Monthly Archives: December 2023

Ballyduff GAA Lotto, Church News and Christmas Wishes

BRIDGE NEWS

The Ballyduff/Portlaw Bridge Club played their latest game of bridge on Monday December 4th and the results were as follows:
1st: Kathleen Collins and Joan Hartrey
2nd: Peggy Murphy and Sean Hennessy
3rd: Anne Kennedy and Chris Pragnell.
4th: John Mooney and Breda Murphy.
The club would like to wish all their members and their families a very happy and peaceful Christmas and look forward to meeting them all for more bridge games in 2024.
The great news from the club is that they will commence bridge lessons on January 16th at 7pm in Ballyduff Community Centre. The lesson will last two hours and will continue for 8 lessons. What a fantastic opportunity to learn the game and join in the fun. New Year! New hobbies!

BALLYDUFF GAA LOTTO

The final lotto draw for 2023 took place on December 10th and the numbers drawn were 1, 6, 10 and 20. There was no winner of the jackpot and the six lucky dip winners of €50 each were Nicky Cummins, Patricia Lyons, Sandra Harris, Kathleen Atkins, Paula Gahan and The Kennedy Family. The lotto will return in January and will begin the New Year with a jackpot of €12,050.
The club would like to sincerely thank everyone for their continued support. All money raised goes back into the club and helps to ensure that the facilities and opportunities for the coaches and players are top class. A big thank you to all who sell tickets and to the committee who run the lotto draw every fortnight.
The club wishes everyone a very happy Christmas and look forward to 2024.

CHURCH NEWS

A big well done to all who have our church looking so beautiful for Christmas and of course to our very hardworking sacristan Ann Nolan who does such a wonderful job all year round. It is lovely to watch all the children visit the crib and ask questions about it all.
Our choir have really put together a fantastic collection of hymns and carols for the season and the great news is that they will sing at Christmas Eve mass and Christmas Day mass.

CHRISTMAS WISHES

As the writer of these notes, I would like to sincerely thank all who have contributed articles during the year. I am very grateful for all the pieces of information and photos that I receive and enjoy hearing from you. I would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and every best wish for 2024.

Parish Choir, Church News and WSVR

BRIDGE NEWS

The Ballyduff and Portlaw Bridge club played their latest game on Monday December 4th and the results were as follows:
1st: Kathleen Collins and Patsy Roche.
2nd: The Mooneys.
3rd: Nano Fitzgerald and Anne Kennedy
4th: Anne-Marie Brown and Mary Prendergast.

PARISH CHOIR.

It is wonderful to hear our parish choir singing at mass every Sunday. They have a beautiful selection of hymns and are always adding new ones to their portfolio. They are very busy rehearsing for Christmas and the great news is that they will sing on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. They enhance every mass they sing at and will certainly bring a lovely festive cheer to the Christmas ceremonies.

CHURCH NEWS

Our beautiful Advent wreath is adorning our church altar, reminding us that we are very close to the season of Christmas. As we all prepare for Christmas, buying gifts, planning menus, sending cards, the Advent wreath reminds us that we need to prepare inwardly as we prepare for the birth of Jesus. The four candles on the wreath represent hope, peace, joy and love and as we light a candle each week, we should keep the message of the candles in our hearts.
A Christmas reconciliation service will take place on Wednesday December 13th at 7pm. This is a perfect opportunity to clear your mind and heart before the Christmas season.

BALLYYDUFF AFC

All at Ballyduff AFC wish to extend a very warm thank you to Derek Tebay and his company Blue Wall (www.blue.wall.ie) who sponsored a full kit for the clubs youngest U11 league team. The guys are really going to look the part as they step out in their gear. Derek has also provided wind breakers, so the cold weather won’t be a problem. It is wonderful to see businesses supporting our clubs and we ask you all to support these businesses in return.

BALLYDUFF GAA.

Congratulations to clubman Sean O Rourke who captained the freshers of UCC in their Fresher B Hurling leagues final. Sean and his teammates excelled on the day and won the game. Sean scored 6 points on the day and led his team to victory.
Congratulations also to Kate O Donnell who has been chosen to be part of the U14 County LGFA panel and we also congratulate Emma Laffan who is now part of the U14 LGFA development football squad.

WSVR

There are lots of visitors to Waterford Suir Valley Railway every weekend as Santa and Mrs. Clause call in to visit. Although it is a very busy time of year for them, they make the time to visit Kilmeaden as it holds a very special place in their hearts. Drop along to the railway and see the beautiful Christmas decorations which will brighten even the darkest days.

GAA Lotto, Community Alert and Community Garden

BRIDGE NEWS

The Ballyduff/ Portlaw Bridge club held their latest game on Monday November 27th in Ballyduff Community Centre and the results were as follows: 1st: Mary Kennedy and Kate Hayes 2nd: Patsy Roche and Kathleen Collins 3rd: Geraldine McMahon and Nano Fitzgerald and 4th: Peggy Murphy and Elizabeth Mooney.

GAA LOTTO

The numbers drawn in the latest lotto draw were 7, 21, 22 and 24 and there was no winner of the jackpot. The three lucky dip winners of €50 each were Eabha Power, Catherine Miller and Paula Gahan. The next draw will take place on December 10th and there will be a jackpot of €11,900 on offer. Tickets cost just €2 each or three for €5 and are available from all committee members, online or can be purchased on Saturday December 9th from the ticket sellers at Centra in Kilmeaden.

COMMUNITY ALERT.

The Ballyduff/High Road Community Alert group held their latest meeting on Wednesday November 29th. The guest speakers on the night were Kieran Foley from WLR and Sgt. Deirdre O Neill who is the Crime Prevention Sergeant. Kieran spoke to the group about moving from the newspaper to the radio and how the media now has social media and online activity to contend with. He spoke about how important the media is and about how much he enjoys the buzz of breaking news. He stressed that every good media outlet should provide a good mix of items to reach out to all their audience.
Sgt. Deirdre O Neill spoke to the group about the importance of securing your home during these Winter months and how it is essential to have proper lighting. She explained how many burglars and intruders are looking for an opportunity so locking up securely and lighting up should be our everyday normal routine.
The text alert €10 fee is now due and can be paid to any of the committee members.

HAMPER RAFFLE

Ballyduff Lower Camogie Club have organized a wonderful Christmas raffle with lots of fantastic prizes. The raffle tickets will be on sale at Centra Kilmeaden on Saturday December 16th and will cost you just €2 each or three for €5. Please support this wonderful club who have been going from strength to strength and are the current U12 and U13 County Champions.

COMMUNITY GARDEN

Huge congratulations to all the brilliant volunteers who have been very busy in our community garden. Pathways have been laid, fruit trees sowed, bulbs planted, hedges laid and the area for wildflowers has been cleared. If you would like to become involved just drop along or contact Peter Jacob, Declan Finn or Linda Spillane and they can add you to the Whats App group for all the latest happenings.

Holy Souls Mass, Death of Mossie Power and Community Alert

BRIDGE NEWS

The Ballyduff/ Portlaw Bridge club played their latest game in Ballyduff Community Centre on Monday November 20th and the results were as follows:
1st: Anne and William Tobin.
2nd: Anne-Marie Brown and Monica Sullivan.
3rd: Kathleen Collins and Patsy Roche.
4th: Iris Graham and Kate Hayes.

HOLY SOULS MASS.

The final mass for the Holy Souls will be offered on Wednesday November 29th at 7pm in St. Nicholas’s Church, Ballyduff. This special candle mass will be offered especially for all those who have died since November 2022. The names of those who were buried in Ballyduff graveyard will be automatically added but if you would like to include the name of a loved one who died elsewhere, please give their name and your contact details to Ann in the sacristy or Linda Spillane.

DEATH OF MOSSIE POWER.

Our community was deeply saddened by the recent death of Mossie Power, Ballyduff West. Mossie was indeed a true gentleman who lived his life in a quiet and dignified fashion. He was a true community man who gave many years working on different projects and committees for the good of his area. His dedication and devotion to our church and parish was exemplary. An honest, caring, trustworthy man, he was an excellent family man who loved to tell you about his family and grandchildren. Our parish is most definitely a much poorer place without him, and he will never be forgotten by all those who knew him. We extend our deepest sympathies to his sons Gerard, Philip and Declan, his daughter Imelda, his grandchildren, extended family, neighbours and friends. We pray that his sweet gentle soul now rests in peace and that he has taken his rightful place at the Lords table. Ar Dheis De go raibh a anam.

GAA CLUB AGM.

On Wednesday November 29th Ballyduff Lower Juvenile GAA Club will hold their AGM at 7.30pm in Ballyduff Community Centre. The local juvenile club has enjoyed lots of success during the year and is always open to welcoming new members and volunteers. This is a fantastic opportunity to get involved with your club and encourage our young people to participate and enjoy taking part in sport.

COMMUNITY ALERT

Our local community alert group will host its next meeting on Wednesday November 29th at 8pm in Ballyduff Community Centre. Guest speakers on the night will be Kieran Foley from WLR and Deirdre O Neill, Crime prevention Officer. All members are asked to attend, and new people are always welcome to come along.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Drench yourself in words unspoken.
Live your life with arms wide open.
Today is where your book begins.
The rest is still unwritten.