BABY news!
Congratulations to LyndseyAnn and Darryl Litton, Golden Falls on the birth of their beautiful baby daughter, Lola, sister to Fia and Charlie.

Congrats to Katherine and Reverend Kesh Govan on the arrival of baby number 4, Madeline Rose, lovely Christmas news. Put him sleeping in the stable, K! Hello to all the young Govans – Amelia, Bethany and Joshua.

To Chris and Isa Dowling on the birth of Holly Mary a little sister for Sean.


Birthdays greetings
Happy Birthday to Paddy Cooke on reaching his 70th birthday recently and was happily joined by family to celebrate the occasion. Methinks an interview with our Rectors Church Warden in 2009 would make an interesting article……

well done
Well done to Cllr Billy Hillis on his recent contribution to a KFM programme dealing with cancer relative to men. Billy gave an excellent insight into what he has been through and the medical services which aided his recovery. Whilst I am of a different ‘political persuasion’ to Billy, I admire his participation in the programme as it must be encouraging to other men coping with the illness to hear how well Billy is doing. I also want to pay a compliment to Josie and Billy with regard to the REHAB Co Kildare People of the Year Awards; they have been the most consistent FG supporters of the event over the past few years – haven’t noted too many other FG councillors there every year - and they attended in support of neighbour Anne Sully this year. Continued good health to you, Billy in 2009.

CONGRATULATIONS to Ian Furlong, Chapel Street on winning 1st Prize in the Irish Independent recently – a Digital Camera and printer coming Ian’s way….


GET WELL WISHES
The Bugle team are sorry to hear that Aggie Curry has recently been take ill – Aggie has been the main organiser of Ballymore’s annual trip to Lourdes for years so we hope that her fellow
Travellers will say a special prayer for Aggie’s well being.
To the Breener, who is laid low at present. Get well soon Sean, Leopardstown and other places are calling…

Not a patch on the gilroys, but…
Colette Hempenstall & Tim Ryan who celebrate twenty years of wedded bliss this month. Well done Colette from the (Junior) editor, don’t know how you have put up with me for so long….

GREETINGS ACROSS THE WATER
Best Wishes to young Timmy Gorman who recently travelled to Australia, no doubt to join up with buddies, Thomas O’Rourke and Darragh Meade. Lads, hope the beachball game and cool beers on Christmas Day won’t be too much for ye……..a far cry from the icy, foggy, weather conditions we are enduring here! Greetings also to Johnny Sammon, Claire Moylan – yer mammy’s back in The Panto – Brid Wilson and Willie Clarke, cousins Amanda Conway and Edel Byrne and many more young people from Ballymore Eustace .

Christmas greetings also to Jason, Naomi and Cormac McDonald and Harry White in Sydney, Oz from all your family and friends in Ballymore.

And to our many Bugle friends abroad – Finn and Gayle; Liam Evans and family; Brigid & Des Byrne, Liam Daly, Bill Ryan & co., Betty Morris, Eddie & Mai Whelan,The Govan family – a safe and happy Christmas to you all. Some of our foreign friends have even moved a bit nearer, to Steve & Debbie Stone, now residents of Cape Clear Island, now there’s posh.

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Juvenile Badminton Club
The organizers or the recent cake sale/ tea morning in aid of the local Juvenile Badminton Club wish to express their thanks to all who supported the event and raffle which raised €760 for the club. We wish all our members and their families a very Happy Christmas.

In a small box please with a seasonal graphic:
St Vincent de Paul Shop
Staff from St.Vincent de Paul shop on Church Street, Ballymore Eustace would like to thank all their customers throughout the year for their support and wish you a Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year.

In Reverse please:
The Late Micheal Murphy
A huge attendance turned out for the funeral service of the late Micheal Murphy of Whiteleas, a man held in high regard within farming, football and racing circles. A member of the famous ’53 Team – a Ballymore side who broke into GAA history when they won the Co Kildare Junior, Intermediate and Senior Championship titles in three consecutive years – Micheal later trained teams both for Hollywood and Ballymore Eustace GAA clubs.

The Murphy family’s contribution to GAA in Ballymore Eustace is incalculable with Micheal’s sons, daughters, nephews and grandchildren being major participants, as players, sponsors and club officials. Kevin Burke, one of the surviving members of the 1953 side made a poignant speech acclaiming Meahall and his fellow team members for the camaraderie and dedication they displayed.

As a member of the Cheviot Sheep Breeders’ Association, Micheal and his family have enjoyed major success winning several categories at agricultural shows down through the years with a prized trophy and rosette being presented as Offertery Gifts during his farewell service. Following Micheal’s own success in sheep breeding, he was invited to act as judge at agricultural shows held in Roundwood, Baltinglass/Aughrim, Borris, Blessington and Tullow.

An annual trip to Listowel Races was the highlight of the racing calendar for Micheal, who also attended Gowran, Punchestown and Naas Races.

Eileen and Micheal celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2006 joined by their children Gerard, Mary and Angela, Michael, Colette, Therese, Lisa and Alan along with grandchildren and the extended members of the Murphy family. Coming from a large family himself, Micheal is predeceased by several brothers and sisters; he is survived by sisters Teresa, Rita, Kitty and Maureen and brothers, John and Joe. Family member Aine O’Neill accompanied by Liam Lawlor sang at the funeral mass and as always, gave a beautiful performance.

There was a strong attendance from local members of the Fine Gael party with Bernard Durkan TD, Cllrs Billy Timmons and Billy Hillis present and also Sean Power, TD & Minister of State.

Micheal is a man who will be remembered for his passion in farming, GAA and racing, his hospitality to all who called to Whiteleas but most importantly, his pride in his family. We could not pay tribute to Meahall without recalling one other personality trait – his sense of humour and no better man to enjoy ‘a good slaggin’! I remember telling Micheal he was alright ‘for a Blue Shirt’ a few years back and he reciprocated with “Ah, you’re all right yourself for a Fianna Fail’r; shame about the rest of them…”

Having spent a short time in Beamount and St Luke’s Hospital, Micheal recuperated in Naas Hosptial for several weeks before returning home where he died peacefully surrounded by family and friends.

To his wife, Eileen and family, we extend our deepest sympathy – the late Micheal Murphy, may he rest in peace, amen

Squeaks.

Listening to a wildlife speaker on the radio the other day prompts me to relate a tale about our Squeaks and how for a short period became part of the family. The man was speaking about hedgehogs; their life styles and habitat. Squeaks came into our family as a deserted waif and took up residence as to the manor born.
Going down to the yard early one morning when all was quiet I became aware of a persistent squeak. Searching the various barns and outhouses I eventually tracked down the owner. A month or so earlier I had purchased at auction a second hand domestic bath with the idea of using it for an animal drinking trough. Like a lot of farm jobs it had become a ‘things to do some day job’ and was lying in the hayshed awaiting its final resting place. Approaching the hayshed the squeak became more focused and seemed to be coming from the bath. There he was going round and round the bottom of the bath unable to climb out and squeaking piteously, a baby hedgehog not more than three inches long. How he got in there and where mother was I shall never know, but I picked him up and headed for the house.
In typical hedgehog protective mode he curled up into a ball in my hand no bigger than a medium size apple. Placed on the kitchen table the family gathered round to admire and discus. After a moment or two he uncurled and started to yodel again; all agreed it was a hunger problem. A five cc syringe was filled with milk and introduced and he swept the lot in a blink. The five cc was traded up for a ten cc and that to got short shift. With tummy full he curled up in the middle of the table and went to sleep.
When a new pet arrives in a family it is usually a puppy or kitten and the logistics for such an arrival is a well known formula, but a hedgehog! I might add that at this stage there was no question of returning him to the wild in the hope that mother might turn up. The kids had taken a vote and it was a unanimous decision that he stay. To put a name on him was a piece of cake, what else could it be but Squeaks. He settled in like an ol’ timer and the sunroom became his temporary residence until plans were laid to arrange outdoor accommodation. His diet consisted of cat food with pieces of bread mixed in: he ate heartily. Two other in house animals, a cat and Jack Russell treated him with utter distain; those quills had a purpose! When not sleeping he would do a circle of the sunroom and if he bumped into someone’s foot he would hold up his head as if asking for a scratch. The only place you can scratch or pet a hedgehog is along his nose or between his ears.
The plan for outdoor accommodation was simple enough. A fireguard, originally designed for a grain drying furnace fitted the bill. It was 6x4 in area and a foot in depth. His sleeping quarters was a biscuit tin with some straw inside. His very first day in his new quarters was spent reorganising his sleeping arrangements by adding grass and leaves to the straw. When this was to his satisfaction he crawled inside, curled up, and completely disappeared in a bundle of grass, straw, and leaves.
That same summer we had a Japanese student with us called Yutaka. He was on a student exchange scheme and he and others were placed on farms and residences in the area. A bus picked him up every morning and returned him to us at ‘round 5pm. His routine was school in the mornings and the bus then took them sight seeing in the afternoons. On getting off the bus every afternoon his first question was; “Is Squeaks fed”? He was very disappointed if the answer was in the affirmative. I suppose coming from the heart of Tokyo even the domestic animals were a new experience for him, and to have a real live wild animal, albeit non dangerous, in his charge was something to tell the folks at home about! He saw to it that Squeaks was never short on grub.
The summer moved into autumn and it was time to release Squeaks. I placed two bricks under the cage at one end and we awaited results. He moved out right away, nevertheless his food dish was always emptied. Then one day the food remained untouched. Squeaks had chosen his natural environment. He had gone from us and all were a bit saddened by his departure. We had two more sightings of him. One night late I opened the back door and there he was in the middle of one of the dogs food dishes cleaning up the leftovers. He put up his head and I scratched between his ears and along his nose then he was gone. Some time later the Missus was heading to the clothes line and saw him crossing the lawn. She called out Squeaks, and he stopped immediately putting up his head for a scratch. We never saw him again.
The irony of this story is that at Christmas someone gave us a present of a book called “How to manage your Hedgehog” or like title. Any one of us could have written it!
A Very Happy Xmas and Bright New Year to All Readers. Yrs Jeffers.