GAA Lotto
The numbers drawn in the latest lotto draw were 6, 13, 18 and 19.
There was no winner of the jackpot and the three lucky dip winners of €50 each were Jimmy Fortune, Eileen Power and Eoin Kiely. The next draw will take place on February 24th and will have a jackpot of €12,500. Tickets are just €2 each or three for €5 and can be purchased from any committee member and will be on sale at Centra on Saturday February 23rd. Choose your four numbers carefully and you could get your hands on that fantastic jackpot.
Get Walking
Our local GAA club have joined forces with Operation Transformation and Getirelandwalking.ie and have opened up their facilities to the local community. If you would like to enjoy a nice healthy walk in the company of many others then drop along to Ballyduff GAA grounds on Thursday February 21st from 7pm to 9pm. You can enjoy your walk in a safe and relaxing environment. The club would like to thank all those who have joined in this community event during the past few weeks and look forward to meeting old and new friends this week.
Recent Death
We extend our deepest sympathy to Liza O Neill, Matthews Cross on the recent death of her beloved father. Mr. Leonard O Neill was the last Waterford Hobbler. Working hard all his life from the young age of 14, Leonard fished on the estuary and worked as a hobbler on the city docks. He travelled the world with the merchant navy and Irish shipping. His knowledge of the river and its ships was second to none and he passed that love of the sea to his children and grandchildren.
His family meant the world to him and he loved nothing better than being in their company. His wife Peggy was the love of his life and they enjoyed over 50 years of wedded bliss together. I had the pleasure of being in Leonards company many times and he was a wonderful conversationalist, a man of great dignity and respect and most definetely a true gentleman.
Following Leonards funeral mass in Ballybricken, he was laid to rest in the beautiful Duncannon.I have often heard it said that the voice of the sea speaks to the soul. We pray that his soul will now be at peace and we shall think fondly of him as we listen to the sounds of the sea.
Communion Preparation
The next Do This In Memory preparation mass for the pupils from 2nd class in Ballyduff N.S will take place at 10am on Sunday February 24th . At these masses the children prepare for their First Holy Communion by taking parts in all aspects of the mass. It is also a lovely opportunity for them to interact with the people of the parish and learn from their christian example. The children love participating in the readings, prayers, offertory gifts and bringing around the collection baskets. It is important that they feel part of the church community.
Birthday Boy
I would like to send very special birthday wishes to my baby brother Neil O Sullivan who recently celebrated his 40th birthday. I know that Lily and Harry looked after the singing of happy birthday and of course were on hand to help blow out all those candles.
Date For Diary
A date for you to mark in your diary is Wednesday March 20th which is World Down Syndrome Day. The Waterford and South Kilkenny branch of Down Syndrome Ireland will host a coffee morning at The Sweep Bar from 10am to 12 noon. This is always a very well supported event and always a lovely morning. There will be music from Bim Connors and a fantastic raffle with brilliant prizes up for grabs. I will be reminding you of this event in the coming weeks so contact that group of friends you have been promising to meet up with and meet at The Sweep where you can relax and enjoy while supporting a fantastic charity.
Community Alert
Our local community alert group will host their next meeting on Tuesday February 26th at 8pm in Ballyduff Community Centre. The guest speaker on the night will be Tony Hennessy who is the resident genealogist in the Medieval Museum. Tony will give a presentation entitled Tracing your Family Tree. This is a subject in which there is a lot of interest and Tony himself holds great Kilmeaden roots.
Also during this meeting the annual text alert scheme fee of €5 will be collected. New members are always welcome to join this scheme. If you are unable to attend but would like to add your name to the list please contact myself Linda Spillane on 087 9838392. It is important that we all come together to protect our area and its residents so please come along to the monthly meeting and voice your opinions.