PROLOGUE: St. Patrick’s Breastplate “ I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me, God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s eye to look before me, God’s ears to hear me, God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me, God’s shield to protect me”.
DEATHS. Sincere sympathy to Dori Cotter and family on the death of her mother Eleanor Parr in Canada. May she rest in peace.
MARCH OF MANY WEATHERS: If March comes in like a lion it will go out like a lamb. Another saying is that ‘the first 10 days of April are borrowed from March’ so you can expect anything. John Nelligan from the Glorach Theatre sent me the following poem written by Eugene O’Neill which may or may not console you as the wind howls and the hailstones beat off the windows.
To Winter
Blow, blow, thou winter wind,
Away from here,
And I shall greet thy passing breath
Without a tear.
I do not love thy snow and sleet
Or icy floes;
When I must jump or stamp to warm
My freezing toes.
For why should I be happy or
E’n be merry
In weather only fitted for
Cook or Perry.
My eyes are red, my lips are blue
My ears are frost bitt’n;
Thy numbing kiss doth e’n extend
Thro’ my mitten.
I am cold, no matter how I warm
Or clothe me;
O Winter, greater bards have sung
I loathe thee!
Eugene O’Neill
Written in early December 1912 at his parents’ home in New London, Connecticut.
On December 9th of that same year, he embarked on a journey to a sanitarium in Shelton, Connecticut, to undergo treatment for Tuberculosis from which he made a complete recovery.
In the early 1900’s Tuberculosis was called the great killer and was the leading cause of death in the United States. The national death rate from the disease was 204 per 100,000 population. TB is no longer the killer it once was and in the near future, nor will CoVid 19!
MARY FLYNN SAYS THANK YOU: After the unexpected closure of the late Ann Lyons shop in the Square recently Mary Flynn who worked with Ann for the past 36 years has written a letter to thank “ all our loyal customers, great friends and wonderful people both young and old”. She says that she was “ completely overwhelmed” by all the people who queued over the days before the shop closed and who brought her “ beautiful cards, gorgeous bouquets of flowers and extremely generous gifts”. Mary talked too about the great friend she had in the late Ann and all the precious memories she will carry with her. Then comes the good news ending and she writes “ Thankfully as one door closes another one opens and thanks to some young entrepreneurs in town I am delighted to join the team in a new shop opening shortly on Main Street, Abbeyfeale. Onwards and upwards everybody. Stay well, looking forward to better days ahead and meeting all of you soon again.” Everyone in town is looking forward to the opening of the Siopa Nua and to having Mary’s welcoming smile behind the counter and as Mary said in her letter “ Abbeyfeale is a vibrant town, a wonderful place to live and has a huge community spirit. Even in these difficult times I am sure everybody will shop local and support all our local traders.”
VIRTUAL FLEADH BY THE FEALE: Do you want to be a part of Fleadh by the Feale’s 2021 virtual weekend? The organising committee have been in touch; “We are looking for any local musicians, singers or dancers to send us a video clip of themselves to be in with a chance of featuring on this year’s virtual weekend! Performers of all ages welcome. Note: Video maximum length of 3 minutes. Video must be taken landscape orientation. Videos must be sent via WhatsApp to 0877419343 by Friday, March 26. At the start of your video please state: Your name. Where you are from. We are looking forward to sharing some local talent with you all”.
DOCUMENTARY on the life and times of singer Con Greaney will be broadcast on West Limerick 102 radio on Saint Patrick’s Day.
GLIN CASTLE TO GO GREEN:. ‘St Patrick’s Festival 2021 will be marked virtually with an online programme celebrating Limerick’s ‘Edge and Embrace. Limerick Tourism, Culture and Arts Department are working in partnership with Failte Ireland to light up buildings across Limerick City and County from Saturday, March 13 – 20 inclusive, to celebrate St Patrick’s Day’. Despite the pandemic, the show goes on, online on St Patrick’s Festival TV (SPF TV) at stpatricksfestival.ie from March 12 – 17, offering more than 100 events.
THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION: The dates for the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation will be announced when restrictions are lifted. Meanwhile on Tuesday March 23the diocese of Limerick will host a webinar for the parents of children who will be confirmed this year. This webinar will assist parents prepare with their child for Confirmation. The title of the webinar is: “Confirmation: Journeying with your Child”. It will be held on March 23rd 7-8pm. It is important to register for the webinar beforehand. Registration closes on Friday March 19th at 5pm.You’ll find the link for registration on the page of the Diocesan website and Facebook announcing the webinar. https://www.limerickdiocese.org/news/webinar-for-parents-of-children-for-confimation
LOCIAL ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE: Are you interested in developing or expanding your social enterprise? Have you an innovative approach to addressing community needs? ‘Cooperating to Succeed’ is an imaginative yet practical programme designed to support social entrepreneurs, providing a year-long training and support package, tailored to your current needs. For further information please contact kmurray or 069 66294.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS: will be aired on the Radio 99.9fm every Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 4pm. The Stations are on the Radio only, so you can listen from your own homes.
JOBS: Follow facebook.com/WestLimerickJobs for daily posts on job vacancies and training opportunities throughout West Limerick.
RETAIL SUPPORT TRAINING PROGRAMME: West Limerick Resources along with the Local Enterprise Office are offering this FREE Online Training to Retailers in the West Limerick area, presented by Ireland’s leading consultant in the artisan food manufacturing and retail sectors, James Burke. There will be two workshops. Workshop 1 – Driving Aggressive Sales Growth will be held on Monday, March 22 from 9.00 to 1.00pm and Workshop 2 – Driving Online Sales will be held on Monday, March 29 from 11.00am to 1.00pm. All participants will be offered a free business assessment as part of the training. Please note this training is limited to 10 participants. In relation to one-to-one, group meetings and the current situation regarding Coronavirus, please see Notice to Public above. For further information and to book your place, please contact Aimee Grigg at West Limerick Resources on 069 66295 or email agrigg
TAKEOUT AVAILABLE: We all need something to look forward to during these months of pandemic so why not treat yourself to a meal from Leens Hotel. Available from 1-8pm seven days a week. Conor Mc Carthy’s Kitchen Table has also reopened for Takeaway and the Green Gourmet in Convent St. is open for takeaway until 3pm Monday to Friday.
WEST LIMERICK MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION: WLMHA have a Face Book page open to the public. Log on and share for news of courses, help lines, inspirational words etc.
CHURCH CLOSURE: Fr Tony Mullins 0872600414, Fr Dan Lane (Retired) 087/2533030, Fr Denis Mullane 087/26219. Due to current restrictions around Covid-19 parishioners are not allowed to attend Mass inside the Church Building but you are more than welcome to attend Mass in the Church Car Park in the comfort of your own car and listen to Mass on the Car Park Radio on 107fm. Due to current restrictions only 6 people are allowed to attend weddings and 10 to attend funerals. The Blessed Sacrament chapel is open every day from 11-6pm for private prayer. During Lent there will be adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every Monday evening from 6-7pm and on Thursday mornings after the 10am Mass until 12 noon. St Anthony Novena take place each Monday evening during the 7pm Mass. Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help each Friday morning at 10am Mass. Stations of the Cross every Friday at 9.30am. St. Patrick’s Day Masses: The Vigil Mass on March 16 will be celebrated at 6.30p.m.in Irish. The 10.00am Mass on St Patrick’s Day will be broadcast on West Limerick 102FM. Mass will also be celebrated at 12.00noon. All Masses will be live streamed. Mass Intentions:Thursd ay 10am John Joe Lane, Ballaugh. No Saturday morning Mass. 6.30pm Bridie Collins 2 Mountmahon 2nd Anniversary. Maureen & Brendan Burke and their son John and granddaughter Fiona NCW. Sunday 10am Ita O’Connell, Kilmanihan. Nora & Patrick & Betty Collins, Meenkilly.
ABBEYFEALE COMMUNITY ALERT: An Garda Síochána is asking the public to be aware of the rise in investment fraud scams. Unfortunately such scams are becoming more prevalent, particularly during the pandemic due to increased online traffic and targeting of the general public by criminals using ever increasingly sophisticated means. An investment fraud scam is a fraud where criminals pose as investment managers, promise quick and high rates of return, and simply steal your money. The fraudster uses various investment schemes such as in rare metals, overseas property, and alternative energy schemes such as carbon credits and forestry. Promises are made of fast, enormous returns, once in a lifetime opportunities and can be seen to be endorsed by reputable business people or celebrities but this is without their knowledge. How to avoid Investment Fraud scams: If it is too good to be true, it probably is. Do your own research and be wary of wild claims. Always seek independent financial and legal advice before making any investments. Check the various registers on the Central Bank of Ireland’s website. Use regulated investment firms where possible (Virtual assets are not currently regulated in Ireland). Do not respond to unsolicited approaches or cold-calls. Don’t click on links for websites that you don’t know. NEVER EVER disclose your bank account passwords or codes. NEVER allow anyone remote access to your computer. Further information on investment and other fraud types can be found on http://www.garda.ieand www.fraudSMART.ie Romance scams have also become very prevalent in the age of Tinder where relationships are built up on social media and eventually he or it could be a she will look for a loan in order to come and visit you – God be with the days of Tobin’s Hall when all he’d want was the convey. Abbeyfeale Gardai can be reached on 068 30010. If the phone is unattended it will be patched through to NCW. Contact will then be made with the Abbeyfeale Gardai. 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. 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 with a deposit of 6 months payable on the day of installation.. 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. Committee members are Michael O’Kelly N.T., Chairman Seamus Stack, Secretary Mossie Gleeson, Assistant Treasurer Kathleen Collins, Assistant Secretary Mary McArthur, John O’Sullivan, Billy Quirke N.T., Cllr. Francis Foley, Catherine Daly, Maurice O’Connell, Assistant Treasurer Marian Harnett.
.HELPLINES: Text 50808 to receive support from a volunteer. Hospice Bereavement Line 1800807077 Monday to Friday 10am – 1pm. 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. A helpline for 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. Samaritans Freephone 116123 or text 087/2609090 or email 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 087/1213560. 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.
DO YOU HAVE NEWS: If there is something you’d like covered in the Abbeyfeale notes please contact me on 087 6866450 or email me on marianharnett1
Abbeyfeale Gathering Festival 