by Marian Harnett

PROLOGUE: “Books and ideas are the most effective weapons against intolerance and ignorance”.

Lyndon Baines Johnson

MASS TIMES: Mass on Monday at 7pm, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 10am except if there is a funeral then Mass which will be private will be at 11am.  Mass on Saturday morning at 11am.  There will be a Vigil Mass on Friday, Vigil Mass on Saturday evening at 6.30pm and Sunday Masses at 10am and 12 noon.  Confessions on Saturday after 11am Mass in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.  If the church is full then people are welcome to park on the Grotto side of the car park as Mass is broadcast there  and Holy Communion will be distributed at the Grotto by a Minister for the Eucharist.

WEST LIMERICK COMMUNITY RADIO:  WL102fm has provided a great service throughout West Limerick since the lockdown began with Mass being broadcast every Sunday, loads of country and western music, (all genres of music but you see where my heart lies!), a daily rosary and local news from the county as well as current affairs and documentaries.   By the terms of the licence that they get to broadcast, they must raise a share of their running costs in the community that they serve and over the years volunteers have organised concerts, car boot sales, tea dances and sold raffle tickets as well as organising a yearly church gate collection at all the local churches.  That all came to a halt on March 14 last and they are now hoping to restart the weekly draw in order to get an income stream going again.  Tickets are on sale all over the West Limerick area and in Abbeyfeale at Ann Lyons’s, The Square for €2 each.  Please be generous in your support.

SCAMS:  If you get a text from Bank of Ireland saying that your credit card has been compromised do not click on the link provided.  Memorise the pin number and do not carry it with the actual card and always cover the pin pad before you type in your pin.  If you have worries ring the Bank 01 40440000 or call into the bank in the Square. between 10 – 1pm Monday to Friday.  Do not post holiday pictures on social media until you are back home.  Invest in a timer so that lights/ radio etc can be turned on automatically when you are out.

HELGA IS BACK IN THE SQUARE:  She has a fine selection of locally grown vegetables which are chemical free.    Maureen Hickey will have a stall selling face masks for the next couple of weeks.

ABBEYFEALE COMMUNITY ALERT: If you are the owner of a dog please be aware that there are gangs of people going around searching out dogs and stealing them for puppy farms or as bait for dog fights or to be sold on as family pets. They sometimes mark house piers or fences or gates with chalk or cable ties so keep an eye on your property if you own a dog.  If you don’t own a pet why not rescue a dog from one of the many dog rescue organisations if you have decided to get a pet.  If you are the victim of domestic abuse the Gardai ‘have a pro – arrest policy where a power of arrest exists to protect spouses or partners and your family so please contact 068 30010 if you feel threatened.    When you reach the age of 65 and live alone or with a person/s aged over 65 you are entitled to receive a monitored alarm system. But if you have younger people living in the house who are out for long periods of the day then,  because you are spending hours alone you are also entitled to the system provided that you are over 65.  The free equipment is provided by Pobal following an application from Abbeyfeale Community Alert, there will be a monitoring fee to be paid from the second year of installation to the installing company of €72.  There may be some confusion over the word free –  the equipment which costs in the region of €400 is provided free of charge by Pobal as is the first year of monitoring but after that you will be charged by the installing company for the monitoring.  If you fulfil the criteria for a panic button the installing company will drop the gear to your door and then let you set up the connection yourself with assistance over the phone from their staff.  I have been assured that it’s only a matter of connecting a cable and anyone can do it.   I have not included the phone numbers of the committee in this notice but if you want to get a panic button then ring Abbeyfeale Garda Station on 068 30010 and they will contact one of us. Should you not have a landline the installing company Task provide a sim card at a rate of €7.50 per month payable from day one.  Then, in year two you will also receive a bill for the monitoring fee so in year one the bill will be €90 and in year two and every other year after it will €162 approx. If you wish you can arrange a direct debit and pay this amount off monthly.    We recently received a query about the application of VAT to the monitoring charge, your bill shows VAT but it is included in the cost not extra to it.  Committee members are Michael O’Kelly N.T., Seamus Stack, Mossie Gleeson, Kathleen Collins, Mary McArthur, John O’Sullivan, Billy Quirke N.T., Cllr. Francis Foley, Catherine Daly, Maurice O’Connell, Marian Harnett.

FURTHER EDUCATION: Even in these difficult times it is good to make positive plans for the future. If you hope/intend on going to college in September 2020 WLR can support you with your SUSI Grant Application Form. Leaving Cert Students, Mature Students and Parents are welcome to contact Adrienne on 087 277 3294 or email [email protected] for advice and guidance.  The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) 2018-2022 is funded by the Irish Government through the Department of Rural and Community Development and co-funded by the European Social Fund under the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020 

HELPLINES:  Jigsaw support line is now up and running on freefone 1800 JIGSAW (544 729). It will provide free mental health support and advice to young people aged 12 to 25 years old, and parents or concerned adults who live in the Republic of Ireland.

Men suffering domestic abuse operates 36 hours a week on 1800816588.    Men’s Aid (Amen) 01 5543811 Monday – Friday 9-5pm.   24 hour helplines for women suffering domestic abuse 1800 341900 or Adapt 1800 200504.  Limerick Social Services:  061-314111.    AA    061/311222 Al-Anon 086/8143425. Parent Support worker 068/31019.  Accord NCW 069/61000.   BEREAVEMENT SERVICE:  A new national freephone bereavement support line has been launched by the Irish Hospice Foundation in conjunction with the HSE to assist staff and the public during the Pandemic.. The national freephone service, 1800 80 70 77 is available Monday to Friday from 10am to 1pm.  Samaritans Freephone 116123 or text 087/2609090 or email [email protected] Aware (Depression & Anxiety) 1980 303 302 National Suicide Helpline (Pieta House) 1800 247 247 Irish Advocacy Network (Peer advocacy in mental health) 01 872 8684 Pieta House (Suicide & self-harm) 01 623 5606 IACP (Counselling & Psychotherapy) 01 230 3536 Shine: (Supporting people affected by mental ill health) 01 860 1620 061 – 412111 or Free phone 1850609090 A.A. 061-311222. ACCORD; are now offering over the phone counselling for couples, Individuals & family members during this time of unprecedented stress & pressure during these weeks of COVID-19. Call: 01 5313331.Al-Anon 086-8143425 Bereavement Support: 068 / 31203    068/ 31262    068/51984    St Vincent De Paul Tel 087/121356.  Counselling Appointment 061/314213. ALONE; has launched a national support line and additional supports for older people who have concerns or are facing difficulties relating to the outbreak of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Professional staff are available to answer queries and give advice and reassurance where necessary.  The support line is open Monday to Friday, 8am-8pm, by calling 0818 222 024. Hours may be extended to meet the demand. 

by Kathleen Mullane

Another week gone by and what a humid week it was, everyone agreed it was difficult to sleep at night, but it was great to get a bit of heat at the same time. The nights are getting that bit darker earlier however we won’t dwell on that too long and one hopes that there won’t be any such thing as ‘old – time (winter time) this year, although when it comes to changing to the summer time in spring we all look forward to the brighter  evenings  ahead.

Well it was a lovely day for the first group of  pupils  being confirmed on Saturday last when Fr. Brendan acted as Bishop for the ceremony and will do so for the next 2 Saturdays when the remaining pupils will be confirmed. It was lovely to be able to view the ceremony via the Webcam  and as I’ve said previously if anyone wishes to give a donation no matter how small to help finance the system,  which cost quite a bit, they can do so to Fr. Duggan or I can pass on to him.

If you haven’t given in your envelopes for Carol,  our sacristan’s collection, this past weekend  you can still do so in the collection boxes at the church which are at the doors.

Sincere congrats are extended to Pa Ahern and his wife Deirdre on the birth of their first baby a little boy – no doubt a footballer in the making.! Congrats also to the proud   grandparents Nellie and Mossie Ahern of Garrygloss, Athea.

On behalf of Fergus Scanlon (Friends  of St Ita’s, Newcastlewest) thanks is extended to all those who gave recently to St Ita’s through sponsorship card for the community run. The money will be put to good use as always in St Ita’s, who like many organisations, had no church gate collections this past few months.

So hurtful to see the poor Chinese woman who stood up to those young boys who had called her names and threw her into the canal in Dublin. What is wrong at all, if that happened a few years ago there would be uproar, young people wouldn’t do it anyway. There seems to be no fear anymore. Would they like it if their mothers were given the same treatment.? Maybe they wouldn’t give a damn Hopefully they will pay for their disgraceful actions and maybe be made to walk up and down the street wherever they live and everyone come out and hurl abuse at them. They probably wouldn’t even care.

What a great game of football at the bog garden in Rathkeale on Sunday, when Athea took on Bruree  in the Jnr  A championship. Athea now has a panel of around 40 players and from a small village this is exciting, all anxious to get their place on the team. The speed and type of football Athea played was magnificent. The final score was 3.20 to Athea and 1.03 to Bruree . Well done to all the players, their trainer Eamon McElligott, and local aider Patricia Lynch all playing their part. We look forward to the future of Athea football.

by Peg Prendeville

I admire people who make the best of a situation, no matter what it is. One of the positives of the Covid Lockdown was the way many people turned it to their advantage. I am talking of all the singers and entertainers who were made redundant overnight at the end of March. Thankfully, many of them have taken to doing live shows on Facebook, allowing us all to hear their lovely songs in the comfort of our own homes. Some advertise their CDs and sell them online and fair play to them. It is one way of selling their products and they are entitled to that; nobody is forced to buy. Over the months I have enjoyed Elle Marie O’Dwyer, Daniel O’Donnell, Fergal Flaherty, Seán Keane while also enjoying the music and requests of George Langan and Joe Harrington. Well done to you all. Seán Keane has counted the days since he set foot on a stage. On Monday (as I write these lines)  it was 158 days, but these artists have shortened the time and made it more enjoyable.

It was lovely, recently, to see Bridie Murphy, Photographer, get a whole page in the Limerick Leader, with an account of how she got into photography after retiring from teaching. It is great to see people motivated to take on another career in life rather than sitting back waiting for something to happen. Well done to Bridie, who happens to be my sister. I am blessed with talented sisters; my sister Gerardine who lives in the UK writes some great poems, if I say so myself. I do not mean to boast – merely to give credit where credit is due. I copied this from her FB page. As with all poetry it has to be read aloud to really appreciate it.  I hope you enjoy it.

THE GARDEN

He retired to the garden
A working man, who used spade and shovel,
Pen and ink, with equal skill.

The garden brought its own thrills
Wet weather deepened the invite;
gentle wet mist
exuding moistness of fresh earth.

Healthy as a hare he was!
Earth’s biomes forever caressing worried brows
His straight furrows brought order to a troubled head
A head of losses, children and bills.

Dig another drill,

Plant a cabbage there.

One bought from the Yank back in Tralee
A *gabháil of planters for a song
30 in it, instead of 24!
The Yank was a generous man.

Each plant he considered a blessing
And planted those blessings in prayer
In tune with God and the land.

Abundant cabbages, carrots, onions, scallions.
Leeks needed much water.
Use that space for strawberries;
Beans and peas he grew with ease
Knew the stakes, positioned with care.

Blackcurrants hogged the corner
Summer jam for the daughters
Rhubarb came good, as well it should
Layered generously with dung
From the cows he lived among.

He’d pull weeds from drills
With consummate skill.
Placed onions near carrots
To keep away maggots
Knew each piece of soil
Which he pleasurably toiled.

That garden pulsed his heart
His paradise on this earth.

(*gabháil – armful. Pronouced: gwaall)     ©GerWhite2020