PROLOGUE: “Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”
John Lubbock
ANNUAL FAITH CAMP: This is the 8th annual Faith Camp in Abbeyfeale and Martina has been in touch to say ‘Our faith camp has been cancelled this year due to the Covid 19 restrictions but we have gone online instead. Our online name is Campa Mhuire Mhathair. It’s a free online Catholic Faith Camp for children aged 5-12 and will be held from Monday, July 27 to Thursday, July 30. We will have many experienced young leaders guiding our activities, including Art, Drama, Music, Sport and Baking and our new “Into the Deep” sessions on Bible Stories, live streamed morning prayer at 10am, Mass at 12 noon,. Bonus sacramental preparation material daily for First Communion and Confirmation children. ‘ Check out www. holyfamilymission.ie/summercamp.
ABBEYFEALE COMMUNITY ALERT: AGM will take place at the Garda Station at 8pm on Thursday, July 23. New members welcome.
HELP FOR YOUTHS: Our Jigsaw support line is now up and running on freefone 1800 JIGSAW (544 729). It will provide free mental health support and advice to young people aged 12 to 25 years old, and parents or concerned adults who live in the Republic of Ireland.
STEWARDS NEEDED: P.P. Fr. Tony has put out an urgent appeal for extra stewards to allow all Masses to be celebrated with a congregation from next weekend.
SCAM PHONECALLS: We got one ourselves and despite the fact that I’m always reporting on them I still got a fright to be told that €1400 had been taken off our card and they need my details to rectify the card. Drop the phone is the best advice I can offer.
WEST LIMERICK COMMUNITY RADIO: WL102fm has provided a great service throughout West Limerick since the lockdown began with Mass being broadcast every Sunday, loads of country and western music, (all genres of music but you see where my heart lies!), a daily rosary and local news from the county as well as current affairs and documentaries. By the terms of the licence that they get to broadcast, they must raise a share of their running costs in the community that they serve and over the years volunteers have organised concerts, car boot sales, tea dances and sold raffle tickets as well as organising a yearly church gate collection at all the local churches. That all came to a halt on March 14 last and they are now hoping to restart the weekly draw in order to get an income stream going again. Tickets are on sale all over the West Limerick area and in Abbeyfeale at Ann Lyons’s, The Square for €2 each and the first draw will be on Friday, July 17. Please be generous in your support.
CARS AND VANS ACTING SUSPICIOUSLY: Dogs being stolen – be careful. Several reports locally of men calling to houses looking to buy dogs. Don’t leave them out unless they are accompanied.
OPENING OF PARISH CHURCH: We are obliged to adhere to the two-meter social distancing rule. Parishioners need to be aware that the obligation to attend Sunday Mass remains suspended. The practice before the lockdown of parishioners attending Mass on a Saturday evening or Sunday Morning is not practical or safe in this circumstance. We are suggesting that some people come to Mass during the weekdays. Some parishioners like to attend Mass daily. We are asking these parishioners to attend just once a week for the time being. If you come to Mass and discover that when you arrive that the maximum number of people is already in the church, parishioners will be able to hear Mass in the car park through the outside loudspeaker system which is at the Grotto side of the church. Holy Communion will be distributed at the Grotto. Again the 2-metre social distancing must be strictly adhered to while attending Mass in the church car park. To maintain safety and prevent the spread of the virus, the church will be cleaned after each Mass. In line with HSE guidelines, Parishioners are encouraged to wear face coverings while in a confined area. This is the responsibility of each individual. Attending Mass will see significant changes and we ask you to follow the instructions below. There will be only one entry point to the church that is the main door at the front of the Church. When you are entering the church, remember to maintain the two-meter social distance. Stewards will direct you to the hand sanitizing stations and then to your seats. The seats will be clearly marked. In line with social distancing the seats will accommodate three individual people and family members may sit together. When families attend together, they will be allocated one seat to themselves. We ask you to cooperate with the stewards. At Communion time, stewards will direct you to Holy Communion and at the end of Mass we are asking people to exit the church gradually and safely. Do not come to Mass if you have a cough or feel you could have a temperature. We will continue to broadcast our Masses online.
FARMERS’ MARKET REOPENS: The weekly market has returned to the small square from 9-1pm every Friday. We thank you for your continued support.
FACE MASKS: Kathleen Quinn has made face masks which were donated to local nursing homes. She has a selection available for sale so contact her on 087 2802704. There are also masks available from Peg Grady at Batt’s and Maureen Hickey of Pins and Needles.
WEST LIMERICK RESOURCES: The Offices of West Limerick Resources remain closed to the public but all staff are available to contact. Please ring 069 62222 with any queries and you will be directed to the appropriate staff member.
RETURNING TO WORK TRAINING PROGRAMME: Prepare for the post Covid19 workplace with this FREE 3 part certified programme covering Infection Controls, PPE: Correct use and disposal, and Manual Handling.
11am to 1pm July 28th, 29th & 30th in NCW. Pre-registration essential as places strictly limited due to social distancing. Priority given to those in receipt of a Jobseekers payment. Contact Finn 087 759 1951, Eddie 087 653 5156 or email [email protected]
WEST LIMERICK RESOURCES: The Offices of West Limerick Resources remain closed to the public but all staff are available to contact. Please ring 069 62222 with any queries and you will be directed to the appropriate staff member.
RETURNING TO WORK TRAINING PROGRAMME: Prepare for the post Covid19 workplace with this FREE 3 part certified programme covering Infection Controls, PPE: Correct use and disposal, and Manual Handling.
11am to 1pm July 28th, 29th & 30th in NCW. Pre-registration essential as places strictly limited due to social distancing. Priority given to those in receipt of a Jobseekers payment. Contact Finn 087 759 1951, Eddie 087 653 5156 or email [email protected]
SICAP RURAL EMPLOYMENT SERVICE (RES) / YOUTH EMPLOYMENT SERVICE (YES): If you need support job seeking and feel that you are a little lost in deciding what you want to do, then you should contact the RES / YES which offers 1:1 support and career planning around education, training and employment opportunities. To find out more contact Finn on 087 759 1951 or email [email protected] or Eddie on 087 653 5156 or email [email protected] or Dee on 087 918 5557 or email [email protected] or Adrienne on 087 277 3294 or email [email protected]. Check out the RES Facebook page for the latest in employment and training opportunities in County Limerick & beyond www.facebook.com/RES-144618922850869/
SICAP SELF EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTS: If you are considering Self Employment and would like to know more about the process involved you should contact our Enterprise Support Officer Brenda Heath 087 766 9952 or email [email protected]
SICAP EMPLOYER SUPPORTS: If you have potential job opportunities and would like to find out more about our supports and services or you would like to advertise for FREE in our weekly newsletter please contact Dee, on 087 918 5557 or email [email protected]. We would love to hear from you. Further information on all our activities and projects is available on www.wlr.ie or check out our Facebook page: www.wlr.ie/facebook
FURTHER EDUCATION: Even in these difficult times it is good to make positive plans for the future. If you hope/intend on going to college in September 2020 WLR can support you with your SUSI Grant Application Form. Leaving Cert Students, Mature Students and Parents are welcome to contact Adrienne on 087 277 3294 or email [email protected] for advice and guidance. The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) 2018-2022 is funded by the Irish Government through the Department of Rural and Community Development and co-funded by the European Social Fund under the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020
SOCIAL FARMING: Social Farming is the practice of offering activity on family farms as a form of Social Support service. In Social Farming the farm remains a working farm at its core but invites people to participate in the day to day activities on the farm. Interested farmers & farm families who would like to hear more about Social Farming please contact James, at West Limerick Resources CLG, on 087 366 3842 or email him [email protected]
ABBEYFEALE COMMUNITY ALERT: Funds received from participants when we set up the Text Alert system some years ago have now run out so if you are still interested in receiving text alerts then we’d appreciate a further contribution of €10 payable to whoever you joined with originally. Our AGM will be held at Abbeyfeale Garda Station on Thursday at 8pm. If you don’t know your Eircode ring 0818 300005 and key in 4 on the menu and a real human will talk to you and look up your code ( I was looking for an eircode for an address and couldn’t figure out how to get it and so I rang that number and did all of the above and a very nice man sorted me out so I am speaking from experience). It’s the most important part of your address because if you have to have an ambulance come for you or yours and you give them your Eircode they can travel straight to your home without having to be getting directions from people they meet on the road thus saving a pile of time. If you are the victim of domestic abuse the Gardai ‘have a pro – arrest policy where a power of arrest exists to protect spouses or partners and your family’.
When you reach the age of 65 and live alone or with a person/s aged over 65 you are entitled to receive a monitored alarm system. But if you have younger people living in the house who are out for long periods of the day then, because you are spending hours alone you are also entitled to the system provided that you are over 65. The free equipment is provided by Pobal following an application from Abbeyfeale Community Alert, there will be a monitoring fee to be paid from the second year of installation to the installing company of €72. There may be some confusion over the word free - the equipment which costs in the region of €400 is provided free of charge by Pobal as is the first year of monitoring but after that you will be charged by the installing company for the monitoring. If you fulfil the criteria for a panic button the installing company will drop the gear to your door and then let you set up the connection yourself with assistance over the phone from their staff. I have been assured that it’s only a matter of connecting a cable and anyone can do it. I have not included the phone numbers of the committee in this notice but if you want to get a panic button then ring Abbeyfeale Garda Station on 068 30010 and they will contact one of us. Should you not have a landline the installing company Task provide a sim card at a rate of €7.50 per month payable from day one. Then, in year two you will also receive a bill for the monitoring fee so in year one the bill will be €90 and in year two and every other year after it will €162 approx. If you wish you can arrange a direct debit and pay this amount off monthly. We recently received a query about the application of VAT to the monitoring charge and our trusty assistant secretary made a call to the installation company to be told that the bill you receive from year 2 shows a breakdown of the charges which includes VAT but it is not an extra cost. Committee members are Michael O’Kelly N.T., Seamus Stack, Mossie Gleeson, Kathleen Collins, Mary McArthur, John O’Sullivan, Billy Quirke N.T., Cllr. Francis Foley, Catherine Daly, Maurice O’Connell, Marian Harnett.
HELPLINES: Men suffering domestic abuse operates 36 hours a week on 1800816588. Men’s Aid (Amen) 01 5543811 Monday – Friday 9-5pm. 24 hour helplines for women suffering domestic abuse 1800 341900 or Adapt 1800 200504. Limerick Social Services: 061-314111. AA 061/311222 Al-Anon 086/8143425. Parent Support worker 068/31019. Accord NCW 069/61000. BEREAVEMENT SERVICE: A new national freephone bereavement support line has been launched by the Irish Hospice Foundation in conjunction with the HSE to assist staff and the public during the Pandemic.. The national freephone service, 1800 80 70 77 is available Monday to Friday from 10am to 1pm. Samaritans Freephone 116123 or text 087/2609090 or email [email protected] Aware (Depression & Anxiety) 1980 303 302 National Suicide Helpline (Pieta House) 1800 247 247 Irish Advocacy Network (Peer advocacy in mental health) 01 872 8684 Pieta House (Suicide & self-harm) 01 623 5606 IACP (Counselling & Psychotherapy) 01 230 3536 Shine: (Supporting people affected by mental ill health) 01 860 1620 061 – 412111 or Free phone 1850609090 A.A. 061-311222. ACCORD; are now offering over the phone counselling for couples, Individuals & family members during this time of unprecedented stress & pressure during these weeks of COVID-19. Call: 01 5313331.
Al-Anon 086-8143425 Bereavement Support: 068 / 31203 068/ 31262 068/51984 St Vincent De Paul Tel 087/1213560 . Counselling Appointment 061/314213. ALONE; has launched a national support line and additional supports for older people who have concerns or are facing difficulties relating to the outbreak of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Professional staff are available to answer queries and give advice and reassurance where necessary. The support line is open Monday to Friday, 8am-8pm, by calling 0818 222 024. Hours may be extended to meet the demand.
CHURCH SERVICES: Mass is being celebrated every day in the Church of the Assumption and broadcast on churchservices.tv . RTÉ will air Mass every weekday at 10.30am on RTÉ News Now. West Limerick 102fm will broadcast Mass on Sunday morning from Abbeyfeale at 10am. Radio Kerry will also broadcast Mass on Sunday mornings at 10am.. On Sunday mornings RTE 1 broadcast either Mass or Christian worship prayer at 11am . If you have Sky or one of the other TV packages, check out EWTN Catholic religious station for broadcast Masses and prayers. On the RTE Saorview channels, if you keep moving up through the tv channels you get to the radio channels coming through the TV, and on them there is Saroview channel 210 that broadcasts Radio Maria Ireland – a lovely station of Mass, Rosary, prayers and conversations on religious topics.
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