Members of Glin Men’s Shed displaying their work in Athea last Friday
Save the date-We’re on the Run
Knockdown Vintage are holding their Annual Vintage Charity Run on 30th March 2025 in Knockdown Arms, Athea. This year our two worthy beneficiaries are: Cystic Fibrosis Ireland and the Little Blue Heroe’s.
Following the run, we will hold our customary Auction and Raffle.
Anyone wishing to make a donation towards the Auction and Raffle would be much appreciated.
For further information contact Margaret Culhane on 087 2303918
Carol Noonan on 087 6535029
Mairead Langan on 087 6407026
Dick & Marian Chawke, Gortnagross, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in The Ashe hotel Tralee on 15th Feb
Dick & Marian Chawke, Gortnagross, on their Wedding Day 50 years ago
The Way I See It
By Domhnall de Barra
There is a disagreement about when Spring actually begins. Going to school, we were always taught that the 1st of February was the first day of spring but those who analyse the warmth in the months favour the 1st of March, I am inclined to go with the February date because the evidence of life renewal is already to be seen. I was walking out the Glin Road the other day and couldn’t help noticing that the daffodils are ready to bloom, lambs are being born and calving time has arrived for farmers. The longer mornings are welcomed by the birds who mark it with their songs. There is a general air of renewal after the dark days of Winter when everything had died. I think January is a very depressing month. We have just got over Christmas with all its celebrations and some of us find ourselves in financial difficulty as well as being the victims of very bad weather. We have been brought down to earth with a bang and we need a ray of hope to see us through. So, it is uplifting to see new life in the animal and plant world and there is an air of optimism going forward. The people who have gone before us had special work dedicated to the Spring. Dykes on the land had to be “scoured”. Some of the younger generation might not know what that means but it was an essential job to keep the land dry and productive. When I say dykes I am not being entirely correct because we, locally, have got it back to front. What we call a dyke is actually a ditch and what we call a ditch is actually a dyke but, around here, everyone knows what I am talking about. Scouring a dyke meant, as my friend Paud Woulfe, God be good to him, said was “giving it the run of the water”. It was hard work with spade shovel and pike and a briar hook to cut away the growth on the side of the ditch. Then there was the spreading of manure on the land. Over the winter the cows had been housed and every day their droppings, mixed with the rushes, were thrown out onto a heap outside the door. This was called the dung heap and, come February, this was piked onto a horse car and taken to the fields. \it was dropped in heaps at regular intervals and later men came with pikes to spread it over the surface of the land. Unlike the slurry spreading of today this did not cause any problem with the environment and helped the natural growth in the fields. Calving was a particularly trying time for farmers. They had to be on call 24/7 as the calves could come at any time so sleep was often interrupted and not for the first time. One neighbour once told me that it was hard going but nothing could replace the pleasure of seeing a newborn calf stand up and be licked by its mother. This is just the start and growth will increase and before we know it every place will be blooming again. Something to look forward to at last.
Not too long ago I was in the company of some well known celebrities and, on being introduced to one of them, whom I will not name, he said “oh yes, you are one of those who play that diddliidelee shit” My first impulse was to hit him as hard as I could but thankfully common sense prevailed and I smiled and swallowed the bile that was in my throat. I got to talking with him and eventually got around to asking him what he actually knew about traditional music. He said he thought it was an “Irish” thing and I had great pleasure in explaining to him that his country, England, had give us much of our music. We might like to think that the traditional music we play is all from Irish roots but that is not so. Reels are probably the most popular that we play but we got them from England. Our polkas also can be found in many European countries and were probably brought into the country by soldiers as “quadrilles”. Jigs come from Italy but that is not important. All music is international but we put our own stamp on it and it then become our music. We can trace our music for a couple of hundred years and from then it was handed down from generation to generation. Until the advent of radio and television it was the only music we knew and it was important for all our social occasions. Rambling houses, or ceilidhe houses were to be found in every townland. Fiddlers , flute players and concertina players etc. played their few tunes and people danced the local sets at night to pass away the time. Sons and daughters picked up the tunes from their parents and in turn passed them on to their children. In one sense it is amazing that it is still alive today because of all the distractions but it is a badge of what we are and, like our language, an integral part of our Irishness.
We all know that our roads are dangerous and we have to be ultra careful when driving but there is one hazard that could be avoided. At the side of our local roads there may be deep dykes to carry the water. There is only a few inches of grass between them and the road surface and if a wheel gets caught in the grass margin, the car will be pulled into the dyke causing a lot of damage. There is plenty of evidence of this on the road up to Knocknaboul where it is almost a weekly occurrence. It is not too bad by day but at night, especially if facing an oncoming bus or large truck, it is difficult to judge how far in one can keep without getting caught. I know the water has to go somewhere but surely these dykes can be piped and save us from further danger.
Church Notices
Priests: 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.
Mass Intentions: Friday 21st (7pm) Ella Ahern. Sunday 23rd (11am) Jim, Ellie & Pat Kiely.
Jack & Peggy Danaher and their son John. Jim & Ann Larkin (Clash).
James Casey (1st A/v) – Keale. Nan Hurley
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.
Bereavement Support Information Talk will take place in Milford Care Centre, on Tue 25th February 2025 from 7pm – 8.30pm. The talk is designed to give general information on grief and bereavement to bereaved people, their family and friends. This event is Free. No booking required, Check in from 6.40pm
ALONE are seeking volunteers in the ATHEA area. Full training and support provided. If interested, please contact Caroline on 086-4040910 .
Parish Administration: Tues-Fri 11am-1pm. call Siobhan on 087-3331459, outside of these hours text or email [email protected] Facebook: Athea Parish Church Community
Athea Community Council
Lucky Numbers Draw 17/02/2025
No’s Drawn: 8, 17, 25, 28.
No Winner
Lucky Dips
Agatha & Kathleen, c/o Bingo
Mary Lyons, Listowel
Mary Ellen Quille, Athea
Aisling Griffin, c/o Lal
Sellers Prize: Eileen Fitzgerald & Batt’s Bar
Next Draw: 24/02/’25 Venue: Brown Joe,s
Jackpot €24,400
Athea Drama Group
Athea Drama Group presents Sharon’s Grave by John B Keane.
The John B Keane classic, Sharon’s Grave will be performed by Athea Drama Group on February 27th, March 1st, 2nd, 6th, 8th and 9th 2025 at 8pm at Con Colbert Memorial Hall, Athea, Co Limerick.
In a fresh twist, a woman plays the role of the devious and menacing paraplegic cousin Deezie who has locked her sights on inheriting a farm at all costs, leading to tragedy.
Featuring a cast of 12, all the actors are based in Athea and neighbouring villages, close to the North Kerry border and just a few miles from Keane’s Listowel, so you’ll hear the story in the exact dialect it was written 65 years ago.
Athea Drama Group have also designed a set in black with little light shining through representing the dark hole that is “Sharons Grave”.
In the 1930s/40s, the Catholic Church instituted a ban on attending cinema and dancing during the pre-Easter season of Lent. People in villages like Athea turned to amateur drama. At this time of economic stagnation, countless communities rallied to build and renovate local halls to stage plays. Such determination has left a powerful and vibrant legacy of amateur drama in rural Ireland. How better to experience it than with a John B. Play in the playwright’s heartland, in these weeks before Easter.
For tickets text/WhatsApp the booking line on 087 6926746.
Cast of Sharons Grave
The Mourners – Damien Ahern, Nora Hunt, Louise Ahern, Mary Ellen Tierney, Theresa O’Halloran
The Cripple & her brother – Tommy Denihan & Anne Marie Horgan
Sharon’s Grave – Anne Marie Horgan, Tommy Denihan, Shane Mc Enery, Linda Hunt, Johnny Corkery
Lovers in waiting – Shane McEnery & Linda Hunt
The Conlee Family – Tommy Denihan, Anne Marie Horgan, Lal Browne, Linda Hunt & Neelus Conlee
Pats Bo Bwee – Barry Francis Fitzgerald
Tidy Towns
We are delighted to see many building projects underway in our village presently, bringing derelict buildings back into use. From planning permission granted, to sale agreed, to exciting new renovation projects. This will reduce the number of derelict buildings in the village and provide some much needed housing/ community facilities. We are appealing to the owners of other derelict / vacant premises in the village to also find a new use for these buildings, and help bring a new lease of life into our village centre.
