Cheque Presentation

On Bank Holiday Monday the 25 cyclists from the Portlaw Village Wheelers who completed the 500km Munster Airport Challenge cycle back in April presented their cheque to their chosen charity Touching Hearts. The guys were delighted and proud to present a cheque for the fantastic amount of €36,826.00. This unbelievable amount was raised through the generosity and kindness of all you wonderful people. A huge thank you to all who supported this event and helped to raise this fabulous amount. You have helped to bring the dream of a new Sacred Heart Centre a bit closer and the children who depend on these services deserve the very best. A big well done to all the cyclists who took part and put such heart and commitment into the challenge. They should all be very proud of themselves.

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GAA Lotto

The numbers drawn in the latest lotto draw were 9, 10, 19 and 21. There was no jackpot winner but the three lucky dip winners of €50 each were Niall Clifford, Brendan Madders and Davy and Annie Gahan. The next draw will take place on June 17th and will have a fantastic jackpot of €10,700. Tickets cost just €2 each or 3 for €5 and are available from all committee members and will be on sale outside Centra on Saturday June 16th. Get your tickets early and choose those 4 numbers very carefully.

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Hall AGM

The directors of Ballyduff Community Centre Development Co. Ltd will hold their AGM of the company in the community centre on Wednesday June 20th at 8pm. All are very welcome to attend this meeting and please spread the word.

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Lourdes Night.

Each year our parish raises money to send people from the area on the Waterford /Lismore Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes. To raise funds the annual singing contest for the honour of winning the Jimmy Fox Memorial Cup will take place on Saturday June 16th in O Donnachas. Music on the night will be by Dick Quinn and all singers are welcome to come along and join in the fun.

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A Word of Thanks.

Our local Tidy Towns group have asked me to say a big thank you to the individual who donated tins of paint for the painting of the kerbs etc. This person does not want to be mentioned but we hope you know how grateful everyone is. A big thank you also to the group of men I saw out the other night doing the painting. All this painting, cutting grass, setting flowers, picking up litter go on without any fanfair announcing them. People working away quietly not wanting any recognition, that’s how a community works so a massive thank you to all those little magic fairies.

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Post Office Meeting

There was a very low turnout at a recent meeting to update the community on the current situation regarding the proposed closure of Kilmeaden PO. The current Postmaster has been offered a retirement package and must make his decision by July 31st but after hearing from speakers we were all left in no doubt that he would be very foolish not to accept as there is no investment or funding being offered to the office so it could next year be forced to close with no retirement package on offer then. Understandably the people attending were frustrated and angered by the actions of An Post and the government in yet another dig at rural areas. It is very disappointing that we look set to loose a vital service for many people in our area and many surrounding areas.

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Home To Rome

Father and son duo Arthur and Jordan Curry have set themselves a very ambitious goal by planning to cycle their way from Ballyduff to Rome and all to help raise funds for Waterford Hospice. This charity holds a very special place in their hearts as their kindness and compassion were a God send to them while Arthurs mam Cait Curry fought her illness with great bravery and dignity. Before his mam died Arthur learned that one of her regrets was that she had never been to Rome and so he promised that somehow he would bring her spirit to Rome and allow her to see it through his eyes.

We’ll keep you updated with all the plans for this event due to take place in August and hope that you will consider supporting this event.

Birthday Celebrations

A little bird told me that Ballygarron man Sean Guiry recently celebrated his 80th birthday but he wasn’t the only family member celebrating a birthday last week. His son John and daughter Helen also got to blow out birthday candles. We wish them all very warm birthday wishes and I am sure they have had their fill of birthday cake for another year.

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Gaa Lotto.

The numbers drawn in the latest lotto draw were 4, 7, 10 and 21. There was no winner of the jackpot but the three lucky dip winners of €50 each were Martin Murray, Andrew Rockett and Donnacha O Fuarthain. The next draw will take place on June 4th and will have a fantastic jackpot of €10,550 on offer. Tickets cost just €2 each or three tickets for €5. Tickets will be on sale outside Centra on Saturday June 2nd.

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Gaa News.
The Nursery/Academy section of the club welcomed a very important visitor along to their training section last week. Derek McGrath popped in to say hello and give the group some good advice. It was a real treat for the boys and girls and some of the adults too. The children were awestruck by his presence and humility. The coaches and parents would like to say a big thank you to Derek for being so generous with his time and they wish him and all the Waterford team the very best of luck in their championship campaign.

The club would like to remind you all that tickets for the Deise draw are now on sale and can be purchased from John Stephenson or any committee member.

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Confirmation Time.

The boys and girls from 5th and 6th classes in Ballyduff N.S arrived in sunshine at St. Nicholas’ church on Thursday, May 24th to receive the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament of Confirmation. These young men and women were extremely prepared and recited readings, prayers of the faithful and reflections perfectly. Their friends and schoolmates formed a beautiful choir and really enhanced the ceremony. Some of the candidates sang the verses of the psalm with each one singing beautifully. Gifts were carried reverently to the altar and they didn’t forget to welcome everyone at the beginning and thank all who had helped them on their journey to Confirmation.

Bishop Cullinan was joined by Fr. Mick and Fr. Richard aswell as Fr.John Harris a native of Amberhill whose nephew Conor and niece Ashling were receiving their Confirmation. The ceremony was very memorable and was organised so well. A big thank you to all the teachers and staff of Ballyduff N.S who put such a huge effort into these occasions. A special thank you to our wonderful sacristan Ann who always makes sure our church is looking fantastic.

A big thank you to the ladies and gentlemen who gave their time to serve a lovely cuppa and delicious cake in the school hall after the mass. This is a lovely tradition and a great chance for everyone to relax and have a chat. My own son Adam was one of the children who received his Confirmation this year and I must say we were given some beautiful memories to cherish from the ceremony. A big well done to all and to anyone who helped in any way at all.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

 

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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

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.

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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.

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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.

 

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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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

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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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

HUGE THANKS

On behalf of myself, my husband Brian and our children Ava and Adam I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported our recent coffee morning in aid of Touching Hearts. To say we were flabbergasted is an understatement. You came out in your crowds and showed that wonderful community spirit that I rave to everyone about. We can never thank you all for your very generous donations. May I also say a very big thank you to all the fantastic people who made cakes, donated books and gave raffle prizes and I am completely indebited to that wonderful group of people who helped us set up the hall, serve teas, sell cakes, sell tickets, face paint, wash up and clean up the hall afterwards. I don’t want to name people individually as I may forget someone but you know who you are and I thank each of you ten times over. Of course the great John O Shea was a big hit and he had everyone entertained. The cyclists were a little taken back by the huge crowd there to wish them well as they dropped in following their training cycle. I am delighted to tell you that we raised over €1500 on the day, this is unbelievable and we can’t thank you enough.

As I write these notes Brian has his gear packed, his bike all ready to go and he is ready to take on the challenge. Touching Hearts charity holds a special place in our hearts and we are delighted to be involved in some small way. I will let you all know next week how everything went on the cycle.

 

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Community Alert

A reminder to you all that our local community alert group will hold their next meeting on Tuesday April 24th at 8pm in Ballyduff Community Centre. These meetings are always very well attended and I urge you all to come along to this meeting and bring a friend with you.

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Tea Day

A date to mark in your diary is National Alzheimers Tea Day which this year falls on Thursday May 3rd. We here in the Ballyduff and Kilmeaden area will be able to show our support at a local tea/coffee morning in Ballyduff Community Centre. I will have more details about this in the coming weeks so keep your eyes peeled to these notes.

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The Two Johnnies

Well done to all at Ballyduff GAA who organised a great night of entertainment recently in The Woodlands Hotel as they played host to the 2 Johnnies. There were people to be seen crying with laughter as the two guys provided a real change from the norm. Of course when the show was over the fantastic John O Shea provided great entertainment. The club would like to thank everyone who helped out on the night and all who supported the event. It was a lovely community night and well done to those individuals who were brought to the stage for some of the sketches, they were great sports.

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GAA News

The club say a huge well done to their U8 and U9 hurlers who participated at two venues recently. They won some and lost some but everyone gave 100% and really enjoyed themselves which is the main thing. These groups are improving all the time and get better every time they play. Thanks to the parents of both groups who come to cheer them on and give them support.

In the nursery and academy section training continues for all U10 downwards with a lot of blitz competitions coming up. Training is every Saturday at 10.30am and on Wednesday evening at 6.30pm.

GAA Lotto

The numbers drawn in the latest lotto draw were 1, 9, 13 and 15. There was no winner of the jackpot but the three lucky dip winners of €50 each were Finn Doyle, Ben O Connell and Tadgh Power. The next draw will take place on April 22nd and will have a fantastic jackpot of €10,100. Tickets cost just €2 or 3 for €5 and are on sale from all committee members and will be on sale on Saturday April 21st at Centra. What a brilliant jackpot to win so get your tickets early and choose those 4 numbers carefully.

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Bridge News

The results of the latest bridge game played by Ballyduff/Portlaw bridge club are as follows:
1st: Anne Cox and Mary O Brien.

2nd:Mary Prendergast and Anne Marie Brown.

3rd:Michael O Donovan and Mary Cummins.

4th:Kathleen Collins and Patsy Roche.

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Wedding Bells.

We send our heartiest congratulations to local lady Ruth Foley who returned home from England to marry the love of her life David Kirby. As the morning began wet and miserable I knew that Ruth’s dad Oliver would be keeping a watchful eye from the heavens above and would certainly make sure that the skies would brighten for his little girls big day and that is just what he did. Ruth could only be described as a stunning bride as she beamed on her way to meet her groom. A beautiful day was had by all as they headed to the Faithlegg House Hotel to celebrate this wonderful occasion. I sincerely wish this lovely couple a lifetime of happiness and look forward to seeing Mr and Mrs Kirby on one of their many visits home.

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Recent Death.

We extend our deepest sympathy to the Quinn and White families on the recent death of Philomena(Phil) Quinn of Kilmagemogue. Phil’s funeral mass took place in St.Patricks church, Portlaw and she was laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery. We pray that she may rest in peace and that her family will find comfort in the memories they have of her.

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Community Alert

Our local community alert group will hold their next meeting in Ballyduff Community Centre on Tuesday April 24th at 8pm. This group continues to grow from strength to strength and are regarded as one of the leading groups in the area. The meetings are always very well attended and always have some very interesting guest speakers. This is a very important community group and the presence of a community alert group in an area can be a deterent. Please come along to the meeting and spread the word to your neighbours and friends.

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Baby Boys’ Arrival

Heartiest congratulations to Brian and Shella Kenny, Matthews Cross who welcomed their baby son into the world last week. Baby James Edward Kenny arrived safe and sound much to the delight of family and friends. I have the privelege of course of being James’s neighbour and so I know that mam and dad are going to have great help at home because big sisters Ellie and Leah are more than capable of showing James the ropes. They are going to be fantastic in the role of big sister so James is one lucky little man. Welcome baby James to our community and may you have a lifetime of happiness.

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Parent and Toddler

Our local Parent and Baby/Toddler group meet in Ballyduff Community Centre every Friday from 10am to 12 noon. This is a fabulous way for parents to get to know each other in a friendly environment while the children enjoy the interaction with other children. You are welcome to drop in during these hours and enjoy a nice friendly cuppa and a chat while the children play.

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Contact Details

A reminder that if you would like me to include an item in these notes for you please contact me by a Thursday evening of each week. You can email me on spillanelinda2017@gmail.com or call or text me on 087-9838392 or indeed call in or stop me out and about. I look forward to hearing from you.

Easter Thanks.

Fr.Mick would like to say a huge thank you to all who helped in any way during the Holy Week and Easter ceremonies. It is always a very busy time of year and so he appreciates all the people coming forward to help. He will remember you all in his prayers.

May I give a special mention to our hardworking and dedicated sacristan Ann Nolan who does a terrific job all year around and always with a cheery smile.

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Night Of Fun.

Ballyduff GAA club will host a night of fun and laughter as they play host to “The 2 Johnnies” in The Woodlands Hotel on Friday April 13th. These guys have gathered a huge following around the country and this is a great opportunity to get to see them while supporting your local club. This event is to help raise funds to construct a ball wall in the hurling field. This is an over 16’s event but those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Doors open at 8pm with the show starting at 9pm and following the show you can dance the night away with DJ extraodinaire John O Shea. Tickets cost €20 and are available from all committee members, The Woodlands hotel or by contacting 087-2486423.

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GAA News.

The U8 footballers had a very successful outing to the Gold Coast last week where they beat St.Patricks, The Nire and St.Olivers. This group of players show great attitude and skill and it is wonderful to see the children enjoy themselves so much. Training continues on Saturday mornings in Kildermody and all are welcome to come along.

 

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Morning Of Fun

I would like to cordially invite each one of you, your families and your friends along to a lovely morning of fun and chat in Ballyduff Community Centre on Sunday April 15th from 10.30am to 1.30pm. My children Ava and Adam and I are hosting this morning ahead of my husband Brian heading off the following week to take part with 24 others from the Portlaw Village Wheelers cycling club in The 4 Munster Airport Challenge cycle. This 500 km cycle will this year raise money for the Touching Hearts charity. All expenses for the trip are paid for by the cyclists and so every penny raised goes to the charity.

To help out and raise as much money as we possibly can we will host a coffee/tea morning with a few extra bits. There will be lots of treats to eat and also buy to take home. Adam will be selling some books and dvds at knock down prices he tells me. They have also gathered some lovely spot prizes for a raffle. The lovely kindhearted Deirdre Giani has offered to do some face painting and my popular cousin WLR’s John O Shea will be on hand to play a few tunes. Some of the cyclists who will take part in the challenge will pop in after their training cycle.

I hope that you will be able to drop in for a few minutes, an hour, a few hours whatever length of time you stay for you will be made very welcome indeed. If any of you wish to know anymore or if I may be so cheeky to ask if any of you lovely bakers out there would like to bake a few buns or a cake, we would be delighted. You can contact me on 087-9838392.

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One Of The Best
I must admit I sat staring at a blank screen before writing this piece in fact I just couldn’t work out where I was going to start. Too many times in recent months and years I have been writing about wonderful parishioners who have been called home to God and then I realised that my only worry is what will I write and not the pain and grief felt by family members. All these wonderful people just mean so much to me because I’ve lived here and grown up with them for the past almost 45 years. They are all people I have greatly admired and have tried to be somewhat like them, my only hope is that what I write reflects who they were.

One of the finest men I have ever known, Frankie Carlin returned home to God on Easter Sunday. To me this was a very fitting day with Easter Sunday being one of the biggest days in the church calendar. It is only right that the best of the best would be called on that day. Frankie was a Ballyduff man through and through growing up in the village with his parents Jim and Maria and his brothers and sisters. Having wandered over to the Portlaw side of the parish he met his one true love Margaret Walsh and they married and settled in Ballyduff. Their family grew as they welcomed sons Anthony, Michael and David and daughter Nicola. Frankie was first and foremost a family man. He adored his wife Margaret and worshipped his children. His 9 grandchildren brought him such delight and he always loved talking about them. He and Margaret certainly meant their wedding vows when they said them and they lived them throughout their married lives. Their devotion and love for each other was evident to all and Margaret care for Frankie during his illness showed that great strength of love and I’m sure Frankies hard days were made better by having Margaret at his side.

Frankie worked hard all his life providing for his family and always gave 100% to his work. He spent many happy years in Waterford Crystal but I think the job of caretaker in Ballyduff N.S was just made for him. The staff and pupils all loved him and he was always on hand to help with anything that needed to be done often going completely out of his way to help. His good humour and infectious smile was contagious and every child in the school loved Frankie.

He gave many many years to Ballyduff Soccer club and helped tirelessly to make it into the thriving, vibrant club it is today. They enjoy fabulous facilities thanks to many good men like Frankie. Of course when he wasn’t cheering on Ballyduff he was shouting for Man Utd. He had a great love for the game and shared some great memories of years gone by.

His green fingers shone out from his garden. You could most definetly eat your dinner from the perfectly mown lawns and he was

always to be seen with the headphones on mowing the lawn happily.

Frankie was all these things but to me Frankie was a community man. He believed that community and parish life worked when everyone worked together and used their strengths and talents for the good of everyone around them. He was always on hand to help in whatever was going on and many a good laugh or two was had along the way.

A man with great family values, a community spirit, a hard worker but above all a man who respected others and whose heart was most definetly made of gold. Although he has been taken home way to soon he has left Margaret, his children and his grandchildren with memories that time will never erase. He touched all our lives in some way and he has left us all hoping that in some small way we can be a little bit like Frankie. Our parish and community is a much poorer place without him but God obviously needs the grass cut and a peacemaker for some sporting and political arguments up there. Rest in peace Frankie and thank you for allowing us a little share in your life, we are certainly much the better for it. Ar Dheis De Go Raibh se.

Lotto Luck

The numbers drawn in the last lotto draw were 9, 19, 21 and 23. There was no winner of the jackpot but the three lucky dip winners of €50 each were Sam and Adam, Jacqui O Brien and Dylan Murphy. The next draw will take place on April 8th and will have a fantastic jackpot of €9,950. Tickets cost just €2 or 3 for €5 and are on sale from committee members and will be on sale at Centra on Saturday April 7th. Pick those 4 lucky numbers wisely and you could be that jackpot winner.

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Birthday Girl

I would like to send very special birthday wishes to my very good friend Sheila McGrath in Ballygarron. Can you believe that this young lady has turned 80. It’s very true about what they say that age is just a number and we all need to be young at heart, Sheila certainly lives by this. All her family, neighbours and many many friends want to wish her the very best and we hope she doesn’t go to crazy with the celebrations.

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Coffee Morning Thanks

Local lady Sharon Flynn has asked me to say a huge thank you to all who supported her recent coffee morning in aid of Temple Street Hospital. €250 was raised and Sharon is very grateful to all who donated. A big thanks to Sharon also for the lovely morning we were all treated to.

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Choir Concert

What a lovely night of music and song we were treated to when we were visited by The Lyons Township High School Choir from Illinois, USA. This lovely group of young people sang beautifully as a group with some amazing solos also. Their conductors, musicians and family members who travelled with them were full of praise for the lovely welcome they have received in Ireland. Our own St.Nicholas’s church choir were invited as guests to perform 3 pieces. They chose 3 uplifting pieces and they did a wonderful job. The comments after the concert were so positive with people saying they would love to sit there for longer.

During the short interval a collection was taken up for our local community centre redevelopment fund. €525 was collected and a further amount of €450 was given from Discover Ireland. Expenses came to €84 so a net amount of €891 was given to the hall fund. The committee would like to say a huge thank you to all who contributed to the collection.

Following the concert everyone was invited to the community centre for some lovely refreshments and it was a great opportunity to get to know the visiting choir. This was a really nice and memorable evening so a big well done to all involved.

 

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Beautiful Girl.

Congratulations and best wishes to Mark and Lorraine Grieve, Fan Glas who recently welcomed their beautiful baby girl into the world. Baby Juno Grieve arrived safe and sound much to the delight of all the extended Grieve and Bowman families. Juno is of course extremely lucky to have big sister Billie at home ready and willing to show her the ropes. I met Billie and she was literally beaming from ear to ear and I know that she will be a fantastic help to mam and dad. We welcome baby Juno to our community and we look forward to meeting her.

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Rising Star.

We send our warmest congratulations to local lady Laura Dempsey who was recently nominated for The Rising Star of the Year award at the Inglot Make Up Ireland Awards. Unforunately she was unlucky this time but to us she is of course already a superstar. Lauras ambition and drive is an example to all to work hard and push forward with your dreams. We wish Laura continued success in her career.

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Coffee Morning.

I know you are all probably fed up of listening to me talking about the Munster Airport Challenge charity cycle that my husband Brian is taking part in. All money raised this year is going to the wonderful Touching Hearts charity. Our two children Adam and Ava wanted to get involved and help raise money for their dads sponsorship card. They will host a coffee morning in our community centre on Sunday April 15th from 10.30am to 1.30pm with lots of delicious treats and nice cakes and treats to buy also if you would like to bring some home for the Sunday dessert. Adam is an avid reader and has decided to also sell some of his perfectly kept books at knocked down prizes. They also have some lovely prizes for a raffle so you may be lucky. Some of the cyclists who will take off on the charity cycle the following week will also arrive there after their Sunday morning training spin. Brian and I of course are very proud to have such kindhearted children and they have seen first hand the great work being done in the Sacred Heart Centre. There is no doubt in my mind that their fundraiser will be well supported as the people in Ballyduff/Kilmeaden Portlaw and surrounding areas never let people down. I will keep you all reminded of this event through these notes but mark your diary for Sunday April 15th.