joy to be able to play golf at the weekend in shorts. We badly need a couple of weeks of this especially for the farmers, many of whom are running out of fodder for the cattle locked up since the fall of the year. I did notice that people were in a far better mood since the sun came out and I suppose we are all deficient in vitamin D for the lack of it. Anyway, it is good to hear announcers on radio reminding us to use sunscreen again.
I was in the village of Brosna lately, visiting the graves of my relatives, and a mural on a house caught my eye. It was a painting of the late Curtain brothers, famous fiddle players who were raised near where my father came from, a place with the delightful name “Two Gneeves”. A Gneeve was 10 to 20 acres, depending on who measured it. The village of Gneeveguilla in Kerry would have 30 to 40 acres (Gníomh go leith; a gneeve and a half). Con was the more famous of the Curtains and he was the inspiration for the Con Curtin traditional festival which is held in Brosna every summer. Con spent most of his life in England where he worked for a while as a foreman on the tunnels in London. This was a very well paid job and Con eventually bought a pub in South London called The Big Balloon. It became a Mecca for all musicians and lovers of traditional music. To say Con was a character would be an understatement. He was never stuck for words and had a ready comment for any occasion. In the pub there was a small glass cabinet on the wall with a tobacco pipe in it. There was a sign on which read “Michael Coleman’s Pipe”. Michael Coleman was Sligo fiddle player who emigrated to America and made some of the first recordings of traditional music in the early part of the last century. He is still regarded as one of the best fiddle players of all time. Anyway , one day, a visitor from America was admiring the pipe and offered to buy it off Con. He was slow to part but when enough money was on offer, he sold the pipe. A couple of weeks later one of the locals noticed that Coleman’s pipe was back on display in it’s cabinet and he said to Con, “I thought you sold that pipe” “I did” said Con. The man asked how it was back up there so to which Con replied: “do you think or imagine a famous man like Michael Coleman had only one pipe.” I don’t know how many times the pipe was sold but it always appeared again. He could be witty as well. He was adjudicating at a fleadh Cheoil when a young lad who was in the early stages of learning to play the fiddle performed his two pieces. When the competition was over, the lad’s mother asked Con what did he think of him. Con replied; “he’s the nearest thing to a fiddle player I ever heard”. The woman was happy and con had a twinkle in his eye. On another occasion, at a fleadh in Ballydesmond, Con was adjudicating along with Denis McMahon when an old mountainy man came on stage with a fiddle. He proceeded to play a slow air very badly out of tune. It was like a cat screeching and when Denis said to Con; “what will I give him”, the answer came back: “jail”. As the old man was departing Con called him and asked him how much he would charge to haunt a house! I have enough stories about con to fill the newsletter but I will save them for another day. He eventually returned to his native Brosna and bought a pub in the village. Alas, like many other such establishments, it is now closed but while it was open, it attracted musicians from all over the world. There is an awful change in Brosna village since I first went there with my father. Unfortunately it has gone the way of most rural villages and towns where nearly all the shops and businesses are gone. They might call it progress but I think we have lost a great deal and we are never going to get it back.
Church Notices
Parish Pastoral Unit (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).
Masses this week- Tuesday evening 7pm and Thursday morning 9.30am.
Eucharistic Adoration and The Devine Mercy Chaplet on Thursday morning after mass.
Mass Intentions Sat April 27th 7.30pm: Ellie & Bob Scanlon. Eileen Brosnan. Dick Woulfe. Patrick Dalton (Gortnagross). Denny & Eileen Kelly (Coole West) and their daughters Peggy & Helen & son Joe.
All masses are streamed live on https://www.churchservices.tv/athea
Baptisms take place on the fourth Saturday of the month at 2.30pm. The next baptismal preparation meeting takes place in the sacristy Athea, Tuesday evening May 14th at 8pm. Parents who wish to baptise their child in the next few months are encouraged to attend. Please contact Siobhan 087-3331459.
Templeathea Holywell: It is customary for people to visit the Holy well in Templeathea on the last Saturday in April. I believe the tradition is to say a rosary. The first decade in front of the well and the statue of Our Lady. Then move to the right and say the second decade then move right again to say the third and so on around the well and say the last decade in front of well and statue again. The water is said to cure ailments of all kinds.
Lenten Scripture Reflection: ‘A Journey through the Bible’ – continues in the Library, Athea every Wednesday night 7.30-8.30, followed by a cuppa and a chat.
Parish Administration: Tues-Fri 11am-1pm. call Siobhan on 087-3331459, outside these hours text or email [email protected]
Athea Community Council Lucky Numbers Draw
22/04/2024 No’s Drawn: 6, 13, 20, 24. No Winner
Lucky Dips
Treasa Sexton, Coole West
Shona Mahony, c/o Ned Mahony
Anne & Fiadh Sheehan, H/Side Drive
Ann McAuliffe, Donal & Ann’s
Sellers Prize: White’s Bar & D. de Barra
Next Draw: 29/04/’24 Venue: White’s Bar
Jackpot €20,500
PAT KING COUNCIL CANDIDATE
The Limerick City and County Council Local Elections will be held on Friday June 7. A new candidate Pat King from Carrigkerry will contest the Newcastle West area as an Independent. He is the Supervisor of the Carrigkerry Athea and Old Mill community employment scheme and widely known in sporting circles. He possesses a hard working attitude who likes to get things done, rather that talking about getting things done. He has been disappointed by the lack of action from elected representatives and successive governments and feels it’s now time for new people and fresh ideas to step up and address the rural issues being ignored. Its Pat’s first time entering the political arena and his motto is the 3, C’s Choices, Chances and Changes. In life you must make the choice to take a chance if you want to make a change. His goals are simple and very achievable and he is asking the general public to give him a chance to implement his ideas if elected.
Pat has worked and being a volunteer in the local community for over 35 years. He has served and being involved in many organisations outside his own village also. He was a founding member of Carrig Celtic F.C. and a former chairperson, fixtures secretary and PRO of the Desmond Ladies League. He is the current chairman and founder member of St Kieran’s Community Watch and current Chairman of Carrigkerry Playground and Sensory Park Development. He is also a current member of the St Kieran’s GAA club and St Kieran’s Heritage Association. Pat has been involved in Desmond League soccer for over 40 years as a player, manager and currently as a referee and vice chairman of West Limerick Referees Society. He is also the current chairman of Limerick C.E. Supervisors Network Group and the National Rep for all of County Limerick.
Pat wants more funding made available for local community groups and clubs. He wants to address the scandalous litter and dumping in rural areas. He wants to make the villages and towns safer with improved services and infrastructure and to tackle the major drug issues all over the county. Pat is a Community Employment Supervisor and he wants to tackle the recruitment, low budgets and other Employment programmes. He wants to safeguard people’s rights to cut their own turf and to increase the Local Link service for people living in rural areas. He wants to see rural roads widened and inlets made to take the water off the roads and potholes filled to improve safety for road users.
Pat wants grants to be made available to cut the cost of public liability for voluntary organisations whose work has been greatly diminished and taken for granted by successive governments. They are the backbone of every society and community group in every village and town and deserve respect.
Pat is appealing to the non voters to make their presence felt and to cast their votes and have their say in the formation of the next council sitting. He is asking support from all sections of the community and will not ignore people’s concerns if elected. He can be contacted by phone 089- 9868483, Facebook @patking celtic and X @PATKING12345678