Bridge News.
The results of the latest bridge game are as follows:

1st: Joan Whelan and John Fitzpatrick.
2nd: Peggy Murphy and Ann Cox.
3rd: Joan Hartery and Geraldine McMahon.
4th: Sean Hennessy and Michael O Donovan.

Community Centre Ideas.
As you all know our newly refurbished community centre is now up and running with lots of space and scope for some fresh and fun activities. Do you have ideas, skills or time to contribute to starting up some new classes,activities or programmes? If so please get in contact with Alistair Shute on 086-6063139. The hall committee would like to establish weekly or monthly events in particular for the senior residents in our area. They plan to meet over the coming weeks to discuss options and requirements required for our community.

Bingo Time!!
Have you been brushing up on your bingo skills in time for Ballyduffs bingo night. A fun and socialable game of bingo will take place on Tuesday January 26th at 7.30pm. Entry is €5 which includes refreshments. It is hoped to run this bingo game on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Come along and enjoy a night of fun.

Communion Mass.
Congratulations to all the pupils from 2nd class in Ballyduff N.S who celebrated the first of their Do This In Memory special preparation masses last Sunday in Ballyduff. The children did a wonderful job taking part in the prayers of the faithful and the offertory procession. I’m sure their teacher Mrs.Brennan is very proud of them all.

Tesco Tokens.
I have been asked to remind you all that if you are shopping in Tesco Ardkeen over the next few weeks not to forget to ask for your special blue tokens. Ballyduff Community Centre have been lucky enough to be chosen as one of three local groups to benefit from the Tesco Community Fund. So please place your token in the Ballyduff Community Centre slot.

New Choir.
Some people from the parish have decided to set about starting a new choir to sing at weekend masses. This adult choir will consist of male and female members and a meeting is scheduled for Monday February 2nd at 7.30pm in the church. This will be a simple meet and greet meeting to see what interest there is and hear peoples thoughts. If you are interested in joining please come along and maybe encourage a friend to come along too.

A Lady True and True.
We are all shocked and saddened when news broke of the death of Mary Kiely, Ballyduff. Mary was a gentle, loving woman who lived a nice quiet life enjoying the simple things in life. You were never left in any doubt about how much she loved and adored her family. Mary and Fintan loved to be in each others company and liked nothing more than to sit and chat to one another. Their daughter Colette was of course their pride and joy and Marys eyes would light up as she spoke about her. Apart from Fintan there was of course another young man who stole Marys heart and that was her grandson Jack. He was the apple of her eye and she trully adored him.

Mary loved life and everything about it. She never asked for any fame or fortune, she loved a spin out to Tramore or into town to rummage through the shelves of the discount shops. A coffee and a chat was high on her list of favourite things to do and of course she was a huge fan of our very own John O Shea on Wlr, she never missed his show and John always made sure he played a special request for her. Her faith was unshakeable and all those who were sick or troubled were always in her prayers.

I had the honour of calling to Mary regularly and I can honestly say that I will really miss her. Mary loved to have a chat and as any one who knows me knows , I’m never one to walk away from a chat. Her bright smile, her caring nature, her love for all around her these things never make the news headlines but in mind if we all followed this example, what a wonderful world we would live in.

Rest gently Mary your work here is done, we pray you are now rewarded for your kindness. Ar dheis De go raibh si.

Welcome to the new updated Ballyduff Parish Website

Bridge News.
The results of the latest bridge game played by Ballyduff/ Kilmeaden Bridge Club are as follows:

1st: Teresa Phelan and Ann Marie Brown.
2nd: Kate Hayes and Nano Fitzgerald.
3rd: Mary Kennedy and John Fitzpatrick.
4th: Ann Cox and Kathleen Collins.

Parent and Toddler Group.
As I have mentioned in the past the Ballyduff/ Kilmeaden Parent and Toddler group meet in Ballyduff Community Centre every Friday morning from 10am to 12 noon. This is a perfect opportunity for new parents or people who have moved in locally to get to know people and the children love meeting new friends to have a play with. You can drop in for a few minutes or a few hours whatever suits you best.

The popular Gymboree morning will return to the Toddler group on Friday January 23rd so why not drop in and join in the fun. There’s nothing better than a little singing and dancing.

Eyes Down!!!
Ballyduff Community Centre committee will host Community Bingo in Ballyduff Community Centre on the fourth Tuesday of every month. This bingo will begin on Tuesday 27th of January at 7.30pm. The cost will be €5 which will include refreshments. Lots of you have been asking me if I knew when this was starting so I expect you to get your legs eleven up to the community centre and get your eyes down for a game of bingo.

Token Time.
Ballyduff Community Centre was lucky enough to be chosen as one of three local groups to be in with a chance to benefit from the Tesco Community Fund. For six weeks running from Monday January 12th if you do your shopping in Tesco Ardkeen make sure you ask for your token and pop it into the Ballyduff Community Centre redevelopment fund and don’t forget to spread the word to your friends and family.

Ballyduff GAA.
Our local GAA club were delighted recently with the turnout for their medal presentation night. They would like to say a huge thank you to Tony Browne who presented all the medals to players from the academy up to U15. There was success in the Roanmore Tournament, City League, U 14 County Hurling and U 15 Eastern Hurling. We can all be proud of our club who have enjoyed success every year since 2008. None of this would be possible without the dedication and commitment of the players, coaches, committee and parents so a well deserved pat on the back to you all.

A huge thank you and well done to all who made sandwiches and cakes for the night and the ladies who served tea and coffee and cleaned up after the night.

GAA Juvenile AGM.
Ballyduff GAA club will hold the AGM of their juvenile section on Friday January 16th at 7.30pm in Ballyduff Community Centre . All are welcome to attend this meeting.

Bridge News.
We welcome back the Ballyduff/Portlaw bridge club after the Christmas season and wish them all the best of luck in this New Year. The results of their first game of 2015 are as follows:

1st: Mary Flynn and Helen O Shea.
2nd: Margaret Power and Aileen Stephenson.
3rd: Patsy Roche and Kathleen Collins.
4th: Ann Kennedy and Anna Harney.

Communion Preparation.
It is hard to believe that we are already speaking about Holy Communion preparations but as we all know too well time goes by very fast. The children of 2nd class will make their First Penance on Wednesday March 4th and their First Holy Communion on Saturday May 9th. As in previous years a series of special preparation masses will take place in the coming months and the first of these will take place this Sunday January 18th at 10am. The children will take part in the mass by reading the prayers of the faithful and bringing up the gifts and some parents will read. This is a lovely way for the children to feel part of their community mass and I know they are really looking forward to it.

Shop For Tokens.
Ballyduff Community Centre are lucky enough to be chosen as one of three local groups picked by Tesco Ardkeen to be part of their Tesco community fund. So for six weeks starting from Monday January 12th when you do your shopping in Tesco Ardkeen make sure you remind them to give you a token which you then bring to the fund box and please pop it into the Ballyduff Community Centre slot. Spread the news to your friends and relatives.

Nollaig na mBan.
On Saturday January 3rd women of every age gathered together in Ballyduff Community Centre to celebrate Nollaig na mBan. This is traditionally a time when the ladies take a well deserved rest following the hustle and bustle of the Christmas preparations, cooking and entertaining. It is a time when the men in the family say ” sit back and let us treat you to some pampering in thanks for all your hard work”. This was certainly the case in Ballyduff as the ladies arrived into a beautifully decorated hall with candles flickering and the soothing sound of Michael Buble in the background ( unfortunately he was unable to attend himself but I’m sure he was there in spirit). As we took our seats our waiters for the evening Marc O Neill, Paddy Hennebry, William Harrington, Fergus Dunne, Micky Joe Morrissey, Paul O Shea, Keith Norris, Colman Power, Sean Lyons, Tommy Keegan and Alan Dempsey floated around making sure everyone was comfortable and that all our coats were taken care of. Our chef for the evening was the very talented Eamonn Reade and he treated us to a wonderful feast of chicken korma or lasange followed by apple pie or trifle. Empty plates went back to the kitchen where the men broke out the fairy liquid and got busy with the wash up. A huge well done must go to our chef and waiters who looked after us with care and attention and really entered into the fun of it all even taking on some fun dares we set for them hoola dancing to modelling a lovely shade of lipstick.

A fabulous raffle was held with some fantastic prizes on offer including a beautiful piece of artwork donated by local artist Lupita De Bhaill. As the tables were cleared back it was time to get the serious business of dancing under way and D.J Ricky O Brien treated us to hits from the past and present. The floor was full at all times with everyone thoroughly enjoying the fun.

I have to say I really enjoyed this night and have heard nothing but praise from everyone who went with all of them saying that they cant wait for next year. It was lovely to see all ages there, ladies who have lived here for many years, ladies who have moved into our area in recent years all join together and enjoy good company and many a laugh.

The committee of Siobhan Walsh, Sarah Walsh, Martha Fitzgerald, Marie Reade, Joan Stephenson, Isabel O Neill, Mary Power and Linda Spillane would like to thank everyone who attended for making this night such a success. We would also like to thank the News and Star and The Munster Express for sending their photographers. A fantastic amount of €2,278 was raised for Ballyduff Community Centre so well done to you all and roll on next year.

Mass Bookings.
In recent weeks we took the bookings for the anniversary masses for the weekend masses during January, February and March and there are still some dates available. If you would like to book a mass for a loved one during these months then please give a ring to Linda on 051-399925 or 087-9838392.

Christmas Thanks.
It was lovely to see such big crowds at the Christmas Eve and Day masses. Fr .Mick welcomed everyone especially those who had travelled home for Christmas. He reminded us to be aware of people around us who for one reason or another were not looking forward to the holiday season. Perhaps they were suffering from a sickness, bereavement, loneliness or other problems. He reminded us that sometimes the nicest gift can be a visit, a phone call, a simple hug.

During the Christmas Eve mass we were treated to a beautiful nativity play by some local children and this truly displayed the true meaning of Christmas. A huge well done to all the children who performed to perfection and to Joan, Christine and Isabel for arranging and directing it all. Thanks also to Christine who led the singing and James and John for providing such excellent music.

During both masses Fr.Mick said a big thank you to everyone who helps in the church every week of the year and without whom the church would not run so smoothly.

Juvenile AGM.
Ballyduff GAA club will hold their Juvenile section AGM on Friday January 16th at 7.30pm in Ballyduff Community Centre. All are welcome to attend.

Tragic News.
Our whole community was shocked and stunned this week when news spread of the sudden death of John Bran Walsh. John was a hardworking family man who lived a quiet life with his wife Alice on their farm where they raised 4 sons and 3 daughters. John had a great love and passion for the land and livestock. He loved farming so much that when he would have his own jobs done nothing gave him greater pleasure than heading off to the farm of his true and loyal friend Roger Shanahan to help him out. John also loved a game of cards so I am sure there is a great game going on up in heaven as we speak, I could nearly name a few who are joining in.

The family can be very proud of the funeral mass they prepared making sure readings, prayers, offertory gifts and music was symbolic for them. The large crowd who attended is a testament to the respect people had for John. We send our deepest sympathy to Alice and the children and the grandchildren and also to Johns sisters and brother. We know that your hearts are broken and we offer our support to you all. John and Alice raised their children to be hardworking, loyal and respectful and I know they will value these qualities and pass them to their children. We as a community share your grief and pray for you all. May the soil rest gently on him and may his gentle soul rest in peace.

Notes Contact.
As we start into the new year let us share the happenings of our community with others. If you are a member of a local club or organisation and want to let people know about your activities, then I have the answer. Also why not let people know if you have had a birth, a wedding, an engagement, a birthday or indeed any news, how I hear you ask?? Contact your local friendly local notes writer Linda Spillane on 051-399925, 087-9838392 or spillanelinda@eircom.net or drop in she loves visitors.

New Year Wishes.
As the writer of these notes I sincerely want to wish each and every one of you the very best for 2015. I hope you all enjoy good health, lots of laughs and the love and friendship of family and friends. We all know that hard or sad times will come to some of our doors and if they do then I hope you find the comfort and support you need.

I never really make new year resolutions but I try each year to be a little bit better than the year before so by the time I hit 100 I will be wonderful. So if you can be a friend to someone then do so, if you have the ability or talent to help in your church or community then do so, if you can simply listen, offer a hand or give a hug then do so.

All we can do each year is our best,
By doing this, we surely pass any test.
For life it is about taking chances,
Love and friendship are lives enhancements,
May everyone I meet each day,
Be touched by something I do or say.
So when indeed my time is done,
May people say she wasn’t so bad,
I’m sorry she’s gone!!!