25th August, 2024

Adamstown Parish Newsletter

Weekend of Sat 24th & Sun 25th August 2024

Volume 24.  Number 34

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COLÁISTE ABBÁIN BACK TO SCHOOL

Tuesday 27th Aug 2024

1st year Induction – 8.52am – 4.00pm

Wednesday 28th August 2024

1st, 2nd & 3rd Years Only

8.52am – 4.00pm

Thursday 29th August 2024

4th, 5th & 6th Years – (Including LCA1 and

LCA2) 8.52am – 4.00pm.

Friday 30th August 2024

Class as normal for all students

8.52am – 1.15pm

A big welcome to our new students and welcome back to all our other students.

Wishing all Staff and Students a happy and productive 2024/2025.

LEAVING CERT RESULTS

The Leaving Certificate results were out on Friday last. We hope you all got the results you were hoping for. We wish all our young people the very best as they now take the next step in their life’s journey – whatever it may be.

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Best of luck to all this year’s school starters in the  next chapter in their education journey.

A new year means new beginnings, new adventures, new friendships, and new challenges

Take it all one day at a time and enjoy the journey

One child, one teacher, one book, one pen

can change the world.

SYMPATHY –

Joe Cashe, Cornwall, Killurin & formerly Knockreigh

We extend our deepest sympathy to Willie and Margaret Cashe, Knockreigh on the sad death of their son Joe, who died on Thursday 22nd August, also to his wife Mary, daughters Elaine and Chloe, brothers Pat, Martin, Michael, sister Pauline, grandchildren, extended family, neighbours and friends. Joe’s funeral Mass will be celebrated in St. Lawrence’s Church, Glynn on Monday 26th August followed by burial in  the adjoining cemetery.

May his gentle soul rest in peace.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND’S STRONGEST MAN

Congratulations to local twins Dean & Dillon Doyle who took part in Ireland’s Strongest Man competition last weekend in New Ross.

Dean held on to the title for the second consecutive year. The stiffest competition came from his coach Dillon – who was winning in the second last event before suffering an injury and still managing to come third. The 29-year old  twins were among 10 of the strongest men in the Republic competing in a gruelling 150-minute test of strength. It involved eight 400kg tyre flips (timed) a 20-metre haul of an eight-tonne truck in which competitors can only use their arms, most dead lifts of a car in 75 seconds, a steel pipe raise over the head with weights ranging from 130kg to 190kg and a sandbag toss starting at 18kg. Dean, who runs Dynamite Coaching, aims to get to Giant’s Live in October, the official qualifier for the World’s Strongest Man series – and chance to become a professional athlete.

Well done lads, and continued success.

THURSDAY NIGHT CARD GAME

The weekly Thursday night Card Game continues in the Community Centre at 8.30 each week.

Winners on  Thursday 22nd August were: Paddy Furlong, Nick Doyle, Brendan Colfer, Matt O’Neill, John Hanley, Tom Rochford, Martin Cahill, Owen & Sammy Elmes.

OUR LADY’S ISLAND PILGRIMAGE 2024

Sun Sept 1st – Mass at 3pm on Island.

Followed by Rosary Procession.

Wed 4th Sept – Special Service: A Time to Heal 7.30pm

Sun 8th Sept – 3pm Mass in Church.

Official Closing of Pilgrimage at 7pm. (Note earlier time)

With Traditional Torchlight Procession.

Daily Mass during the season at 3pm & 7.30pm in Church.

ECUMENICAL SERVICE

Ecumencial Service in Our Lady’s Island on Tuesday 3rd September at 7.30pm

Refreshments served afterwards in the Community Centre. All most welcome.

CHURCH NOTICES

IN MEMORIAM

Sat 24th – Padraigh & Susan O’Gorman, Kellystown (A)

Sun 25th – Pat Power, The Leap (A)

Fri 30th 9.30am – Richard Fortune, Doononey (A)

Sat 31st – Paddy & Molly Larkin, Adamstown (A)

Sun 1st Sept – Peg & Paul Kearns, Raheen (A)

May they rest in peace.

Sun 1st – Patron Mass at 1.30pm

Mass each weekday morning at 9.30am

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will return in September

READERS OF THE LITURGY

Sat 31st – Liam Whelan.  Sun 1st – Callie Doyle

Sat 7th – T.J. McDonald.  Sun 8th – Betty O’Shea

PATRON IN ST. ABBAN’S

Our  Annual Patron will take place on Sunday 1st September with Mass in St. Abban’s Church at 1.30pm.

Small Bottles of Holy Water  will be available before Mass and family members may sprinkle this Holy Water on their family graves following Mass.

A voluntary collection will be taken up on Patron Sunday for the continued upkeep of our Cemetery.

There will be a trailer in the Cemetery this coming week where debris from graves may be disposed of.

WORK ON THE ENTRANCE TO OUR CEMETERY

Over the past two weeks major works have been carried out at the entrance to our Cemetery. This work will make a huge difference for the safety of people driving out the gate  of the cemetery and turning right down the Barrack’s Rd.

A huge thanks to the Cemetery Committee for their voluntary work in removing the ditch and lowering the wall, thanks to Gavin Rothwell for his help in preparing  the holes for the concrete fence. Thanks also to the landowners for facilitating the work.

A sincere thanks to  Adamstown Tidy Towns Committee for a donation of €1,000 towards the cost of these works.

CEMETERY COMMITTEE NOTICE

We also wish to acknowledge and thank Cáit & Joe  Bradley who open and close the Cemetery gates all 365 days of the year.

GATES ARE OPENED AT 8.00am each day.

AND CLOSED IN SUMMER AT 8.00pm &

IN WINTER AT 6.00pm.

Alternatively, the gates into the Cemetery from the Church yard are never closed and can be accessed at all times.

CHURCH ALTARS & DECORATION

Thanks to the ladies from Raheenduff for looking after the Church and Altars for the month of August. It is now the turn of parishioners from Tomgarrow for the month of September.

FOR WHOM THE BELLS TOLL –

Legend of the Stolen Bells

Church bells have always played an important part in the life of monastic settlements and it appears that Clonmacnois was no exception.It is claimed that the first church bells in Ireland pealed out across the river Shannon from Clonmacnois and, if a legend is correct, this caused wonder which, alas, led to jealousy.

Such was the envy that an attempt to steal the bells was made one night under cover of darkness by a number of raiders from Athlone. They succeeded in taking the bells – how many remains unknown – and having loaded them into a boat set out on their return journey. However their greed proved to be their undoing. Before they were out of sight of the monastic buildings, but too late to even make for the river bank, they realised  the weight of the bells was far beyond the capacity of their small craft which sank rapidly into  the waters of the river Shannon. It is not known if any of them survived the ordeal. There is one reference which states that the bells were never retrieved despite the fact that the river was dragged between Athlone and Shannon Bridge. Thereby hangs a mystery. One author claims that one of the monastery bells still hangs in a church in Athlone. How, when or by whom it was recovered also appears to be a mystery or perhaps it was a bell which eluded the thieves!

(Clonmacnoise – by Kenneth MacGowan)