ENNISKERRY
PARISH OF POWERSCOURT WITH KILBRIDE.
Re-opening Church HSE Guidelines: We are delighted to be coming together in some shape or form this Sunday. Lockdown has lasted a long time and no doubt there are many who wish for the company of others and their community of faith, participating in the worship of God beneath the one roof. However, this return poses as high a sense of caution as there is a sense of risk. Ensuring your Safety: Our remit, as Rector and Select Vestry is to ensure that the buildings you will occupy will be sanitised and marked out to adhere strictly to the HSE protocol and to the Return to In-Church Worship Protocols specifically put together by the house of Bishops and Church House in booklet form. Changes to Services: Our Services will take on a different shape on our return to church. A reduction in time that people are together in an enclosed space reduces the risk of infection and so shorter services are now planned (20 to 30 minutes in duration) for Phase one of our re-opening with the use of recorded music between or beneath readings and prayers. To facilitate the above, the service times are planned to run as follow: 10 a.m. – Short Service of Worship in Kilbride; 11 a.m. – Short Service of Worship in Powerscourt; midday – Short Service of Worship in Powerscourt. The extra Powerscourt service on Sunday Morning is implemented to cater for the restrictions in the amount of people the church can facilitate at any one service. We are awaiting direction regarding Holy Communion Services and the singing of hymns under present circumstances. During Phase one of our Return to church both churches will not open during the week. What Will a Church Service Look Like?: Outdoor markings will be used (where necessary) at a 2m distance between individuals or family groups within the church car parks. Parishioners as asked to adhere to the social distancing regulation when awaiting entrance into the churches. If a queue has formed at the markers, please wait in your car till the Warden on duty indicates. A Hand Sanitizer will be placed inside the door of the church for use upon entering the building. Allocated places will be marked by a coloured card and service sheet within the pews selected by the social distancing requirements. Please fill in your name and telephone number on this card with the pen provided. These cards will be collected after each service and placed in a dated envelope. It is important that we recall who was present at every service in case Covid-19 is detected. A One-Way System will be in place to reduce risk. We would be grateful if all who attend could take direction from the stewards as to how they exit the church buildings. We request that you select the next available seat closest to the front of the church. People from the one household are welcome to fill an entire pew. Following the service we request that each person/family exits the church carefully maintaining distancing, one by one, from the front forward, through the allocated door. There will be only one reader (apart from the Rector) at each service. A place will be reserved for the reader within the front pew of the church to reduce movement. Readers are asked to read from their sheet as hard surfaces such as lecterns are to be avoided. Adhering to Social Distancing restrictions St Patrick’s Church (Powerscourt) will hold 25 individuals per service. (This will increase if families attend. Each family will have a full pew). St Brigid’s Church (Kilbride) and its attendance numbers will fully fulfil the distancing requirements. Who should attend? Running alongside the careful preparation of buildings is the equally important task of protecting individuals who may be at high risk. As of late, the HSE Guidelines (as adhered to by the Church of Ireland) have slightly loosened restrictions on those who have been within these higher-risk categories e.g those who are over 70 and those with underlying health issues. However, the HSE still recommend that people within the high risk groups should not attend gatherings of more than six people. Unfortunately this would seem to rule out anyone within this group attending church at the present time. The current advice regarding this can be found at: www2.hse. html. We would also request that anyone who is displaying symptoms of Covid-19 or who thinks they may have been in contact with someone with Covid-19 should not attend church services till they have been medically advised that it is safe to do so. Online Services: As you are no doubt aware, a large and varied range of Church Services are available online. Our own Short Service of Worship has been warmly received and will continue into the future. It has been a pleasure to involve creativity within these services to take church outside the building and my thanks to all those who, thus far, have taken part in the readings and short reflections alongside those who have submitted photographs for use in these Services. Our thanks also to Helen Beardsley, who is keeping us all in song with her Sing. Videos of favourite hymns. Together we all make a great team. In Summary: I understand completely that some of the advice adhered to by the Church of Ireland, in keeping with HSE guidelines, may prove difficult and hurtful to some parishioners who wish to return to regular worship. Please be advised that these decisions are taken for the protection of all within our family of faith, particularly those most vulnerable, and be heartened by the knowledge that further restrictions may be lifted in the near future. My prayer now is for you all. I pray that you may know God’s presence in all places and that he surrounds you and protects you at this time. May God guide you in wisdom and self-care as we step forward, albeit cautiously into a new future for church. With every blessing, The Rector.
Online Sunday Worship: All Sunday Worship Services are available on the Joint Parishes of Powerscourt and Kilbride YouTube channel which can be accessed at – youtube.
Powerscourt Graveyard Reminder: The upkeep of the parish’s beautiful graveyard is important to the parish as this holy place provides peace and sanctuary for many visitors but we ask that you clean-up after your dog and that all dogs are kept on a lead. In order the maintain the natural sense of our country graveyard, it is requested that no coloured pebbles be used on the graves and that grave owners take responsibility to remove and dispose of wreaths or floral decorations once they have fulfilled their purpose.
ST MARY’S CHURCH
Parish Website: The parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary has its own website. Please check out ‘Enniskerryparish.ie’ for the latest information about our parish.
Masses Update: The Archbishop of Dublin has announced that everyone is dispensed from the obligation to physically attend Sunday Mass for the duration of the present emergency Weekday Mass is now broadcast by RTÉ NEWS NOW at 10.30 a.m. and also through EWTN, Radio Maria, channel which can be found in Saorview and Channel 210. Mass from Knock Shrine is broadcast each day at midday; Rosary at 7 p.m. and Mass at 7.30 p.m. on knockshrine/watchlive; Mass is also broadcast by web-came from St Mary’s Pro Cathedral Dublin. For a list of churches broadcasting Mass by web-cam go to dublindiocese.ie/ list-of-churches-with-webcamsto-watch-listen-to-daily Mass/ or go to massonline for details of Masses in Ireland and Britain. St Mary’s and St Mochonog’s Church will be open for private prayer each day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – please remember to adhere to social distancing requirements. Up to 25 immediate family and close friends may now attend a funeral but social distancing must be observed. While churches and houses of worship were permitted to open last Monday, social distancing protocols will still remain in force, and when the Diocesan guidelines for Masses facilitate the resumption of Masses at can be implemented by St Mary’s Parish Pastoral Council, details of the resumption of Masses will be announced on the parish website which is constantly updated.
Sacrament Cancellations: The 2020 schedule/timetable previously issued by the parish office for the Sacraments of First Confession, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation, remains cancelled. Meantime those who were to celebrate the Sacraments of First Confession, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation, are encouraged to continue their preparation.
Outreach: Two support groups have been set up by local volunteers to help people who are isolated due to the present crisis and need help with food shopping, prescription and medication collection. Parishioners, who would like to volunteer are asked to call Melanie Corrigan at 083 3642439 for further information.
HISTORY SOCIETY
Monthly meetings of the Enniskerry History Society, are scheduled to resume in October if permitted to do so. Further information about the Enniskerry History Society available from John Callan at 01 2867853.
ENNISKERRY LIBRARY
The library re-opened today (Wednesday) for browsing and borrowing and is open on Wednesday only between 1.30 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. but borrowers can still order/reserve books online at – smmulligan@ wicklowcoco.ie or call 01 286 4339. Books can also be renewed online.
LOCAL NOTES CONTACT
If you have news or an item to be added to the Newtownmountkennedy Notes, please email Ciara Perks at ciaraperks87@ gmail.com or call 087 6380155.
LITTERING CONCERNS
Please respect our community and the many people, businesses and groups who help to keep our town so beautiful and litter-free. Littering and dumping is not acceptable even during a pandemic, so please bring your rubbish, used gloves, used face masks etc home to your household bin and if you see a case of littering/dumping please report to Wicklow Litter Line on 1890 548837.
If the bottle banks in the town are full please do not leave yours around or between the full bins – this is considered dumping and fines will be issued.
PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWS
I would like to thank all of you for your ongoing support during the 2019-2020 school year. This has been a very challenging year and one we are unlikely to forget. The staff of Newtownmountkennedy Primary School have missed our pupils over the last few months. We appreciate all the wonderful work done at home and would like to thank you for your engagement in our home learning activities.
We know that last few months have been a worrying and difficult time for everyone. We know that many of you are worried and anxious about the new school year. We are still awaiting guidelines from the DES about schools reopening in September. Once we receive these guidelines we will inform you. Summer reports have been released to parents on Aladdin. If you are unable to access your child’s report please contact Fiona at office@newtownprimary.ie.
We would like to wish our caretaker Paddy Hamilton well as he retires this summer. Paddy has worked at our school for many years and we are all very grateful to him for his commitment and dedication to our school. We look forward to celebrating Paddy’s time in Newtownmountkennedy Primary School in the new school year. The teacher list for the coming school year is available on the school website.
While the school year may have ended in a disappointing manner, 2019-2020 was a busy school year in Newtownmountkennedy Primary School. We would like to thank all the boys and girls for their wonderful school work. We are so proud of all our pupils for trying their best. We are very lucky to have them as pupils in our school. We have had some wonderful initiatives in school this year and we hope to continue with as many of these as is possible in the new school year. Thank you also to our wonderful volunteers and parents who helped throughout the year.
Even though our school buildings were closed from March 12, it was great to see our school community come together for our wonderful Together-Apart Art Project earlier this month. We would like to say a special thank you to Newtownmountkennedy post office, The Parkview Hotel, Adrian Dunne Pharmacy, Greystones and District Credit Union and Eugene’s Day-Today, who allowed us to display this project. It is great to be part of this wonderful community. Thanks once more to all parents who came to the school to collect books, etc. during the Covid-19 closure. Your co-operation was very much appreciated at a difficult time.
I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable summer. We look forward with hope and positivity to the start of the new school year. Deirdre Lennon – school principal.
NEWTOWN JUNIORS FC
In line with Government and FAI recommendations we are pleased to announce that Rory Hackett has agreed to be the club COVID-19 Compliance Officer. Rory recently completed the Risk Assessment for the club and this was sent to FAI, who have in turn given us the go ahead to return to training once we continue the safe implementation of the Safer Return to Training Protocols. Rory has met with all the coaches and COVID Supervisors to go through all the Protocols and all teams are now able to make a return to full contact training from Monday, June 29. All teams have been sent communications of their training times/days and all parents/players have been issued with a copy of the updated Safer Return to Training Protocols and all parents have been urged to familiarize themselves with the protocols especially the section titled ‘Player and Parent Responsibilities’. The aim of Newtown Juniors FC on our return to training is to provide a safe and enjoyable environment, once we adhere to the guidelines laid down. We will be continuing to update all protocols as we get them from the FAI, and we will also be holding regular de-briefing meetings with all coaches and supervisors. Anyone, who requires further information can contact any committee member of the club.
Regards a return to matches we are permitted to play in house friendlies from June 29. From Saturday, July 11, we will be permitted to play friendlies against teams from other clubs while from Saturday, July 18, all teams can return to competitive games. The WDSL have said that the resumption of games will start back towards the end of August with an official date to be confirmed. As usual we will send communications to all as we get them. Thank you all and keep safe.
As well as always been on the lookout for new players, as a club we are always on the lookout for volunteers to fill several Roles within the club. Recently we have been busy renewing and reviewing our Club Safety Statement and our Club Risk Assessments. We have also had several volunteers, who did their Safeguarding Refresher one and we await courses both at Safeguarding and at Child Welfare when certain restrictions are lifted. We would like to recruit a couple of MPs (Mandated Person) and DLPs (Designated Liaison Person) to assist those already in these roles. Those already in the roles are also coaches within the club and are on the executive committee but we would like volunteers to solely concentrate on these roles. Full training will be provided. The roles are not very time consuming and may interest someone who would like to volunteer in the club in some capacity.
We have two players from the club celebrating a birthday this week and they are Keira Farrelly from the under-13/14’s and Pat Carey from the under-12s. Happy birthday Keira and Pat from everyone at Newtown Juniors FC.
Our Last Man Standing competition which came to a halt over three months ago due to the COVID-19 Pandemic has resumed in the past week. 66 Players were at the starting line in Round three in pursuit of the €500 Prize Pot. In Round three we lost six Players. After Round four we lost a further 16 Players, which meant that in Round five (should be completed as you read this) we had 44 Players at the starting line. Going forward the Premier League fixtures set up means that we will a quick turnaround of Rounds and selections will need to be sent in promptly. All Players need to keep this in mind. Hopefully with everyone’s cooperation everything will run smoothly. Finally, the best of luck in the remainder of the competition for all the remaining players and most importantly a safe and healthy passage through these extreme times. Updates and Rules of the competition are on our Facebook and Twitter pages and are also available on request. Thank you everyone for your continued support.
Newtown Juniors FC would like to extend their sincere condolences to the family and friends of Elizabeth (Bess) Ferguson (Killadreenan), Paddy (Harry) Kavanagh (Church Road), Clive Davies (Kilpedder) and Sinéad Ni Fhallamhain (Fallon) (Wexford/Greystones) who all sadly passed away last week. May they all rest in peace.
For further information on all matters Newtown Juniors FC please contact the secretary at 087 6987653 or by email to hughienolan@gmail.com and you can also follow the club on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
COMMUNITY RESPONSE
Your Community is here to help. If you need any help whether you are self isolating, ill or cannot get out for the essentials please call Ciara Perks at 087 6380155 or the Community Call Helpline 1800 868 399 and we will get you the help and support you need.