Thursday, May 6, 2010

Bits ‘N Bobs with Rose

Lotta Luck for Ballymore Winners!
Congratulations to Noeleen O’Connor who won the Bingo Jackpot in Ballymore recently and to Martin Deegan, who had a major win - €3,800 – in the Kilcullen GAA weekly lotto. Well done, Martin – and to Bobby Walker, who sold the winning ticket.


A Mighty Woman
Mother’s Day fell last Sunday and for me, it was a sad day, what with the recent death of my mother in law, Frances. My mother, Ivy, died almost four years younger than I am now – Peter was only 11 years old, Laura 13 and David, aged 18. Over the years, we looked to Auntie May in Galway as the substitute mother figure and to Nannie Frances on the ‘other side’.

Despite separating from her son, Paul, Nannie maintained a close and affectionate relationship with me over the years, as she did with all her sons and daughters in law. She was a marvellous character; big hearted to a fault but bright as a button with it. Everything interested her – politics, current news, celebrity gossip – she followed everything on the radio and television. As for sports, snooker and tennis especially, she became an addict. Many years ago, she found a little white owl with a broken wing and took it to a vet in Naas, hoping to save the injured bird. The surgeon said there was nothing could be done, the little bird required an amputation urgently but would survive on one wing if kept indoors and fed.

Living in a granny flat next to her son Billy’s house, that didn’t bother Nannie; so home Snowy came, minus a wing and the O’Donoghue sons where charged with killing small animals such as mice and rabbits and freezing their inner organs for Nannie’s latest best friend. And best friends they became, much to the disgust of Bingo, her cockatiel who was not impressed and the pair had an on-off-on again friendship over their lifetime!

It was hilarious to see Snowy perched on the back of Nannie’s sofa, watching TV intently. Current affairs didn’t grab her, neither did the soaps but sports, Snowy loved sports – football yes, but snooker was ‘her thing’! She’d scuttle up near the screen and watch the break of balls, and then her neck would do that weird flick rotation thing that owls do, as she followed the path of a particular ball. When the competitors would take a break, Snowy would head back down the sofa again (to tease Bingo) before the game resumed. Hilarious!

We will miss Nannie so much – she was a great story-teller and a devil to put a good spin on a yarn; all her grandchildren were familiar with her buddies and activities in Crooksling where she was ‘Director of Operations’. In delivering her eulogy, one of her sons noted that her late husband, Willie, had warned her that smoking would kill her; Willie was a pioneer, a fit man who dropped dead 26 years prior to Frances, who continued to heap sugar into tea, smoked like a trooper and had the occasional whiskey or sherry. As Patsy said “Just as well my father was a farmer, not a doctor…”

Sadly, her latest cockatiel, Sooty, predeceased his owner by 24 hours – and the grandchildren maintained that, as Nannie had been in hospital for 3-4 weeks prior to her death, the bird died from sudden nicotine withdrawal… God bless you, Nannie Frances, you were the liveliest ‘bird’ I knew. X

More Mighty Women
And, speaking of mighty women, I popped into the post office the other day and bumped into Eileen Conway, Eithne Daly, Bridget Clarke, Eileen Gordon, Maggie Dowling, Evie Horan and Eileen Murphy. Later that day, I called into Rita O’Rourke and had a good chat that evening with Barbara O’Neill. Visiting Barbara was Bernie Clarke of Hollywood. Now I know some of the afore mentioned ladies may ‘only’ be in their seventies but my God, they put me to shame with their energy. What vitamins are they on? I’m pushing fifty and I haven’t half their vitality! Bernie Clarke looks like a Spring lamb, hard to believe she has children my age and older.

And I’m not forgetting you, Nellie Carroll – Nellie had us all in stitches recently in Langan Butchers, she is pure dynamite.

Confessions Online?
I took a week’s work experience with The Right Hook programme recently and was amused to be researching a new pay telephone line service, “Confessions Online”, a service for French Catholics to confess their sins over the phone... Whatever next!

The service works like most of those (irritating) automated answering services:
“For advice on confessing, press 1. To confess, press 2. To listen to some confessions, press 3,' says a soothing male voice, welcoming the caller to 'Le Fil du Seigneur', or 'The Line of the Lord' service”.
'In case of serious or mortal sins, the service advises you that you must confide in a priest - and all for the excellent value of 35 cent minute! There you are, no panic at all, go out and set fire to your neighbour’s house, have an affair, rob your local bank and then call 'The Line of the Lord' and you can relieve yourself of all guilt. What’s the phone number? Find it yourself!
Devout churchgoers will be delighted to note that it is not approved in any way by the Catholic Church in France. It wouldn’t get past Kathleen Lawlor in Ballymore anyway.


CLUB NOTES & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Ballymore Eustace History SocietyThe committee would like to thank the co-editors of The Bugle and members of the CDA for the wonderful night of the Ballymore Awards. We were delighted to be joint winners with the Juvenile GAA. It gives us great heart to know that our work is appreciated by the members of the Community. Again, thank you very much for "The Person of the Year Award" – The History Society.

Irish Cancer Society Daffodil Day
A date for your diary - there will be a coffee morning held on Daffodil Day, Friday 26th March in The Thatch, Ballymore. A very enjoyable morning is guaranteed and all support would be appreciated.
Russborough House
Russborough will reopen for guided tours on Sunday next, 14 March 2010 and subsequently, every Sunday and bank holiday in March/April 2010, and every day from 1st May to 30th September inclusive. See www.russborough.ie for additional information.


Mother and Toddler Group
All are welcome to join in the fun and chat at the Ballymore Eustace Parent and Toddler Group. We meet Tuesday mornings from 10.30am to 12 noon at the Village Resourse Centre. However every first Tuesday of the month the group meet up instead at the Fun Factory in the M7 Business Park. For further information please contact Una Bagge on 085 7581600.

Fifth String at St John’s
“Fifth String”, a collaboration of five fine musicians - harpist, Mary Keenan; Jeanette Bean on the flute; violinist Lisa Dowling; Paul Flood on guitar and vocals, with singer, Angela O’Toole – will perform at St John’s Church on 16th April @ 8pm.

The concert in April is being organised in aid of St John’s and Breast Cancer Research; tickets are €20 each – with complimentary wine served on the night. As St John’s is relatively small, please book your seats early - contact Janet on 087 629 0278 or Hilary on 087 650 7195 to order tickets. If you’d like to hear excerpts from the group’s debut CD “Secret Chords”, check out www.myspace.com/fifth5string

Leinster Leader Local Notes
For inclusion in the local notes section of the Leinster Leader newspaper, please forward any club notes, fundraising events or local news
Alternatively, drop the note into Rose’s home letterbox; all notes must be received by 6pm on Sundays to secure inclusion.

SHOP LOCAL - SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TRADERSYour local business community gives local employment
and supports local clubs and intiativesBut they, in turn, need your continued support to survive.
Let's keep them in business....
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CLUB NOTES & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Church of Immaculate Conception Restoration Committee
Thanks to all who supported the Christmas Fair, especially those who helped out on the day or supported in any way.

Christmas Hamper Winners:
Eileen Murphy, Amy Horan, Monsignor J Wilson, Mary Browne, Mary Murphy, Donna Barrett and Claire Doyle.

The Village Calendar in aid of church roof, stairs and safety glass in the gallery was also a great success.

A sincere thanks to all the sponsors, to our local shops and parish office for sales, not forgetting parishioners for their generosity in purchasing! A total profit of €,6500 was raised from the above and put towards outstanding restoration loan.

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Scoil Chaoimhín Naofa, Hollywood
Seachtain na Gaeilge was in full swing last week at Scoil Chaoimhin Naofa in Hollywood.
Mass was celebrated on Thursday, with the school choir singing all the hymns in Irish.
The Ceolchoirm (Concert) was held on Monday and, as the children are singing "Ireland's Call" in Irish, Phil Coulter will be a guest as he has never heard his song translated to Irish before. The Armagh Rhymers performed on Tuesday, followed by the Céilí Mór and closing of the Seachtaine.

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SHOP LOCAL - SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TRADERSYour local business community gives local employment
and supports local clubs and intiativesBut they, in turn, need your continued support to survive.
Let's keep them in business....
__________________________________________________________________

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