KNOCKANURE COMMUNITY CENTRE: Rambling House: on Thursday 7th March at 9pm. Come alone and enjoy a great night of music, song and dance. Adm free. Refreshments served. Contact Ann at 086/3090948.
ACTIVE Retirement Day Knockanure on Monday 11th March. Music by Stevie Donegan. If interested contact, 068 49799.
CARE OF THE AGED AGM in the Marian Hall on Tuesday 26th February at 7.30pm. New members welcome.
PARISH RETREAT: An evening of prayer and reconciliation for our Parish will take place at Ardfert Retreat Centre on Wednesday 13th March commencing at 7.30pm. Anyone interested in going please contact any one of the following to book your place on the bus. Nodie 49352, Julia 49401 or Bridie 49103.
GAA Knockanure Lotto; There was no winner of the €3200 jackpot on Friday 22nd February.Numbers drawn were 15, 18, 19, and 30. Lucky dip winners of €25 were; 1. Tim McCrohan Knocknagoshel; 2. Pat Guerin, c/o Kevin’s; 3. Callum Buckley, Templeathea; 4. Neilus Clancy, Knockanure, and 5. Steven Shields, Carrigkerry. Next draw on Friday 1st March with jackpot up to €3300.
GROW COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH MOVEMENT IN IRELAND. Meet on Wednesday’s at 8pm in the Seanchaí Centre, Listowel. This programme is open to all and is free of charge. No introductions needed. Just come along. For more information, contact Jerry, 086 0271990.
FIRST FRIDAY & ST. PADRE PIO EVENING: Friday 1st in Listowel. Beginning with the Rosary at 6.45 p.m. Evening Mass at 7pm. followed by the Padre Pio prayers & Benediction.
WEST LIMERICK SINGING CLUB CONCERT: Saturday, March 9 at Fr. Casey’s Clubhouse at 8pm. Ella Marie O’Dywer, Nora Butler, Philip Enright, Daisy Kearney, Frances Kennedy, Kileedy Comhaltas, Templeglantine Junior Plearacha Group and many more.
LISTOWEL TOASTMASTERS: Gain confidence, meet new people and become a better public speaker. The next meeting of Listowel Toastmasters takes places at 8pm in the Listowel Arms Hotel on Thursday February 28th. All welcome!
LENT starting on March 6th (Ash Wednesday) A day of fast and abstinence.
HOLY Communion preparation Sunday March 3rd.
DEATH has occurred of Mary Hirth (née O’Sullivan) Surrey. Mary was daughter of the late Jim Joe O’Sullivan, Moyvane Village.
DEATH of Paudeen Moloney, Woodford, Listowel, suddenly on February 18th 2019.Survived by his wife Peggy, sons P.J and John, daughters Mary, Helen, Margaret and Marie, grandchildren, brothers Dan, Mossie and Jim, sisters Patsy, Sheila, Mag, Lena, Mary and Joan, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, and nieces.
DEATH has occurred of Phyllis O’Donoghue (nee Dunne) of Kilcolman, Asdee, and formerly of 11 William St., Listowel. Phyllis died on the 16th February 2019, wife of the late Paudie O’Donoghue and mother of Nuala and Hugh.
DEATH has taken place of Patrick J, Dowling, Navan Road (formerly Drumcondra, late of Crowe Wilson), on 13th February 2019, husband of 60 years to Kitty (Sullivan of Derry, Listowel) and father to Brian, Marie, Patrick, Roger and Austin. Sadly missed by his children, grandchildren Emmet, Cillian, Ross, Harry, Jack, Conor, Shane, Daniel, Alfie and Ernie, sons and daughters-in-law Katherine, Hugh, Collette, Carmen and Harun,
DEATH has occurred of Maud O’Connell (nee Ahern) Cork and late of Parkanna, Athea, sister of Betty Murphy, Gortnagross & Ted Ahern, Upper Athea and the late Tom Ahern.
ANNIVERSARIES: Breda Clifford, Bernadette O’Sullivan, Mary O’Connell, John Morgan, Michael Kevin O’Connor, Tom Barton, Michael O’Donnell, Joan Scanlon, Nora Hurley, Jerry Brosnan, Jack Flavin, John Behan, Nora Mary King, Moira Broderick, Teresa Foley, Noirin O’Hanlon, Nora Fleming, Louis O’Carroll, Mike Dore, Mass Moyvane; Mon 25th at 7.30pm for Richie Brosnan, Coilagurteen; Tues 26th at 7.30pm for Emmett Leahy, Carrueragh; Wed 27th at 7.30pm for Marie O’Callaghan, Glin Road & deceased of the O’Callaghan family; Fri 1st at 7.30pm for Richard & Dick Sheehan, Post Office; Sat 2nd at 7.30pm for Eamon Pelican, Moyvane North, and Mass on Sun 3rd at 11.00am for Paudie O’Connor, Upper Direen, (Months Mind)
Mass Knockanure on Thurs 28th at 7.30pm for Michael Flynn, and Mass on Sun 3rd at 10.00am for Bridie Flavin, Trien.
MASS Moyvane on Thurs 28th at 8.15pm Special Intention – Michael Beazley (note time)
FIRST FRIDAY CALLS to housebound in Duagh and Lyreacrompane on Thursday 28th February. On Thursday 7th March, Knockanure calls, while on Friday 8th March, Fr. Kevin will be on the Moyvane calls.
THE PARENTS ASSOCIATION OF MURHUR NS: would like to thank all the Parents, Staff and Children of Murhur NS for their ongoing help, support, time & also for the generous food donations for the recently held Grandparents Day & Murhur NS Open Day. A special thank you to Fr. Kevin McNamara for the welcoming sermon on the day. Many thanks.
ATHEA GAA Club’s next big event in the Devon Inn Hotel, Templeglantine on Saturday, March 2nd 2019 at 8pm. The Singers, Dancers and Chancers show is being produced by Cassie Leen who runs a School of Dance and Performing Arts in Tralee.
KILLARNEY Mountain Festival runs from 8th to 10th of March.
PRAYER Weekend at Rochestown Park Hotel on 9th and 10th March, details from 087 250 5528.
RIGHTS for Women to stand in Parliamentary elections, Exhibition at Limerick Council Office till end of March, many Kerry Women TD’s profile on view.
CONRADH NA GAEILGE/GAELIC LEAGUE; a branch has been re-established in Abbeyfeale. Members welcome. Further information Éamonn 086 3903244.
EVENINGS OF REFLECTION: This year during Lent the Unit of Parishes (Abbeyfeale, Athea, Tournafulla/Mountcollins, Templeglantine) have organised two evenings of reflection to be held in Templeglantine on Thursday, March 7 and Thursday, March 14. We are privileged to have a woman who has made a remarkable journey in terms of Geography and Faith. She started life in South Africa as a Reformed Presbyterian “with a Baptist mother” and lead by the providence of God, human curiosity and a deep desire to be faithful, she came to work and live in Ireland, and then, followed three of her family into the Catholic Church. Dr Jessie Rogers lectures in Scripture at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth.
KERRY DIOCESAN PILGRIMAGE TO FATIMA from 10th – 17th May. Led by Fr. Noel Spring Enquiries to Maureen Harty 066 7131328.
ARDFERT RETREAT CENTRE Christian Spiritual Development Course – The Beatitudes: Fr. Sean Sheehy, Wednesdays 7.00pm to 8.30pm.Life in the Spirit: Moss & Janice Carrig, Tuesdays, 7.30pm to 9.00pm. Parish Day Retreat: Sun. 3rd March, 10.00am-5.00pm: Glin, Sneem, Tarbert, Glenbeigh & Killorglin (also open to any individuals from any other parish who wish to attend). Call 0667134276.Summer Retreat: Fr. Philip Baxter, OFM Cap., Fri. 7th – Thurs.13th June – Book now.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY AT GLÓRACH: On Friday, March 8 we will be celebrating International Women’s Day at the Glórach Theatre with a concert from the group Cúisle, that comprises Susan Browne, Dan Sheahan, Catherine Horgan and Kevin McCarthy. A themed night, entitled ‘Iconic Songs, Iconic Women’, it will be a fantastic acoustic celebration of International Women’s Day with a wide ranging set of all time favourites such as Cyndi Lauper, Mary Black, The pCranberries, Barbra Streisand to name but a few. Tickets are going fast and can be booked at 0871383940.
WOMEN’S Day at Thomond Park on March 8th.
UNDERSTANDING YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH Is a one-day interactive workshop for those working or volunteering with young people. The workshop is designed to provide participants a deeper understanding of the factors that influence youth mental health. Examples will also provided of the signs of youth mental difficulties influencing safety Participants will also learn about help seeking patterns amongst young people. The programme is designed and run by Jigsaw. The programme runs at Listowel Family Resource Centre on March 21 from 9.30am-4.30pm. Contact 068 23584.
RAINBOWS OFFERS a 9 week listening, group support programme for children following a bereavement or parental separation. Children will be grouped together depending on their age and loss experience. Rainbows is suitable for children from age 7 years and in 1st class up to 6th class. Rainbows is not counselling or professional therapy. Start date: 20th March 2019 Venue: Listowel Family Resource Centre Time: 5.15pm – 6.15pm Contact: Toni Clarke – 068-23584 Limited Spaces Available.
TRAUMA , ADDICTION RECOVERY AND THE FAMILY – a one hour discussion with Ken Egan and Eileen Foley both Addiction Counsellors, in the Tarbert Community Centre on Saturday March 9th at 7pm. Everybody welcome. Refreshments before and after. This is part of the on-going Thomas Lyndon discussion series on Wellness and Wellbeing.
ST ITA’S FAITH CAMP: This year our camp takes place in St Mary’s Boys school from Monday, July 29 –Thursday, August 1. We will need volunteers -adults 18yrs +and also youths aged 14 –17 yrs. Info: -087-2788834.
ST. PATRICK’S DAY: Preparations are underway for this year’s St Patrick’s Day parade. meeting will be held in St Ita’s Hall, Abbeyfeale on Monday, March 4 at 7pm to discuss details of the parade. Everyone welcome.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2019: West Limerick Resources will host a ‘Free Home DIY & Basic Car Maintenance Demonstration’ on Thursday, March 7, at 7.30pm, in Feohanagh/Castlemahon Community Hall to celebrate International Women’s Day. On this evening we will bring women together, in a fun and interactive environment, giving them the chance to broaden their knowledge and feel confident when it comes to Home DIY & Car Maintenance. Free Raffle & Refreshments on the night. Booking essential by calling/texting Damien on 087 9042477 or Brenda on 087 7669952 or emailing damien.ahern or bheath
FREE HSE: Living with type 2 Diabetes? Let us help. Book a place on our FREE HSE Diabetes course (running once a week for 6 weeks for 2 ½ hours each week). The course is run by HSE Community Dietitians. Visit www.hse.ie/xpert or call 087 673 4035 to book a place on an upcoming course in Listowel. Courses also run in Tralee.
PILGRIMAGE: Medjugorje Irish Centre Pilgrimages April – Oct 2019: 7 nights B&B and Airport Shuttle service from Dubrovnik or Split for €279 per person sharing. Book any flight – any time and we provide guaranteed airport shuttle service. Call us for further info and book the dates that suit you. Tel. 01 4434510 or email reservations.
DUAGH Sports and Leisure Complex Committee will hold a novelty fund raising event on Fri. April 5th. This will entail the showing of the popular film Despicable Me 3 in the sports hall – but with a twist!
PADRE PIO DEVOTIONS Lixnaw, prayer meeting will take place on the Third Tuesday (March 19th) at 7.30pm. The witness will be given by Micky Harte of Tyrone.
MEDAL: Free Commemorative Medal to mark 100th anniversary of the start of the War of Independence. More from www.eireindependance.com/press
Communicare Healthcare; Message to Fr. Brendan and Fr. Tony from Maria Dixon of Communicare Healthcare on 12/2/2019. She is trying to recruit Care Assistants to provide essential homecare support to over 65’s in the Athea area. Flexible working hours with excellent rates of pay. Contact Marie.dixon 094-9259100.
POST OFFICE – An Post have introduced 2 new exciting products. First is the An Post Smart Account, open a smart account lodge €30 & An Post will lodge an additional €30 at the end of the month and secondly the Multi currency card, 10 different currencies are available on the one currency card which is useful when travelling between a few countries.
NORTH KERRY OLDER PERSONS MAINTENANCE SERVICE – are now taking requests for 2019. We provide a low cost maintenance and minor repair service specifically for senior members of the community of North Kerry. Freshen up the rooms of your home for the New Year with a new coat of paint. Prepare your home for the cold weather (i.e. powerwashing of footpaths and driveways). We also offer home cleaning and domestic support. For more information please call 068 -23429 or 087-3776724.
SEEKING GOD THE CISTERCIAN WAY: Cistercian nuns seek God and follow Christ in a life of prayer and work, solitude and simplicity, in a stable, loving community. Next vocations weekend 15th—17thMarch, St. Mary’s Abby, Glencairn. Contact Sr. Sarah at vocations.
TALKS for Lent: in St. John’s Parish Centre, Tralee on Tuesday 12th, 19th, 26thof March and Tuesday 2ndApril at 7.30pm. Each evening will be a time of exploration and reflection on the theme of finding ‘God in the Now’ Presented by Paul Montgomery All are welcome.
FR. TOM JONES: Kerryman North Edition, Thursday, February 03, 2005; Section: Tralee
Fr. Tom Jones — a man of steel from the heart of The Rock
I RECENTLY paid a very pleasant visit to Fr. Michael Galvin at his old homestead at Rock Street, Tralee, the seat of his parents, where he resides since he retired as Parish Priest of Ballybunion.
Fear Lách, Muinteardha a thug deoch dom as buidéal an tsagairt. A kind friendly man, who gave me a drink out of the Priest’s bottle. Discussing the famous Fr. Tom Jones was the most interesting part of our conversation that evening.
Fr. Tom Jones was born in 1862, in a public house in Rock Street, Tralee, known now as the Old Oak Public House, and he died in Glenbeigh in September 1950, aged 88 years.
He was buried in the Church grounds in Glenbeigh. He was about 5’8”, a man of steel, and fleet of foot. In his youth he was very fond of playing handball. When Fr. Jones was about 18 years of age, a man named Delaney of Athy, Co Kildare, was the World Single Handball Champion.
In 1880, a large crowd of Tralee people travelled by train to Athy, to watch Tom Jones play Delaney in Athy. Jones won that day. It had to be the best of 21 games between the two of them.
Some of the games were played in Athy, and others in Tralee. The Tralee ball alley, in those far off days, was in a yard at the end of the Gas Terrace dwelling houses, Fr. Michael Galvin informed me, and that a man named Thade Duggan was the “marker”.
The final game was played in Tralee, and on that famous day, Tom Jones became the World Single Handball Champion .
In 1880 Tom Jones went to Maynooth at the age of 18. When he was ordained there was no vacancy for him in the Kerry Diocese. He went to the diocese of Rockhampton in Brisbane, Australia. He served in three parishes in that diocese, before returning to Ireland.
I went to Glenbeigh in 1935, and I was there for 14 years. Fr. Jones was then in Glenbeigh. He told me many an interesting story about his time in Australia. He said “my parish was as big as half of the county of Kerry, sparsely populated consisting of a lot of scrub land”.
He travelled on horseback. One day as he was travelling through his parish, a young hardy man jumped out of the scrub. He caught a grip of the bridle and shouted to Fr. Jones that he was taking the horse.
Fr. Jones held on to his bridle and said to the young man, “you will take my horse off me if you are a better man than me” and he told me “by the time I was finished with him, there wasn’t much life left in him”.
I spent many happy late evenings at the presbytery with Fr. Jones. He could play so many musical instruments from the pipes to the mouth organ. All I could play was the mouth organ. After a long session of playing some of his musical instruments, he would convey me out to the road. The avenue was almost covered in briars, bushes and ivy not so today. He would pick an ivy leaf off an ivy bush, place in between his Clair Fhiacala, his front teeth and play lovely music for me, as a parting shot.
Once when on his way home on holidays from Australia, and having handed up his luggage, at Holyhead, he placed his hankerchief on the verge of the quay, moved back a good few paces and with a running jump as the boat was just pulling out, he succeeded in catching on to the gunwale, and pulling himself into the boat. “Ah, Pat” said Fr. Jones, “the captain ate the head off me, but we both became the best of friends after that mad leap.
Fr. Jones was parish priest of Ballyferriter from 1909 to 1916. During a severe storm in one of those years, a Norwegian boat took shelter in Smerwick Harbour. The boat pulled its anchor and the crew abandoned ship. They reached the rocks at a sheer cliff at Ard Na Caithne.
People witnessed the tragedy but the poor people were helpless. The coastguards were stationed at Ballydavid, at the other side of the harbour. A wise man at the scene suggested sending for Fr. Jones.
One of the men saddled his horse and galloped to the presbytery. He gave the horse to Fr. Jones. When Fr. Jones arrived at the cliff top, he instructed that a rope be fastened around his body and down he went.
He brought up the crew one by one even though his hands and legs were all cut and bleeding. The King of Norway gave him a beautiful silver cup inscribed, to Pastor Jones in recognition of his bravery.
Fr. Jones told me he had a sister, a nun who died at a comparatively young age. When he came home from the funeral, he naturally felt very lonely. “Pat” said he “I took down the violin and said to myself, Mary, a ghrá, I sincerely hope that you are in Heaven this evening, where there is supposed to be music and I will now play a few of your favourite airs.”
Fr. Jones used to go on holidays to Dublin, and he always brought his pipes with him. He knew that he would be meeting Leo Rosen and Kevin Potts, two famous pipe players, and the three of them would have some fine sessions of music. It would indeed be lovely to hear some of that music today.
Fr. Jones was a very holy man, who had great devotion to the blessed virgin. Though having moved from Ballyferriter to Glenbeigh, he was still receiving offerings for masses from mothers and wives of fishermen in West Kerry.
My father got cancer at the age of 49, and towards the end the poor man used to get weaknesses. A fisherman’s mother advised him to visit Fr. Jones. He did. Fr. Jones prayed over him. He got no more weaknesses, but Fr. Jones could not cure the cancer, which by then had a firm grip.
Fr Jones, who lived a very frugal life, left his money to the Kiltegan fathers, the Dalgan fathers, and to the SMA. Guidim ceolta binn na bhflaitheas dá anam.
Mise, Pádraig Caomhánach, Páirc Naomh Bhréannain, TráLí.
RETIRED Garda Pat Kavanagh of St Brendan’s Park reached the grand old age of 90 last weekend. Ballydavid-born Pat’s first posting as a young Garda was to Glenbeigh and after 14 years there he came to live in Tralee. He recently penned these words about Fr. Tom Jones, a Tralee man who was a world champion handballer back in 1880.
ST. JOHNS THEATRE & ARTS CENTRE
MARCH PROGRAMME OF EVENTS 2019
Fri 1st
DON STIFFE IN CONCERT
The renowned Galway folk singer makes his annual visit to Kerry – with Frank Kilkelly.
4th – 31st
LIGHT REFLECTIONS
Ruth Egan – the Dublin based artist presents a series of paintings done on recycled print plates. The series takes the concept of recycled art a step further since tools used to make art are turned into antiques themselves.
Tues 5th
COLD WAR – Film Club
A new film by Pawel Pawlikowski which follows the passionate romance between musician Wiktor and a beautiful young woman Zula who meet in post-war Poland. In association with Access Cinema.
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