Writing Workshop, Hospice Heros and Exam Time.

Bridge News.

The Ballyduff/Portlaw bridge club meet in Ballyduff every Monday night to play a game of bridge and the results of the game played on Monday May 20th:

1st: Mary/Brenda Cummins.

2nd: Elizabeth Mooney/Peggy Murphy.

3rd: Ann Marie Brown/Theresa Phelan.

4th: Fr. Michael O Byrne/Kathleen Collins.

 


GAA Lotto Results

The numbers drawn in the latest GAA lotto draw were 5,9,14 and 26. There was no winner of the jackpot but the three lucky dip winners of €50 each were Liz Lyons, John O Donnell and John O Dowd. The next draw will take place on Monday June 3rd and there will be a fantastic jackpot of €12,500 up for grabs.

Tickets cost just €2 each or 3 for €5 and are available from committee members and will also be on sale at Centra on Saturday June 1st. Four little numbers stand between you and that jackpot so choose wisely and you could be having a wonderful bank holiday weekend.


Church News.

A reminder that Eucharistic adoration takes place every Tuesday afternoon from 12 noon in our church. You are invited to call in and spend some peaceful time in the presence of the Lord. You can stay for a few minutes or an hour or two it is your choice but treat yourself to a little quiet time out of your day and be alone with your thoughts.

Our annual graveyard mass will take place on Wednesday July 3rd at 7.30pm. Please spread the word about this mass to people you know living in other areas but have family or friends buried in our graveyard.

The annual graveyard mass in the old grounds of Newcastle cemetery will be on Wednesday July 24th at 7.30pm.

Choir practice takes place every Monday night from 8pm to 9pm. All adults are invited to come along and lend their voices.

 


Writing Workshops.

We are all very proud of our own local Irish Times bestselling author Karen Power who has shown that through hard work, committment and dedication to your craft, great things can be achieved. Karen delighted readers with her Butterfly Barn series and now hopes to impart some ideas and tips to other budding writers. In association with The Book Centre Karen will hold three seperate one day creative writing workshop days in the beautiful setting of Curraghmore House Estate, Portlaw. The €120 fee also includes your lunch and a private tour of Curraghmore House. You can choose from one of three dates, Saturday June 15th, Friday July 12th or Sunday August 11th. Places are limited so if you are interested please contact Karen at karenpowerauthor@gmail.com or on 083-3214134

Let your creative juices flow and there is no better place to let that happen than amongst the beauty and splendour of Curraghmore House. You will find no better inspiration than in the sights and sounds around you. And remember I expect to be invited to your book launch!


Heart Children Ireland

When I heard that local lady Sharon Flynn plans to run the VHI Mini Marathon for Heart Children Ireland I knew straight away that it was going to be a roaring success. Sharon takes these challenges on with nothing less than 100% committment. In 2018 when Sharons grand nephew was born with a heart disorder Sharon saw first hand the great work being done by Heart Children Ireland and wanted to lend her support.

To kick off her fundraising Sharon opened up her home on Saturday May 18th and offered teas and coffee and delicious treats for all in exchange for a donation to the cause. This was an absolute wonderful success and Sharon raised a whopping €1035 that morning. Sharon would like to thank all who attended, donated, baked and washed up and on your behalf I say a big well done to Sharon and wish her continued success with her training.

 


Hospice Heroes

The Hospice Hero special ceremony took place recently in St. Francis Hospice, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15. Along side 25 others two Ballyduff men were named Hospice Heroes ahead of Hospice Sunflower Day 2019. Mary Kennedy, Broadcaster and Hospice Sunflower Ambassador presented the plaques to father and son duo Arthur and Jordan Curry who took on a tremendous physical and mental challenge to raise money for The Hospice. Their Home To Rome challenge saw them cycle over 3000km from their home in Ballyduff to Italy, travelling through 12 countries and meeting many different challenges along the way. This dedicated duo were driven by the wonderful memories of their beloved mother and grandmother Cait who received such wonderful care from the hospice team before her death. They truly deserve the title of Hospice Heroes as they raised over €20,000 for this much deserving charity. A reminder that Sunflower day will take place on Friday June 7th and Saturday June 8th so please support any colectors you may see out and about.

Congratulations to both Arthur and Jordan who never set out for any recognition or awards but I’m sure they greatly appreciate the sentiment.


Tidy Towns

Our local Tidy Towns group have been in touch and have asked me to let you all know about the litter pick which will take place on Wednesday May 29th starting at Centra at 6.30pm. All are welcome to come along and join in. It is up to all of us to help try to keep our area clean and tidy.

The group would like to thank the local businessman and his wife who donated the flowers and the baskets for Ballyduff Green and a big thank you to Christy and Vera O Keeffe who planted them all up. The group are delighted to see their Treasurer Michael Fitzpatrick out and about again and wish him continued good health.


GAA News

The U10 hurlers put in a superb performance in Tom Cheasty Park where they defeated Tramore 6-3 to 1-1. There were some great displays and a brilliant team effort and this team is now becoming known for these great performances.

The U13 hurling semi final saw us missing some first team players through injury and illness. This game against Clonea was always going to be a hard task but the lads really got stuck in and were holding their own when one of their best players was injured and couldn’t continue which is sad to see at this age. The team played their hearts out and have been a great group to work with. Well done to them all and to Mr. Carey for all his efforts.

Ballyduff/Portlaw were up against Tramore in the U15 County Football final and were defeated by just 4 points.We didn’t take the chances we could have playing with the breeze in the first half and so this made life difficult in the second half. Although the team were disappointed they can be proud of the effort they put in and the fantastic football they played on the road to the final

Following some great pressure from Fenor at the start of the game Ballyduff ran out winners on a scoreline of 10-1 to 0-4 in the U11 scchool cup final. This team worked their socks off from start to finish to realise a fantastic achievement for their school and parish. A special mention to Mr. Stapleton and Miss Sinnott for all their efforts this year.

Our U10 girls played host to a football blitz in Tom Cheasty Park and they won all three of their games. The girls had a super time and a big thank you to the coaches and parents and those who looked after the refreshments.

 


Exam Time

We think of all the young men and women of our parish who are preparing for exams at the moments . We hope that their study plan is going well and that they are remembering to drink plenty of water, eat well and get a good nights sleep. A little bit of down time is also needed to keep your body, soul and mind well. Take some time out to go for a walk, go to the cinema, meet with friends or whatever relaxes you.