Parish Notes

Birthday Greetings: Happy Birthday to Aidan Meade, Owen O’Connell, Sarah Kenny O’Kelly, James Houlihan and Colin Kenny wishing them all a very happy birthday. 

Church News

Readers/Eucharistic Ministers: A list of Mass Readers and Ministers of the Eucharist are on the notice boards of each church for the months of July and August.

Mass Intentions: A list of the Weekend Mass Intentions for the months of August and September are also on the notice boards. If you have a Mass booked please check the lists.

Parish Clerks Collection: The Parish Clerks of both Churches would like to thank everyone for their kind donations last weekend Pat Hayes is our long serving clerk in Dromin Church and Karen Fox has just completed her first five months in Athlacca church. They are both very dedicated to their role and parishioners appreciate the time and commitment that they give to their work. If you forgot the collection and wish to add your envelope to the collection you will find a purple coloured envelop in the parish box of envelopes and you can hand it up next Sunday at Mass.

Garden Fete: The Parish garden Fete will take place this Sunday 3rd of August. The gates will open at 12noon. As well as all the usual raffles, there will be games and attractions for children of all ages. Once again the Athlacca Zoo will be open and there are lots of recyclable treasures to be had in the stalls. Why not try your luck at the Wheel of Fortune or pick up a bargain at the book stall. Kathleen will have her barbecue on the go, and there will be many home made goodies to be purchased at the Cake stall. The organising committee are hoping for a big turn out from the local community. All proceeds from the fete will go towards the Dromin Church Building Fund. It’s the first time that the fete will be held on the bank holiday weekend. Make sure to encourage any visitors to the parish to come along and support the event. It is always a great social occasion for the parish. The fete will begin at 12noon sharp.

Security: We advise that while you are attending Mass on Sundays or weekdays not to leave any valuables exposed in your car. In a neighbouring parish a number of cars have been broken into while people were in the church. Always be security conscious and never leave handbags or other valuables on the seats of your car.

Lough Derg Pilgrimage: Daily boats to the Island from 10.30am until 3:00pm 7 days a week until 13th August. No booking necessary. For further information contact Maureen or Sharon 071 9861518 email:  info@loughderg.org Contact Karen at 021 – 4509090 for information regarding a pilgrimage on the 9th – 11th August.

Weekly Envelopes: Thanks to all parishioners who are using the weekly envelopes. If you did not receive a box of envelopes or would like your own individual box, contact Fr Tony.

Diocese on Facebook: To log into the page go to www.facebook.com/dioceseoflimerick

Results of 45 Drive in Athlacca 25th July

Winners with 10 games - Tim Fennessey & Noel Crowley

Second with 9 games - D.J. Ryan & Denis Walsh

Table Prizes - Michael O'Regan & Partner, Pat Condon & Mike Greene,  Paddy Quinlan & Eileen Mansell, John Morey & Willie O'Rourke

Raffle - €50 Ruth Fox,  €30 Liam Riordan,  €20 Frankie Minogue,  €10 each to Nancy Riordan x 2, Ruth Fox, Noreen Hayes, Jack Aherne

We will be having our monthly €10 game this Friday 1st August - everyone welcome. We give out what we take in on the tables.

Hall Insurance

We have had a few requests for use of the hall for birthday parties.  Upon checking with our Insurance Agent we have discovered we do not have insurance for these.  When cover is up for renewal we will inquire from other companies to see if this option is there. We will advise you of the results.

GAA Lotto Results

NO WINNER, Numbers-3-7-13-19

Lucky Dips

€40 – Denis Carroll

€20 – Lee Moynihan, c/o Colin

€20 – Paul Neenan

Next weeks Jackpot is €9,300

Club Polo shirt selling at €20 for adult sizes and €15 for kids sizes.

Results: Junior B. Dromin/Athlacca 17 Points, Knockainey 8 Points.

Saturday evening the Junior B’s travelled to Hospital to play Knockainey. Knowing this would be a physical game after the encounter we had against them in the League.

The Game started with a point by Knockainey. So this was going to be no easy game.  The Dromin/Athlacca men settling into the game showed Richard Ryan scoring free, after free, after free.

The Knockainey men were struggling to get around the Dromin/Athlacca defence and pressure from James Kelly and Kieran Shortt were really putting Knockainey off their game. Knockainey winning the ball again making the Dromin/Athlacca defence work and Garry Costello robs the ball and pulls off a stylish flick of the ball over his marker and clearing the ball into the forwards.

The half time whistle blew with a score of, Dromin/Athlacca 8 points, Knockainey 6 points.

The second half started with Kevin McManus winning a free for the Dromin/Athlacca side, with Richard Ryan easily putting the ball over the bar. The first Substitution was Gavin Neenan gone for Michael Walsh. Followed shortly by Trevor Sherin gone in for Gary Costello, and Peter Lynch gone in for Peter McMahon. These fresh legs were sure to make a difference in the game. Joe Power pulled of a skilful rob of the ball with an off load to Gavin Neenan who slotted the ball over the bar.

Knockainey getting a point saw the end to this game.

A great victory for the Dromin/Athlacca Junior B’s.

Fixtures

Intermediate Premier. Challenge game against Ballyduff in Athlacca on Sunday at 7pm.

Scrap Metal Collection: Dromin/Athlacca are having a Scrap Metal Collection again. For more information contact Mike Geaney 0876494841

Good News on the NCT: Recently while on my way to town I heard on the news that they were changing the NCT set up and like everyone else I thought now what is this going to cost, I like several people thought that they were going to be putting up the price further.  But indeed I was wrong.  The following piece was got from the Irish Independent Newspaper.

Motorists will now be able to get their car tested any time before their normal NCT date under new measures to be announced today. Up to this they could test 90 days prior to the due date. But from today, they can pick their own time in advance. The new arrangements could give respite to owners of cars approaching the 10-year-old mark. If they test their cars more than 90 days before the due NCT date they will get a two-year certificate. If they don't, they will get one year as cars over 10 years old have to be tested annually.

For the first time too, owners will get the mileage of their car – and up to three previous recordings – printed on their NCT certificate. This is part of an attempt to thwart the practice of 'clocking' where mileage is turned back by unscrupulous sellers to enhance the value of the car. Owners will have to verify that the mileage shown at the time of their test is correct.

And those from the motor trade who book a test at short notice will now have to show their driving licence or a Trade Management System fob at the NCT centre. The NCT say this is designed to bring greater transparency to transactions.

The greater flexibility on testing times should also help anyone wishing to buy or sell a car because the vehicle's road worthiness will be right up to date.

Road Safety Authority chief executive Moyagh Murdock said printing mileage on the certificate will help to "combat fraudulent activity by unscrupulous sellers and make things easier for those in the second-hand car trade".

It is expected that the voluntary early testing will help change the pattern of NCT inspections throughout the year by reducing demand at busier times.

Around 50pc of the vehicle fleet is due an NCT in the first three months of the year – because most new cars have traditionally been bought in that period – and that puts pressure on the service.

Of the cars tested in the first six months of this year, 369,724 (49pc) passed with 381,822 failing; a further 2,646 were found to be dangerously defective.

Cancelling a test will cost €22 (€11.50 for a re-test) unless owners give at least five clear working days notice. The charge will be levied when the car is eventually tested.

The test costs €55. A re-test costs €28 if NCT equipment has to be used. It is free if it only requires a visual inspection.

Owners can check their test due date on the NCTS website (www.ncts.ie) by entering their car's registration.

Birds of a feather and all that….

Last week we had a little bit about Swallows, this week we are going to have a bit about the decline in some of our native Amphibian (Toads, Frogs and Newt’s). I am sure many of you have noticed that there is an increase in the fly population well this is down to the decline in our Amphibian population. Amphibian are some of our greatest friends and yet we seem to detest the very sight of them..

There are three species of amphibian found in Ireland – the Natterjack Toad (Bufo calamita), the Smooth Newt (Triturus vulgaris) and the Common Frog (Rana temporaria). The Natterjack toad is extremely rare, and is confined to a few areas in Counties Kerry and Wexford. The smooth Newt is fairly widespread in Ireland, although it may be very local in distribution in the north-west and south-west. The Common Frog (Rana temporaria) is the only species of frog found in Ireland and is listed as an internationally important species. Frogs are protected under the European Union Habitats Directive and by the Irish Wildlife Act.

According to the Biodiversity Group - Nearly one-third of the world's more than 6,800 species of amphibians are threatened with extinction or are already extinct.  Habitat loss is the most obvious reason for population declines; if forests are cut down and wetlands are filled in, the species depending on those forests and wetlands vanish also.

However, amphibians have been experiencing catastrophic population crashes around the world, often in remote, protected areas and within a single year.  The speed and magnitude of these catastrophic declines are much more dramatic than those described for birds, mammals, or reptiles.

The causes of these declines are numerous and complicated, and in any case might include habitat alteration, disease, climate change, pollution, collection by humans, or even a thinned ozone layer in our atmosphere. Sometimes the cause is obvious—over 95% deforestation of tropical dry forests where we work in western Ecuador being the glaringly clear reason for amphibian disappearance.

What can you do to Help Frogs ?  Make a garden pond to encourage frogs to breed. Frogs spend most of their lives on land so give them long grass, leaf and log piles, trees and shrubs in your garden to feed and hibernate under. Pass on your knowledge of frogs to others. Do not keep endangered frog species as pets and never release a pet frog into the wild. Organise a clean up of rubbish from local ponds and streams.

Surprisingly enough frogs are a gardeners helper, Frogs feed on slugs, insects, worms, spiders and similar prey, but do not predate aquatic organisms. In winter frogs hide in frost-free refuges, under tree stumps, in stacks of turf, or in rock piles where they enter torpor until the following spring.

Frog Profile: Food: Slugs, worms, flies and other insects. The frog’s long sticky tongue is attached to the front part of the mouth, so that it can flick out to catch food.
Habitat: Damp vegetation, camouflaged ponds, hedgerows.
Reproduction: Breed around February and spawn around March, Tadpoles hatch and grow from April to May, Tadpoles metamorphose into froglets, and leave the pond in June/July.

If you would like to help with the  database all you have to do is send photos to Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore, Rathangan, Co. Kildare.  Or email: bogs@ipcc.ie; Tel: 045-860133.

If you would like to read up more on this subject you can get it form this link: http://biodiversitygroup.org/topics/amphibian_declines.html

What’s On & Where.

Limerick Alzheimer Society: An Open Singles Stapleford Golf Outing is being held in aid of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, Limerick Branch, on Saturday/Sunday 2nd and 3rd August in Limerick Golf Club.  Entry Fee: €25.00 per person and is open to Ladies and Gentlemen.  Tee times can be booked on 061-415146 and on the Limerick Golf Club website.  Good range of Prizes, please come and support this very worthy cause. Thanking you all for your help and support throughout the years.

Aug 8th: Fashion For Life Charity fashion show for suicide prevention in Limerick

The Limerick Strand Hotel on Friday August 8th at 7pm. A ‘popup’ shop of preloved, donated clothes will be held at the event and all of the pieces will be on sale for 20 euro or less. Bargain. Strutting their stuff on the catwalk will be the fabulous models of the Holman Lee Agency to show the attendees what is up for grabs. Tickets are €5 and available at The Strand Hotel and can also

be purchased from Jennifer at www.facebook.com/percyspost

August 9th & 10^th Bruff Bull’N’Booze Tag Rugby and Camping Festival

The 9th Bull’N’Booze   Tag Rugby and Camping festival is on the 9th of August .Year on year we have been able to produce a fabulous day of terrific tag and continually keep interest with veterans and newcomers alike. There’s free camping onsite, Breakfast’s and BBQ available, Drinks promotion’s, Music from ‘Never the less’ and a DJ to bring us into the morning after.

All Facilities are available onsite. There will be other feature’s to keep you entertained all weekend and We’ll keep updating the website’s bull’n’booze section to let you know what is coming. http://www.bruffrfc.com/bullnbooze-2014-2/2014/07/10/

August 10^th - Greybridge Charity Harvest Day & Tractor Lineout: Greybridge Classic Club Harvest Day & Tractor lineout in aid of Cliona’s Foundation, Pieta House and Limerick Search & Rescue, takes place on Sunday August 10th at Dempsey’s Cross, Meanus, Co. Limerick. The day will include Tractor Lineout, vintage, rally car and commercial displays and our ever popular silage cutting display. The Gardaí, Fire brigade and Ambulance crew will also display demonstrations on the day and Limerick Search & Rescue, will also provide a demonstration of the equipment and rescue work which they provide within the Limerick region. There are also plenty of activities for the kids including free face painting, bouncy castles etc. Entry €5 per adult, kids go free

Aug 15^th Pattern Festival Ballylanders Fundraiser in conjunction with our pattern festival in ballylanders. We are having a raffle and all proceeds are going to our village park.

17^th Aug: Pilgrimage to Knock: The combined parishes of Banogue & Croom are holding a one day pilgrimage to Knock Shrine on Sunday, 17th. of August. The pilgrimage will be led by Very Rev. Fr. Joe Kennedy. Bus leaving Banogue Church at 8.30am & Croom Church at 8.45 am. For further details, please contact Ger Wallace ( 0872202342 ; Christy Murray (0870682662);  Sean Curtin (0872898628)

Parish Notes: If anyone would like birthday requests or have event notices that they would like to submit, you can email to drominathlac@gmail.com or you can give them into Bridget or text them to Kathleen at 0876312815.