Monthly Archives: May 2018

Communion Day, AGM Notice and Our Kerry Man.

Communion Day.

The boys and girls from 2nd class in Ballyduff N.S were certainly in the Lords good books on their communion day as he sent his most glorious sunshine. The boys all looked very dapper and handsome and the girls were pretty in their beautiful dresses. Some of the older pupils from the school sung wonderful hymns which really made the ceremony so special. The boys and girls took part in the readings, prayers of the faithful, offertory and even treated us to the actions to the Our Father. Their communion mass felt so special and personal and this was down to the wonderful job done by each child and of course the fantastic support from their teachers and their families. After the ceremony the parents council had organised a cuppa and cake in the school hall. It was nice for everyone to get together and enjoy a relaxing chat after a busy morning. I know that Fr.Mick was delighted to see so many of the children at mass on Sunday morning and I was delighted to be on Minister of the Eucharist duty so I got to give some of my little friends their first Sunday mass communion. We send our sincere congratulations to all the boys and girls and thank them for sharing their big day.

Book Launch
“The Faith Journey of the Deise People” a book by Rt. Rev. Mgr. Michael Olden will be launched on Friday May 25th at 6.30pm in The Book Centre. The book deals with the history of the diocese of Waterford and Lismore telling the history of each individual parish. All are invited to go along to the launch.

Recent Death

We extend our deepest sympathy to Niall O Sullivan, Adamstown on the recent death of his father Christy O Sullivan, Earls Court. Christys funeral mass took place in St.Marys church, Ballygunner with burial in the adjoining cemetery. We offer our deepest sympathy to all the family and pray that Christy now enjoys the beauty of Gods kingdom.

AGM Notice.

The Directors of Ballyduff Community Centre Development Co. Ltd will hold their AGM in the Community Centre on Wednesday June 20th at 8pm. All are welcome to come along.

GAA News.
A big well done to all the U21 football team who beat De La Salle 2-8 to 1-8 in the recent Eastern final. There was some great skill on show with great effort from the defence line. We wish them the very best in the County Final.

Congratulations to the Ballyduff NS hurling team who qualified for the semi final in their completion without loosing a game. This is a fantastic team and if they keep their heads can go all the way. We have no doubt that Mr. Carey will keep them grounded.

The Nursery and Academy section entertained a large group from Carrigeen at U5, U7, U9 and U11 levels. There were some very enjoyable games with the Waterford/Kilkenny rivalry alive and well. There are 75 children playing in this section and huge thanks to the coaches and parents for all their help. The future certainly looks bright for the club.

Some fixtures you might like to mark in your diary are Junior A Football

25th May 7.30pm

V Dunhill(Home)

1st June 7.30pm

V Roanmore(Home)
Junior C Hurling

22nd June 7.30pm

V Butlerstown(Away)

29th June 7.30pm

V Dunhill(Home)
Inter Hurling

23rd June 7.pm

V De La Salle(Dunhill)

30th June 7pm

V Erins Own(Kill).

Our Kerry Man
We are all deeply saddened to hear of the death of another great parish man from our community. The great Sonny Griffin, Penrose Cottage, Ballyduff returned home to God last week leaving a sence of deep loss in our parish. Sonny shared his life with his wife Joan in their cottage in the centre of the village overlooking the church which played a huge part in their lives. Sonny originally came from the kingdom of Kerry and bore his colours proudly when the Kerry teams were taking to the field. Sonny was a man of great intelligence and it was a real privelege to listen to his stories. He was a great community man always on hand to help in any way he could. The church held a very special place in his heart and he was a fantastic help at both the midweek morning masses and the weekend mass. I know Fr. Mick and our sacristan Ann really appreciated all that he did and shall miss him greatly. A man of real integrity and respect, a man full of gentleness and kindness, a man whom we shall all miss greatly. As he came from the kingdom of Kerry we know that he now rests in the kingdom of God where joy and peace surround him. We send our deepest sympathy to Joan and all the family and may the gentle soil of Ballyduff rest lightly on him. Good night and farewell to our favourite Kerryman.

 

Confirmation Blessings.

We send our best wishes to all the boys and girls from 5th and 6th classes in Ballyduff N.S who will make their Confirmation in Ballyduff church on Thursday next May 24th. The mass will take place at 11am and all are invited to come along. We hope that everyone enjoys a very special day and please God the weather will be kind to everyone.

GAA Lotto, Collection Thanks and Notes for You.

GAA Lotto

The numbers drawn in the latest lotto draw were 1, 5, 15 and 21. There was no winner of the jackpot but the the three lucky dip winners of €50 each were The Walsh Family, Kathleen Harris and Donal Hickson. The next draw will take place on May 20th and will have a brilliant jackpot of €10,400. Tickets cost just €2 or 3 for €5 and are available from all club members or will be on sale outside Centra on Saturday May 19th.

Collection Thanks

The organisers of the recent IHCPT church gate collection have asked me to say a big thank you to all who supported their recent collection. €260 was raised which is greatly appreciated.

Ballyduff AFC.

All at Ballyduff Soccer club are gearing themselves up for a busy few months. During the month of July they will host their Golf Classic and the annual bag pack. The club are hoping to facilitate a FAI Summer Camp if there are enough people wishing to take part. If you think your child would be interested please let Paddy Kirk know.

The club would like to send their best wishes to U14 player Michael O Connor. All at the club wish him a speedy recovery.

Congratulations to U12 player Conor Kearns who celebrated his birthday with a party for his friends on the astroturf. A reminder to you all that the astroturf is available for hire at excellent rates.

 

Notes For You.

I want to invite you all to participate in these notes so if you or your club or group would like me to include an item for you please get in touch with me by a Thursday evening and I would be delighted to do it for you. You can ring or text me on 087-9838392 or drop me an email on spillanelinda2017@gmail.com or of course just stop me while I’m out and about and we’ll have a chat.

These community notes are a brilliant way to reach out to people living in our community and the surrounding areas and for many it’s there link with what is going on.

Tea Day Thanks, Defibrillator List and No Uniform Day

Bridge News.

The results of the bridge game played by the Ballyduff/Portlaw bridge club on April 30th were as follows:
1st: Celia Nugent and Mary Prendergast.

2nd: Mary O Brien and Breda Cowman.

3rd: Deirdre Phelan and Monica Sullivan.

4th: Anne and Mary Kennedy.

Tea Day Thanks

Local lady Niamh Larkin would like to express a huge thanks to everyone who recently supported the Alzheimers Tea Day. A fantastic amount of €575 was raised and was donated locally to the Pine Grove centre in Waterford. Well done to Niamh for organising a lovely morning it was lovely to sit and chat with many people and of course there was a wonderful array of home baking on display. I even managed to win one of the fantastic raffle prizes so my beautiful plant is now on proud display.

Recent Death.
Our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Eileen Foran, Knockaderry who died recently. Eileen was always a quiet gentle lady and always lovely to have a chat with. She suffered ill health for the past few years and was a resident of the Killure Bridge Nursing Home. Eileen is now reunited with her husband Nicky and we pray that they now enjoy the peace and happiness of Gods kingdom.

No Uniform Day.
A big thank you to all the staff and pupils of Ballyduff N.S who held a no uniform day in conjunction with The Munster Airport Challenge cycle which took place in aid of the Touching Hearts charity. Sam and Luke Walsh’s dad Keith and Adam Spillane’s dad Brian were two of the cyclists who completed the 500km cycle and it was a lovely kind gesture from the school to raise a fantastic €415 for the cause. Of course all the children enjoyed the chance to be out of uniform for the day.

Defibrillator List.

We are in the process of updating the list of people on the defibrillator list in the church. The defibrillator is brought to the primary school during school hours and a number of staff are trained to use it. Out of school hours the defibrillator is kept in the church so ideally those trained should be contactable especially at weekend mass times in the unfortunate event of it needing to be used at those times. If you are willing to be included on this list please contact me Linda Spillane (087-9838392) as soon as possible. A training course will be arranged which just takes a couple of hours.

 

GAA News.
The club would like to congratulate the lads from the Ballyduff NS team who defeated Dunhill 4-9 to 2-2 and topped their group. They now move on to the semi final next Thursday in Ballyduf field. This is a great team to watch and faced a stiff test against Dunhill but deserved the victory.

The club are huge supporters of positive health in the community and in keeping with this the academy and nursery section invite all members of the community to avail of their facilities while they train on Saturday mornings at 10.30. Why not park up your car and make your way to the Greeway(100mts away) and enjoy a walk or jog and perhaps a chat along the way. Come out and enjoy the beauty of our area together.

Birthday Girl.
A little bird recently told me that the lovely Stacia Walsh in Butlerstown celebrates her 97th birthday this week and I would like to join with her many friends in wishing her a very happy birthday indeed. I’m sure this very popular lady will have many visitors popping into her on the day and we hope she has a very enjoyable time.

Recent Weddings, Ceremony of Light and Munster Airport Challenge

Bridge News.
The results of the latest bridge game played by the Ballyduff/Portlaw bridge club are as follows:
1st: Anne Cox and Patsy Roche.

2nd: Kate Hayes and Nano Fitzgerald.

3rd: Peggy Murphy and Elizabeth Mooney.

4th: Geraldine McMahon and Bridget Aherne.

GAA Lotto
The numbers drawn in the latest lotto draw were 6, 9, 16 and 18. There was no winner of the jackpot but the three lucky dip winners of €50 each were Valarie Carroll, John Thompson and Brendan Madders. The next draw will take place on May 6th and there will be a fantastic jackpot of €10,250 on offer. Tickets cost just €2 or 3 for €5 and are on sale from all committee members and will be on sale on Saturday May 5th at Centra. Get your tickets early and choose those 4 numbers carefully.

Recent Weddings.

Love is definetly in the air recently with two local couples tying the knot. Congratulations to Sarah Walsh and Brian Roche, Adamstown who exchaged vows in the Kilkenny River Court Hotel. A wonderful weekend was had by all the family and we wish the happy couple every best wish for their future lives together.

Wedding bells also rang for Shane Larkin and Denise Brazil, Caheruane. This lovely couple celebrated their wedding at Faithlegg House Hotel and I know all the family are thrilled with their news. We wish the happy couple and their beautiful children every happiness for the future.

Tea/Coffee Morning

Thursday May 3rd is National Alzheimers Day and we will have our opportunity to support the cause here in our area. A lovely coffee/tea morning will be held in Ballyduff Community Centre on that morning from 9.30am to 12 noon. All money raised will remain locally and so we ask you for your support. This is always a lovely enjoyable morning and there are always delicious homemade treats on offer. Please come along and support this wonderful charity event. Looking forward to meeting you there.

Ceremony of Light

Congratulations to all the young people from 5th and 6th classes in Ballyduff N.S who took part in their Ceremony of Light on Thursday April 26th. This symbolic ceremony was in preparation for their Confirmation Day which will be Thursday May 24th. Well done to all who took part in the singing and readings and to Fr. Richard who gave great words of support to the young people.

Ballyduff GAA News.

In keeping with the clubs ethos of supporting positive mental health in the community, the academy and nursey section of the club would like to invite members of the community to come and avail of the facilities while their training is in progress on Saturday mornings at 10.30am. Here are some reasons why you should take them up on their offer:

Free secure parking at the pitch.

Greenway access only 100mts away.

Kids lokked after and enjoy games.

Meet up with, walk and talk with others

No age or ability limit.

No cost involved.

Please spread this message to your friends and the friends you haven’t met yet and get out and enjoy our beautiful area.

Community Alert.
The final community alert group meeting until September was held last week. The group simply stop meetings for the Summer months but that doesnt mean that they are not active during the Summer. As you know the text alert scheme is always active and a great way to get important messages out there and the group also run a very active Facebook page.

The meeting was addressed by great speakers Jim Griffin from the Coastguards and RTE’s south east correspondent Damien Tiernan. It was very interesting to hear from them both about the different aspects of their jobs and they also recounted the tragic story of the sinking of the Pere Charles and Honeydew boats and the devastation of not being able to recover the bodies. Garda Tom Daly and Sgt. Alan Kissane also addressed the group and encouraged us all to remain active in our community and to report anything suspicious to the Gardai. They encouraged the group to keep up the good work and pledged their continued support to us.

Munster Airport Challenge.

As I reported to you all last week Brian and his fellow cyclists were ready to head off on their 500km cycle challenge in aid of Touching Hearts. I am happy to report that they all completed the challenge and thank god they all returned home safe and sound with no accidents along the way. They took on this challenge and each cyclist gave 100% to it. As they travelled around Munster they received great support and were welcomed like heroes into different areas. They returned home to the square in Portlaw on Sunday afternoon and received rapturous applause. These men had given months of their time to preparing for this and should be very proud of their achievement. Bodies were tired, muscles were sore and would you believe they were suffering with sunburn but they still had smiles on their faces. They did all this for a wonderful charity and we will know in the next couple of weeks how much was raised but may we say a huge thank you to all of you who sponsored any of the guys but on a personal level Brian and I would like to sincerely thank all who supported him and help him raise sponsorship for this charity. We appreciate greatly your generosity and thank you for all your well wishes. They enjoyed their adventure with many a laugh along the way and we are all super proud of them.