Winner of the fishing competition held on Friday, John Fealy, receiving the cup from Pat McSweeney

Athea Fishing Club

Last Friday  evening  saw the first of our Fishing  Competitions  run off on our beautiful  river Gale. This was for the lovely  Denny Mullane Cup  which was won by our club Treasurer, John Fealy.

Very encouraging  to see some very welcome  new, young members join our little club. We would like to entice  more to follow  suit.

Remember  Fishing  Permits are for sale in Collins’ Shop. We sincerely  thank Paul in accommodating  us in the sale of such permits.

Our next Competition  will be held as soon as we see water levels to suit our needs. Do keep an eye out in our WhatsApp Group

The club would  like to thank  all anglers  who turned  up on Friday evening. Well done lads.

Congratulations to Paddy O’Sullivan who was first home in the Limerick Run for Fun Wheelchair event on Saturday in UL.

The Way I See It

By Domhnall de Barra

The immigration problem seems to be getting worse with no sign of the Government having any real plans to deal with it.  Unfortunately it is bringing out the worst in people who continue to protest anywhere there is talk of accommodation, even to issuing threats to workers on sites that might be used.  We must always remember that the vast majority of immigrants are fleeing from wars and persecution and don’t have much choice but to seek refuge. They are all human beings, regardless of their creed or colour, and they need our help. I have personal experience of what it is like to be at the mercy of the authorities in a country where I didn’t know the language and was completely on my own. In the early 1980s I worked for a while in Libya with a man called Paddy Flynn from Abbeyfeale. We were contracted to build a sewerage plant and pumping station near the city of Benkghasi. There were six of us in the group. We had been there about three months when Paddy got sick and had to return to Ireland for treatment which left me with the job of driving the company car and looking after the boys’ needs. Two of them were due leave, we worked 78 day straight through and then had a couple of weeks off at home, so I took them to the airport. There was a checkpoint at the entrance to the airport and , after checking my papers and inspecting the car, they told me to drop the lads off and come back. They held on to my papers and passport. When I returned they took me into a room and locked the door. After a while a police car arrived and I was taken to a building down town that looked like a fortress. I was taken in and questioned by an officer who was busy trying on a new pair of sneakers. He asked me, in very broken English, why I had a bomb detonator in the boot of the car. I explained, as best I could, that it wasn’t part of a bomb but a pressure switch for a pump we were installing in the plant. I don’t know how much he really understood but he started to say “you English…” so I said immediately said “not English, Irish…. Irlanda” He immediately smiled and his attitude to me changed. I was then put into another car and taken to another police station where I was put into a room that had no furniture but just a stinking hole in the corner that served as a toilet. I could not help noticing that there were stains on the wall than resembled dried blood so by now I was getting very nervous. That nervousness was compounded when the door opened and a man was propelled into the room by the but of a rifle in his back. He clearly had been badly beaten up and was covered in bruises and cuts. He seemed to be Pakistani but could be from any part of the Middle East. I didn’t know what to do so I kept my distance until an officer came and called me out. I was on the move again and this time it was to a very impressive building where I was shown into an office where a gentleman, immaculately dressed, sat behind a big desk. He asked me questions about where I came from, where I went to school etc and I soon realised that, as he was asking me the questions, he was ticking boxes beside information he already had. I became sure of this when, after I told him I was educated at Kelly’s in Abbeyfeale, he asked me if that was St. Ita’s College, which it was. I told him about the misunderstanding with the switch and he said that was ok, he had seen it for himself. He told me there was a problem with my visa. It should have been renewed a week before but, of course, Paddy Flynn was sick and had been taken home before he could deal with it. He said it wouldn’t be a problem and I would be taken to a place where it could be sorted. Into another car and we sped off out of town into the desert. After a few miles, which seemed much longer, we pulled into a building that resembled a hanger standing on its own in the middle of the desert.  I was lined up along with dozens of others who were there illegally and waited ‘till I was called to a desk. I was give a piece of paper to take to an office in the city where I was told my visa would be renewed and then I was told to find my way home!  I came out into the blinding sunlight and I hadn’t a clue whether to go left or right. There were two Arabs on guard at the gate so I said to them “Benina”, which was the airport, and they pointed me to the left. I started to walk but the road sometimes disappeared when the sand blew across it. The sun was burning me and I was weak from loss of sleep and no food so I soon became very weary and I genuinely thought I would get lost in the desert  and never again be heard of again.  Suddenly I heard the sound of a vehicle and I saw small a truck coming towards me so I stood out in front of it waving my arms. There were two  Tunisians in the truck and thankfully one of them had a bit of English. I was able to explain my predicament to them and they took me on board and drove me straight to the airport. After showing my piece of paper I was given the keys to the car and I made my way down town to the immigration office where, in exchange for 100 dollars, I was given my passport and visa.  It was an unforgettable experience but it was far less traumatic than what some of the asylum seekers at the moment have gone through. It is no joke being in a foreign land knowing that you are under suspicion with nobody to turn to. We have to do our best and pull together in their hour of need. Yes, there is a problem with people bypassing the UK because they fear being taken to Rwanda but that is something for the politicians to solve. All we can do is give a little help and kindness.

Athea Community Council

 Lucky Numbers Draw   06/05/2024

No’s Drawn:  8,  26,  29,  32.    No Winner

Lucky Dips

Ann McAuliffe,                  Donal & Ann’s

Chris McCarthy,                c/o White’s

Norma Browne,                  Abbeyfeale

Catherine McAuliffe,  Lower Athea

Sellers Prize: White’s Bar & Collins’ Shop

Next Draw:  13/05/’24    Venue:  Brown Joe’s

Jackpot €20,700

Team Limerick Clean-up