The Jim Dunn Mural at Batt’s Corner

MURAL  REMOVAL

The Mural, between Batt’s pub and Mullane’s house, which was painted by Jim Dunn, is coming down this weekend. It was commissioned by Athea Tidy Towns some years ago to covered up a vacant site that was an eyesore at the time. The site is now being developed so a new home is being sought for a piece of art that has been a focal point in the village. It depicts scenes and people from the area and has been praised highly by many visitors who were fascinated by the style and the detail in the work of art. It will go into storage for the moment until a new site is found but it feels like an end of an era.

Draws Postponed

The weekly Community Council and Athea United draws were not held as usual last night. Last week saw the whole area deprived of power due to the severe storm and the village was practically closed so sellers had no way of meeting their regular customers. Some tickets were sold and these will be entered into next Monday night’s draws.

Best of luck to everyone

The Way I See It

By Domhnall de Barra

What a month of January!  First we had the big snowfall followed by floods and then the storm that beat all storms that practically brought the whole country to its knees. Thousands of people are still without power which means they may have no heating, water or working phones.  We got off relatively lightly around here, in comparison to some western counties, but it brought hardship to many living in isolation. On a personal note, I won’t forget it. While clearing away the snow I damaged my back and was out of action for a few days, then, when the storm came, I got the flu so I was flattened again. On the power front, I was lucky enough to have the use of a generator. During the first outages in the snowfall I couldn’t get it from the shed to the power point connection because there was too much snow in the way but I was more prepared the second time around and for a few days it was a Godsend. It is a fairly big one but I had enough power so that I could use everything including kettles, heating etc. If there are lessons to be learned from all this, one must surely be that we can no longer afford to put all our eggs in one basket. Being “green” is commendable but we should have an alternative source of power or heat, even if it was just the use of an open fire.  I know the powers that be want us all to forget about fossil fuels but what great harm would be done if they were used only in cases of emergency . A turf fire and a gas ring would go a long way to survival in the absence of electricity. Common sense must prevail.

It looks like Trump has started as he means to go on with hundreds of immigrants rounded up and deported. There is a certain amount of hypocrisy attached to this as most of the ruling classes in the USA employ maids and gardeners etc who are also undocumented. You won’t see the police going after them, no they will go after the low hanging fruit in the poorer areas. There are thousands of undocumented Irish in the country who must be looking over their shoulders at the moment They may very well be next. What short memories modern Americans have. They forget that everyone in America, except the Red Indians, are descended from immigrants or people who were brought in as slaves. The Irish were a big part of this movement particularly after the famine. There is a song called “Grandfather’s Immigrant  Eyes” and the following few lines indicate what it was like coming through Ellis Island  at the time:

 

They were standing in line just like cattle
Poked and sorted and shoved
Some were one desk away from freedom
Some were torn from someone they love
Through this sprawling Tower of Babel
Came a young man, confused and alone
Determined and bound for America
And carrying all that he owned

Sometimes when I looked in my grandfather’s immigrant eyes
I saw that day reflected and couldn’t hold my feelings inside
I saw started with nothing and working hard all of his life
“So don’t take it for granted” said grandfather’s immigrant eyes.

 

They came ashore with what they stood up in and worked really hard on the railways, mines etc.  Their children got better employment, especially in the police force and fire departments. Their offspring were the first to get  proper education and, decade by decade, they prospered and became part of the richest country in the world, some of them going on to become presidents of the USA. Now they want to deny less well off foreign nationals the same opportunities their forefathers got. Of course you can’t have open borders but most wealthy countries depend on immigrants to do the jobs they don’t want to do. Where would the service industries, factories etc be if the borders were entirely closed. Control the borders by all means but, if somebody is already living and working in the country, paying taxes and contributing to the state, give them legality and the opportunity to better themselves. The bigots and “Proud Boys” will be delighted with what is happening but , the way Trump is going about getting revenge on his opponents makes him more like a tin pot dictator than the President of the leading country in the “free world”  I was shocked to hear that he had withdrawn security details from some former officials whose lives had been threatened including Dr. Anthony Fauci who was the medical adviser to the government during Covid pandemic and was threatened with death on many occasions by those who believed the conspiracy theories that Covid didn’t exist and that the vaccine would allow us to be controlled bu foreign powers. The opposite of course is true and Dr. Fauci  saved thousands and thousands of lives despite the attempts of people like Trump to stop him. While it was bad enough to take away his security detail, it was worse for Trump to say that it wouldn’t bother him if the good doctor got hurt.  These are not the words or actions of a decent politician who should be a president for all the people, not just those who share his extreme views.  I am glad that I do not live in his jurisdiction and I fear there is much worse to come. God help America.

Church Notices

Parish Pastoral Unit (Athea/ Abbeyfeale/ Mountcollins/ Templeglantine/ Tournafulla).

Fr. Tom Mangan 087-2348226, Fr. Willie Russell 087 2272825, Fr. Dan Lane 087 2621911.

Masses this week- Tuesday morning 9.30am, Friday evening 7pm and Sunday 11am.

Eucharistic Adoration and the Devine Mercy Chaplet every Tuesday morning after mass.

Feast of St. Brigid (Feb 1st.) We will hold our St. Brigid’s Cross workshop in the church on Wednesday evening Jan 29th at 7.30pm. Materials will be provided for you to make your own cross and a cuppa tea/coffee will be served afterwards. Crosses will be blessed on the night.

Candlemas Day is next Sunday Feb 2nd. If you wish to have some candles blessed for your home please bring along to mass on Sunday morning and give to the sacristan beforehand. Candles will also be available from the sacristy after mass to purchase at 50c each.

The Feast of Saint Blaise is on bank holiday Monday Feb 3rd – blessing of the throats will take place after mass on Sunday morning and Tuesday morning.

Mass Intentions: Sunday Feb 2nd Mary Pallas (1st Anniversary). Jimmy O Sullivan. Alice O’Sullivan. Patie Enright and his parents Denis & Hannah and sister Nora.

To book a Mass intention contact the sacristy after mass or contact Siobhan on 087-3331459.

All masses are streamed live on https://www.churchservices.tv/athea

Baptisms take place on the fourth weekend of the month. Parents who wish to baptise their child in the next few months should contact Siobhan on 087-3331459.

Parish Administration: Tues-Fri 11am-1pm. call Siobhan on 087-3331459, outside of these hours send a text or email [email protected]

Facebook:  Athea Parish Church Community

NEW ABBEYFEALE BOOK LAUNCHED.

Local writer, Raymond Fennelly, has published a new book entitled

“Abbeyfeale In Print. What The Papers Said.”

The book takes a nostalgic journey back in time and delves in to old newspaper accounts of the happenings in Abbeyfeale and surrounding areas up to and including the early decades of the 19th and 20th century. It contains accounts of fairs, frolics, court cases, greedy landlords, battling tenants, rebel risings, great victories, bitter defeats, and memorable sporting and social occasions, all written by people who either lived through these events or received first-hand information from those who had gone before.

Pride of place must be given to local writer and correspondent, the late J. D. Harnett, whose “Historic Sketches of Abbeyfeale” provide a remarkable treasure trove of people, places and times, faithfully recorded and set down for future generations such as ours.

The late James Collins T.D. was Adjutant of the West Limerick Brigade during the War Of Independence and played an active role in the fight for Irish freedom. Following a request from the Bureau Of Military History in 1955, he gave a written submission detailing activities that took place locally during that period, and which has been reproduced in full here.

Father Casey’s Monument stands proudly in The Square. Memories of his heroic efforts against the many injustices inflicted on the people are still fondly recalled, and are reflected on the pages of the various newspapers down through the times.

This collection has been randomly selected. Hopefully, in future years, a more thorough investigation will be carried out and further historic gems revealed.

“Abbeyfeale In Print” is now available in An Siopa Milseán on Main Street. It can also be ordered online from Amazon or borrowed from the local library. Any profits will be donated to charity.