A True Lady

We were all deeply saddened last week by the death of the lovely Kathleen Bagge of Adamstown. Kathleen was Wexford born but made Waterford her home when she met the love of her life Pat Bagge. Together they made their home in Kilmeaden raising their children and in time welcoming their beloved grandchildren. Kathleen was caring, loving, hardworking and loyal . She left a wonderful lasting impression on everyone she met and loved meeting up with people for a laugh and a chat . Her family meant the absolute world  to her and she loved each of them with all her heart. She bore her illness with great strength and courage and thanks to the wonderful care her family gave her, she was able to stay where she loved best in her home in Adamstown. We extend our deepest sympathies to her husband Pat, her children Ivor, Evelyn, Irene and Anthony, her grandchildren, her mother Peggy, her sisters and brothers and her many friends.
Kathleen was laid to rest in Ballyduff cemetery and we pray that she now rests in beautiful peace and that her loving family will in time draw comfort from the heartwarming memories she left them.

Ballyduff AFC

Like all other clubs Ballyduff AFC are really looking forward to getting back to training and games. They have asked me to inform you all of the provisional dates they have been given for Summer Camps. Their own popular Summer camp will hopefully take place from July 5th to July 12th and the FAI camp is pencilled in from July 26th to July 30th. Keep an eye out in these notes and on the clubs Facebook page for more details.

Ballyduff LGFA

The LGFA section of the Ballyduff GAA club are certainly keeping the club in the headlines with all their wonderful activities to promote good mental health and positivity in our young people.
Over the past couple of weeks the awareness programme focused on “keep learning. Dr. Orlaigh Farmer an inter county ladies footballer from Cork spoke to the older girls about women in sport and the menstrual cycle called “Go with the flow”
Actress and award winning playwright Nicola Spendlove spoke to the younger members about the power of positive words in preparation for their kindness rock project.
A big thank you to Mr. Stapleton who covered the choose your words models. The students in 6th class in Ballyduff painted some beautiful stones and then choose some kind words and positive mental health messages to write on them.  I had the honour of having a sneaky look at these stones and I must say they are gorgeous. Watch this page for news of the exciting new location for these stones

Signal Box Coffee

Congratulations and best wishes to local sisters Dearbhla and Sorcha Barron, Kildermody who bring their new venture Signal Box Coffee-to the Greenway. Situated by Furniture by Penn by the Kilmacthomas Greenway Viaduct you are invited to stop off and enjoy a nice fresh coffee and maybe a tasty treat. This is a wonderful idea from the girls and wish them them every success. I look forward to a little visit.

Grandparents Delight.

Two local couples celebrated the arrival of precious new grandchildren during the past couple of weeks. Seamus and Helen Barry of Cullinagh are delighted with the arrival of a handsome grandson while down on the Lacka Road Pat and Peg Power were thrilled to hear of the safe arrival of their beautiful granddaughter. Isn’t it wonderful to hear such bright and positive news. We wish all the families every good wish for health and happiness and look forward to watching these two young people grow up as they come to visit their grandparents here in Kilmeaden

Our Sympathy

We send our deepest sympathy to Pat Nugent in Matthews Cross on the recent loss of his brother in law. Mr. Vincent Guiry had returned with his wife from Hertfordshire in recent times to live in Dungarvan and it was there his funeral mass took place.
We send our heartfelt condolences to Sharon Walsh, Coolagadden on the recent loss of her  beloved sister. Gillian was living in Australia and died tragically there in recent times. We remember all her heartbroken  family and friends in her native Waterford and in Australia.
Our deepest sympathy goes to Sinead Halley of Ballyshunnock on the recent death of her father. Mr. James Butler formerly of Roanmore Park was living in  Ballycashin, Butlerstown. Our sympathies go to all his family and friends. May he rest in peace.

Mount Congreve

It is absolutely wonderful and very uplifting to hear places making plans to reopen their facilities. We know that this must be done with great caution and that we must all play our part by continuing to abide by the rules and restrictions set out for us to follow.
We are blessed here in Kilmeaden to have the fantastic Mount Congreve house and gardens on our doorstep. There is nothing more therapeutic and heartwarming than a stroll around the garden taking in all the vibrant colours and beautiful smells of the amazing collection of plants and shrubs. Mount Congreve will open their gates to the public from Thursday to Sunday from April 29th during the hours of 10am to 5.30pm. Tickets must be pre booked and you can do this by logging onto https://mountcongreve. com/

Whistlestop Cafe

It is also wonderful to hear that Whistlestop Cafe at The Suir Valley Railway are also reopening to keep us replenished as we stroll on the Greenway. The cafe will open at weekends but will only operate on a  takeaway basis. Drop in and enjoy and hopefully as time moves on they will be able to open up their doors and welcome people inside to enjoy their facilities to the full.

New Venture

How inspiring it is to see new businesses beginning and taking note of the possibilities around them. Two young ladies saw this potential and decided to give their idea a go. Sisters Dearbhla and Sorcha Barron from Ross are opening up their new venture Signal Box Coffee and invite you to drop along and enjoy a nice refreshing drink and maybe a little treat.  Based on the Greenway at the Kilmacthomas Greenway Viaduct the girls look forward to welcoming old friends and new. We wish the girls the very best of luck with their new venture and congratulate them on their initiative.

GAA News

The club like everyone else are really eager to get back to business with training and matches. They were delighted last week to announce the appearance of their first green shoots as the club were back in the school assisting and coaching with the Junior and Senior Infants. The boys and girls were thrilled and a big thank you to Dermot, John and Paul for giving their time to this. A big thank you also to all at Ballyduff NS for keeping up their excellent relationship with the club over the years. These little shoots are our future players and coaches. Next date to look forward to is April 26th when hopefully we will back to the field.
The club send their heartiest congratulations to Calum Lyons in his nomination for Scholar of the Year in the GPA Excellence Awards. This nomination is very much deserved and shows the great work being done by Calum off the field. The club wish Calum the very best of luck.
The LGFA section of the club continue with their impressive initiative in the #onegoodclub project. They have taken part in many fun events and many mindful moments and you should really check out their Facebook page where you will find regular updates of their activities and photos of what they have been up to. A big thank you to all the members and mentors who have done such tremendous work and have spread such positivity across our parish.

New Position

We send our heartiest congratulations to Luke O Brien, High Road who has recently taken up a new position as a Field Service Engineer on the projects team at Unitec Accessible Expertise. Luke completed his IT degree in WIT. Luke will work on the projects team with clients across Waterford, Kilkenny, Tipperary and Cork. We wish Luke the very best of luck for the future. I know his parents Fran and Ann Marie are very proud of him as is his sister Kate who is working on the frontline as a nurse in England.

Recent Deaths

We extend our deepest sympathy to Sean Kelly, Amberhill on the recent death of his brother Thomas. Thomas Kelly  lived in Whitestown, Clonea and he is survived by his brother Sean, his sisters Breda, Margie  and Caroline. His funeral mass and burial took place to Clonea and we pray that he now rests in peace.

We also send our sympathies to the Walsh family on the death of Thomas(Didders) Walsh of Queen Street, Portlaw. Thomas was one of Portlaw’s most lovable characters and will be greatly missed. He is survived by his brothers Pat, Philip and Michael and his sisters Margaret Carlin, Dolores Walsh, Bernie Crotty,  Martina O Donoghue and Cait Beville. We pray that he now rests in the peace of Christ.

Birthday Girls

It has been a busy week in my own family this week. On April 8th my beautiful niece Lily finally turned 6. I say finally because the poor child has been counting sleeps for ages for her big day. In normal times there would have been bouncy castles and friends but Mammy, Daddy and brother Harry made sure that she had a wonderful day and bouncy castles etc can arrive when all is back to normal again.

The following day April 9th celebrations moved next door to Lily’s nanny’s house as my own mother celebrated her 80th birthday. The one and only Nancy O Sullivan was born on April 9th 1941 in the house where she still lives and has spent her life making lovely memories here in the beautiful Kilmeaden. Her 5 children Mary, John, Theresa, Neil and myself are very lucky to all live close by and so we get to visit all the time but of course our mother may not describe it like that! We wish our mother every best wish and hope that she enjoyed her day. Just like Lily she had to cope with the disappointment of no bouncy castles etc but we have promised one for her 90th. We are very lucky to have such a wonderful mother and if we each carry even one of her inspiring traits then we will be ok. Happy 80th birthday Mammy from your loving husband Noel, your children, grandchildren, siblings Sean, Teddy and Peggy and your neighbours and friends. Here’s to many more.

New Look

Wow what a fantastic revamp our local Centra store here in Kilmeaden has been given. Airy, spacious and bright are just some of the words I have heard people use to describe it. We congratulate the management and staff for keeping everything running throughout the refurbishment which must have been difficult at times but there was no disturbance to the service they provide. We are delighted to see someone put their trust and belief in our area and we wish Donal and Ailish Hickson and all their staff the very best for the future and thank them for putting their belief in our area and providing us with such a pleasant place to shop.

Recent Death

We send our deepest sympathy to Mrs. Nancy Aulsberry of Matthews Cross on the recent death of her sister Maureen Casey. Maureen lived in Ballygunner and her funeral mass and burial took place in Ballyduff. We extend our sympathies to all of her family and friends. May she rest in peace.

Our Kilkenny Cat!

We were all very saddened to hear of the death of Sean Atkins of Blacknock. Showery as he was lovingly known as was most definitely a character. He loved nothing more than a good pint and a chat and a laugh with friends. He was in his element when he was around people and was always ready for a good chat and a banter. A native Kilkenny man he always remained true to his county colours and one of the highlights of his year was the erecting of the Kilkenny flag in his front lawn.
Above all this though he was a family man and loved to tell you stories about his grandchildren. He was a loving husband to his wife Ann and a wonderful father to Kathleen Margaret Annette Ollie and Michael but his most cherished role was that of a grandad.
Another family however will greatly miss him and that is his loyal group of friends especially those in the Sweep. An empty seat in the corner of that bar when they reopen will be a reminder of a true friend with whom many a good chat and laugh were had and I have no doubt that a glass will be raised in his memory. Bed of heaven to a man who will never be forgotten and will be spoken about for many a day to come.

Birthday Boys

We wish a very happy birthday to Adam and Emmett Carroll of Johntown who recently celebrated their 27th birthday. I am sure their parents John and Valarie and sisters Megan and Laura made sure the boys enjoyed their day.
Big birthday wishes also to Martin Cornwell of Ballyduff West who recently celebrated his 50th birthday. I’m sure in normal times Martin would be welcoming family and friends to his home for a good old knees up but there is no doubt in my mind that he was spoiled rotten by the three beautiful women in his life, his wife Alison and daughters Brianan and Neasa. This would have suited Martin very well  as he is at his happiest with his family around him. Many more happy birthdays to you Martin.

Litter Lifters

The Kilmeaden Litter Lifters are a group of volunteers who have taken to the roads around Ballyduff and Kilmeaden to pick up litter which other people have decided is ok to throw out their windows or drop on the ground when they are walking. This fantastic group have certainly been making headlines with other areas in the county following suit and starting their own groups.
The Kilmeaden group collected 178 bags of rubbish in just 5 days which is of course wonderful work but is also disgraceful. Litter can very easily be brought home to dispose of so there is absolutely never an excuse to throw it on the ground or in hedgerows.

Your Notes

With everything shut down at present there are not many things for me to write about so if you have anything you would like me to include please contact me on 087 9838392 or spillanelinda2017@gmail.com preferably by a Thursday evening

Message from Gardai

Tramore Gardai would like to reassure everyone that they are available and more than willing to support and assist anyone who may need help during the Covid 18 pandemic. You can contact them on 051 391620.

Church News

We are entering into a very different Holy Week than we are normally used to and Easter will not seem the same at all. However we are very lucky to have so many masses and ceremonies on line  to join in with. Keep an eye on our parish Facebook page, Parish of Portlaw/Ballyduff for all ceremonies over Holy Week and Easter. There will be some little bottles of Easter water available in the church porch in Ballyduff after Easter Sunday. Fr. Richard and Fr. Mick would like to wish you all a very happy, prayerful and safe Easter,

Charity Cycle

Every year on Easter Sunday the beautiful Lemybrien plays host to many keen cyclists as they gather to take part in a charity cycle in aid of Mental Health and suicide Awareness in association with WLR. This cycle raises much needed funds for this wonderful charity. All charity events have taken a big hit this year and many events have been cancelled. The hardworking people who organise this event have found a way to hold their cycle while following all the guidelines .
The event will now move on line and you can register your interest and then complete your 20km cycle challenge between March 29th and April 11th keeping to your 5km restrictions of course. You can donate and register or if you want to just donate you can do so through their Just Giving page “Cycle for SOS-20km challenge www. justgiving.com/fundraising/cycleforsos2021. You then complete your 20km cycle and don’t forget to spread the news and nominate others through social media

Dr. Martin Centre

The management, staff and volunteers at The Dr. Martin Centre in Portlaw are counting down the days until they can welcome all their clients and friends back in and enjoy some great chats and laughs again.
Although they may not be able to welcome people in they are still available for any help and support you may need.
They are delighted to announce that they have now reopened their new kitchen facilities and are delighted to say that they can now deliver tasty, nutritious meals outside the Portlaw area. Dinner and dessert is delivered daily for just €7.50. If you would like to order your  daily meal you need to call 051-387111  or 087-4611309 by 10.30am daily. You can also get shopping or prescriptions delivered. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon.