Monthly Archives: February 2018

Spring Stations, Community Celebration and The Best of the Best

Spring Stations

It is time for the annual Spring station masses and on Tuesday February 20th at 7.30pm the mass for Newtown, Cullinagh, Gortaclode, Ballyduff Village, Ballyduff Hill and Ballyduff West will be in Ballyduff Church.

On Wednesday February 21st the mass for Blacknock, Powersknock, Fan Glas, Raheen and Amberhill will be in Ballyduff church at 7.30pm.

Tuesday February 27th it will be the turn of Kilmagemogue, Ross, Kildermody, Ardeenlone, Ballygarron, Lisahane, Shanbally, Carrigphilip, Knockaderry and Carriganure in Ballyduff Church at 7.30pm.

 

Community Alert

Our local community alert group will hold their next meeting on Tuseday February 20th in Ballyduff Community Centre at 8pm. Representatives from the Health and Fitness well being studio will be in attendance and will speak to the meeting. Margaret Quinn from Muintir na Tire will also speak. This group is going from strength to strength and is one of the most succesful in the county. Please come along and become part of a group whose sole aim is to to give each person in our community a safe and peaceful place to live. Nothing is asked of you in return only to come along and show your support.

Community Celebration

Ballyduff GAA club will host a community celebration night on Saturday February 24th in The Sweep Bar. Music on the night will be provided by Deadly Medleys and finger food will be served. During the night medals will be presented to the Junior and U21 teams. There will be no cover charge and a “Pot Luck” monster raffle on the night.

Tidy Towns

Our local Tidy Towns group held their AGM recently and would like to thank all who attended and also to all who have supported them in the past year. The committee would also like to thank Stephaine Power in association with GSK, Dungarvan for their generous donation.

As most of you are aware the general maintenance and grass cutting in our area is done on a voluntary basis. Due to certain setbacks more help is needed to keep up this service. The group would like to invite anybody who has the time to help out and is interested in giving some time to come along to a meeting in Ballyduff Community Centre on Wednesday February 28th at 7.30pm. The group hope to increase in numbers and improve the village and surrounding areas. If you are unable to attend the meeting but would like to help please contact Tony on 086-6078272. The group look forward to seeing some new faces and hearing new ideas.

Academy/Nursery News.

Ballyduff GAA Club have returned back to their nursery and academy training. For the next few weeks training will take place on the Astro turf pitch in Ballyduff Soccer field. This training is for boys and girls from the age of 4 to 10 years and is a fantastic opportunity to get children out in the fresh air and let them have fun with their friends in a safe environment. If your child is interested then bring them along on a Saturday morning and they will be made very welcome. For those aged U7 training is from 10am to 11am and from 11am to 12 noon for U10’s.

Shrek-Tastic!

Congratulations and well done to all the cast and crew of Shrek saves far far away which was staged recently by Ballyduff Youth Drama group. I went along on the Saturday night and I must say I was super impressed. There were some brilliant stand out performances but overall everyone did a fabulous job. The one stand out thing for me was the enjoyment on each performers face. They obviously had a ball up there on stage and a big well done to Helen, Eleanor and Joan who keep this going each year, it is a great outlet for the young people to gain confidence and self belief.

Needles At The Ready!

If you are interested in joining a knitting and crochet group in Ballyduff Community Centre please get in contact with Jeni on 086-8163101. All levels will be welcome and of course the customary cuppa and chat will also be on the go. Please get in touch with Jeni to register your interest and so she can determine what is the best day and time for everyone.

Lourdes Call
A reminder that if you would like to put forward someones name to travel as part of the invalid setion of the Waterford/Lismore Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes you need to do so by Friday February 23rd. You can give the persons name to Noel O Sullivan, Eugene Power, Donal Daly or John O Leary.

The Best Of The Best

I never dreamed that I would be speaking about this person in the past tense and I am sure that no matter what I do write it will never do enough justice. While many admire celebrities and famous people to me the people to admire are those everyday people who make you sit up and take notice. Their arrival is never announced by a fanfair and sometimes their presence is not even noticed. Ollie Harris was a man I greatly admired and I know many more people felt the same. During his funeral mass genuine tears fell from the eyes of adults, teenagers and children. He touched many lives and he has left a lasting impression on young and old.

One of the main things I admired about Ollie was the love, respect and devotion he had for his family. The vows he and Kathleen made to each other on their wedding day remained important to them throughout their married life. You seldom met one of them without the other. Ollie’s whole being lit up when he spoke about his children or grandchildren. He was so proud of each of them and all their achievements, his idea of a perfect day was when they were all together. He has left them with so many wonderful memories which in the days and years ahead will give them great comfort.

Ollies great faith was evident to all without imposing on anybody and he gave great service to our parish and community. He was involved in many different committees over the year and was always on hand to lend a hand and no job was too big or too small. He showed what community was all about and his legacy will remain forever in our hearts and minds.

Of course the other great love in Ollie’s life was GAA. He especially took great pride in watching the children and young people enjoy the game of hurling. His help to our local club was invaluable and he knew each child by name and took great interest in watching them grow up. His support to club and county remained strong not only in the glory days.

These are all just a few aspects of Ollies life. I think I can speak for you all when I say he shall be missed greatly and he has left a lasting impression on us all. Our parish is most definetly a poorer place without him but we must now carry on his great work and draw example from his memory. If we can all take a little trait from Ollies personality and add it to our daily life then we will no doubt enhance our parish and community a little more.

We offer our deepest condolences to Kathleen, Denise, Yvonne, John, his grandchildren and all the Harris family. We promise to support and comfort you and to never forget the kindhearted, generous and loving man that was Ollie Harris. May the soil rest gently on him and may he enjoy the wonder and beauty of Gods kingdom. Somebody said to me that there would be no doubt that the Lord would have a seat ready at his table for Ollie but my answer was for Ollie the Lord himself would stand up and give him his seat. Rest in peace gentle friend.

Worker Needed, Needles at the Ready and Shrek time.

Spring Stations.

The Spring station masses will begin in the coming weeks and I will carry a full list of them next week.

A volunteer is needed to host the station mass for the combined areas of Knockaderry, Carrigphilip and Carriganure. If you are interested in hosting this mass please text Fr.Mick on 087-9626618 or text or call Linda on 087-9838392. The mass would be held during February or early March.

Worker Needed

Ballyduff Soccer Club are still on the lookout for a CE worker to help in the club grounds. This is an ideal opportunity for someone to enjoy the outdoors and mix with many different people. If you are interested in finding out more about the job please contact Paddy on 087-2764883.

Names For Lourdes

Each year we as a community like to send two people to Lourdes with the Waterford/Lismore Diocesan Pilgrimage. This is a wonderful opportunity for people to get the chance to travel to Lourdes as part as the invalid section of the pilgrimage. If you would like to put someones name forward please contact one of the following by Friday February 23rd, Noel O Sullivan, Donal Daly, Eugene Power or John O Leary.

GAA Lotto

The numbers drawn in the latest lotto draw were 4,6,11 and 26 and there was no winner of the jackpot. The three lucky dip winners of €50 each were Jim Laffan, Kathleen Power and Michael Curran. The next draw will take place on Sunday February 11th and will have a fantastic jackpot of €9,500. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful way to start the New Year. Tickets are just €2 or 3 for €5 and are available from club members and will be on sale on Saturday February 10th at Centra.

Charity Fundraiser

On Saturday February 22nd O Donnachas will play host to a charity night in aid of the Hope Foundation working with street children in Calcutta, India. The foundation have been working with these children since 1999. Funds raised on the night will be used to send local volunteer Sharon O Leary to Calcutta.

A great night is planned with music by Throwing Shapes. There will be an auction and raffle with lots of raffle prizes on offer. Get yourself along for a great night out while helping a brilliant charity.

Needles At The Ready.

Are you interested in joining a local knitting and crochet group? It is hoped to start a group in Ballyduff Community Centre. All levels will be welcomed and catered for and of course the customary cuppa and chat will all be part of the plan. If you are interested then please express your interest by contacting Jeni on 086-8163101.

 

GAA News

A big thank you to all who attended the coaches meeting last week. All at Ballyduff GAA club were delighted with such a big turnout. There was a nice mix of familiar returning faces and new faces. This shows the high level of community spirit in our area. The club really appreciates the time and effort which is put in by all its volunteers.

The nursery and academy sections of the club have proved very successful and they will be back to their training on February 17th. The Nursery group will cater for boys and girls born in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and the Academy for those born in 2008, 2009,and 2010. The organisers look forward to welcoming familiar faces back but also hope to see some new faces. I’ll have more information for you in the coming weeks so watch this space.

Shrek Time.

Ballyduff Youth Drama have been very busy rehearsing for this years production of Shrek Saves Far Far Away and they are now ready to take to the stage. Ballyduff Community Centre is the place to be on Friday February 9th and Saturday February 10th with tickets retailing at €10. You can book your ticket by texting or calling Eleanor on 087-4046904.

This promises to be a great night out with lots of fun and laughter guaranteed. Book your ticket now.

Shrek is Coming to Town, Dawn Players and Coming of Age.

Shrek is coming to Town.

Ballyduff Youth Drama will present their show “Shrek Saves Far Far Away” in Ballyduff Community Centre on Friday February 9th and Saturday February 10th. Tickets cost just €10 and are available by texting or ringing Eleanor on 087-4046904. The group have been working really hard and rehearsals have been going brilliantly. This promises to be a great show, the group have treated us to some fantastic shows over the years and I am sure this year will be no different. Get your ticket for a night of fun.

Dawn Players

Dawn Players Drama Group treated us to a great night of comedy as they staged their recent production of “Dying To Meet You”. Great crowds gathered each night to be treated to some brilliant laughs. A big well done to all the cast and crew and to all who worked so hard backstage. A big well done to all the volunteers who looked after the selling of raffle tickets and made sure everyone enjoyed a nice cuppa at the interval each night. The group would like to thank everyone who came along to support the show.

Recent Death

We extend our deepest sympathy to Sharon Foster, Amberhill on the recent death of her mother Stella Quinn. Stellas removal and funeral mass took place in St. Johns church in Parnell Street. She was then taken to her final resting place in St. Otterans cemetery, Ballinaeesagh. We offer our sympathy and prayers to Sharon and all the Foster family. May she rest in peace.

Baby Boy.

We send our warmest congratulations to Breda and Cormac O Brien on the recent birth of their baby son Liam. I hear that he is a real handsome chap. Breda is of course formerly Breda Kennedy of Stonehouse and I’m sure grandparents Martin and Margaret are delighted and ready and willing to take on the babysitting role. We look forward to meeting Liam on one of his visits to Kilmeaden.

GAA News.

Our local club are on the lookout for a suitable volunteer to manage our Junior C hurling team. Training for this group will be looked after within the club structure. The managers job is a very rewarding position as they manage the team for their championship games. The manager will be assured the support of the club. If you feel you can help with this position please contact any committee member or management of the Intermediate team.

The club have been asked to assist Ballyduff N.S in coaching a girls camogie team. This would require a one hour committment every Wednesday afternoon from April to June. There will be plenty of help available from the club as there is already a coach in place for the boys and some Transition Year students have also been enlisted to help. This is a great opportunity for someone to help the pupils achieve their goals and enjoy sport activities. If you are interested in helping out please contact Brian on 087-2486423.

Coming Of Age.

Margaret and Gerry O Connell will celebrate the 21st birthday of serving the customers of Haughtons Bar. They would love you all to come along and share this milestone with them. On Saturday February 3rd they will begin the celebrations with a walk along the Greenway at 5pm so come along and bring the family. On the return back to Haughtons you can enjoy some punch and finger food. From 9.30pm to 12pm it will be time to recall some stories and happenings from over the years and of course the famous Haughtons sing song. Come along and join in the fun. I had the pleasure of serving in the bar at the beginning of these 21 years and what a great time I had. I made some good friends and enjoyed many a good laugh and a sing song, in fact I often pulled pints while singing at the same time. I met some really interesting people along the way and had some great conversations many with people who have now gone to their eternal reward. Come along on Saturday February 3rd and raise a glass to the past, the present and the future.