Holy Communion Day.
On Saturday May 11th the boys and girls from 2nd class gathered at St. Nicholas’s church, Ballyduff to receive their First Holy Communion. The Lord was kind to them and sent some lovely sunshine and as they entered the church with their family and friends their little faces beamed with happiness.
I was delighted to be able to attend the mass and see all the wonderful preparations and work they had put in. Their class teacher Miss Sprice had mose certainly worked hard and the children certainly did her proud. The children took part in the readings,prayers of the faithful, offertory gifts and the actions to the Our Father. They were joined by their schoolmates from the older classes who sang beautiful hymns throughout the mass. It was so nice to see so many of the teaching staff attend the mass and show their support to the children and Miss Sprice. Of course Miss Sprice will walk up the aisle herself in a few weeks so I’m sure she was picking up some tips from the girls in their white dresses.
After the mass and some photographs there was the customary cup of tea and cake in the hall. This is a lovely tradition and it was great to see so many go back. A big well done to the Parents Association and the volunteer parents who took care of this on the day. We wish all the boys and girls continued blessings and hope that they all enjoyed their special day.
Fundraising Thanks
The collectors for the IHCPTgroup who held a church gate on Easter weekend have asked me to say a big thank you to all who contributed. They were delighted to collect €238 and this will help the group greatly in their work.
Bridge News.
The Ballyduff/Portlaw bridge club are going from strength to strength and meet every Monday night for their weekly game. The results from Monday 13th are as follows:
1st: Anne Kennedy and Peggy Murphy
2nd:Kathleen Collins and Patsy Roche
3rd: Geraldine McMahon and Nano Fitzgerald
4th: Fr. Michael O Byrnre and Mary Shanahan.
Lourdes Night
Our local Lourdes committee have asked me to say a huge thank you to all who bought raffle tickets and gave donations to their recent fundraising night in O Donnachas. Throughout the day raffle tickets were sold at Centra with lovely hampers and many other prizes up for grabs. The lucky winners of the two hampers were Angela Ryan, Kilmagemogue and Jim O Brien , Ballyduff.
It was on then to O Donnachas for the talent competition. There was lots of fine talent on display but lifting the Jimmy Fox Memorial cup was Billy Flanagan. The committee are delighted to inform you that they will be sending two people as part of the invaild section of the Waterford/Lismore Diocesan Pilgrimage and will also send a young helper. The total raised between the raffle and the talent show was €930 and your generosity is deeply appreciated.
GAA News
There have been many hurling and football games recently. The Ballyduff NS teams were out in force, The U13’s had two games winning one against Glor Na Mara by a big margin and going down valiantly to Killea with a depleted team they head into the semi final. The U11’s won all three games very impressively against Fenor, Newtown and Faithlegg with some outstanding displays and are now through to the Cup Final in the competition. A big thanks to the teachers in the school who coached these lads, the club is grateful for the great relationship with the school.
There was a disappointing result in the U9 hurling league with a final score of Passage 3-6 to Ballyduff 1-3. After a very slow start in the first half they came back stronger in the second half but it was a bit too late..
The U8 footballers performed well at their blitz against Ballyduff Upper, Gaultier and St. Olivers. Players are improving every week and there were some lovely goals and points scored and some brilliant defending. As usual the support from the sideline.
There was a great performance from the U15’s in the County Division 2 Football Eastern Final with some outstanding fielding and an excellent first half. With a final score of Ballyduff/Portlaw 4-9 to Dungarvan 2-3 they march on in to the County Final.
The U11 hurlers gave a brilliant performance against De La Salle and were unlucky to be beaten. This team showed great character and a big thank you to all the supporters who cheered them on.
CPR Training.
Ballyduff GAA club is endeavoring to organise free CPR training for the club and community. The confirmed date is June 7th in Ballyduff Community Centre. Classes will be at 5pm, 6.30pm and 8pm. If you are interested you need to book your spot asap by contacting Brian on 087-2486423. This is open to all over 18’s and places are filling fast.
Ballyduff AFC
Huge congratulations to our U15 team who recently won the Roy Power Cup. In a very entertaining game they beat Dungarvan 3-1. Dylan Mooney settled the nerves when he finished Ryan Hennessys pass in the first minute and then Ryan made it 2-0 after 10 minutes and Michael O Connor gave us our third goal. Captain Nathan Bagge collected the cup and it was a very proud moment for all the players their parents and families. It was however also a proud moment for the club and for the two coaches who put in such hard work all season. The guys are very lucky to have two such dedicated men helping them and willing them on. I’m sure Jason Kings vast knowledge of nutrition and training has been invaluable to the guys while they have also been lucky to learn from one of the finest soccer players around Jimmy Power . His great love for the sport is really infectious.