Special surprise for Éabha on Grandparents Day in St Fursey’s NS
One pupil received a big and happy surprise at grandparents day in Saint Fursey’s School on Wednesday January 30.
This special day in the school calendar marking the very important role played by grandparents, will not be forgotten in a hurry by especially Éabha Corrigan whose grandmother Peggy Holohan travelled all the way from London to be with her and join in the festivities. It is an occasion for the young and the old to share their experiences and memories of school days, and doubtless for grandparents generates not a little nostalgia.
Éabha is pictured with Peggy Holohan who was delighted to travel home. She is originally from Longford, and immigrated to London where she met Éabha’s grandfather from Kilkenny in the ‘Galtymore dance hall’ where Irish people gathered and socialised.
There are photographs also of other happy grandparents and their grandchildren.
Over 150 grandparents turned up among the attendance of over 300 people for the event organised as part of Catholic Schools Week.
The grandparents travelled from near and far, and were proudly shown the children’s artwork and treated to specially prepared performances from them.
Mass was celebrated in the Geraldines function room by Father Brian White CC and Deacon Dermot Clarke. The guests were served refreshments providing an opportunity to relax and talk and swap stories about their own school days.
The staff and pupils of Saint Fursey’s N.S are already looking forward to next years celebrations.
The event underlines the valuable part that grandparents play in grandchildren’s lives. With work and lifestyles changing so much they are very active in rearing and minding them, with in a lot of instances both parents required to work, often quite a distance from home.
In some instances pupils might not have grandparents or they live quite far from the school. Pupils can invite along a relative/s in their place.
Some of the other grandparents pictured with their grandchildren:
Cormac Cranny and his grandmother Adamar Katie and Emma Begley with their grandmothers Helen Martin with her granddaughter Holly Holly Tuite with her grandfather Took part in peace proms.
PeaceProms
Saint Fursey’s School choir took part once again in the Peace Proms. This entailed a trip to the RDS on Sunday, February 3.
The choir is now under the direction of Ashling Brennan whose mother Mary was in charge of the choir for years and for their previous appearances in this cross border project.
The choir comprises over 40 young pupils, and greatly enhances many social and formal as well as liturgical occasions, such as Confirmation and Holy Communion with their beautiful singing.
Saint Francis National School choir also performed at the concert in the RDS on Sunday, February 3.
Paddy’s got talent
In these parts we don’t need to know that Paddy Ward has got talent. Down the years young and old have been accustomed to watching with awe and being hugely entertained by Paddy’s magic and huge array of tricks as he performed readily in public or just among friends and acquaintances in a social setting.
These performances, many impromptu, were on his frequent visits to his brother Brian and his family, and left his audiences spellbound.
But that was no surprise as Paddy has been recognised as one of the foremost practitioners of magic and also a conjuror of the highest calibre in the country and within the profession has received the highest acclaim.
Now in his eighties Paddy appeared in RTE’s ‘Ireland’s Got Talent’ show on Saturday night, and viewing figures in these parts would be high as he has a big support in his native Dundalk and lots of admirers for his talent, as well as being a highly popular and friendly personality.
Spacersnearly ready
Spacers are a new group, comprised of several stage performers and those involved in the theatre from the parish.
The Group derived their name from their first stage production ‘The Space’, which they put on in the Friary hall last October 12 months to much acclaim.
Now they are close to finishing preparations and rehearsals for their next play
‘It’s the Real McCoy’, a three act comedy by Tommy Marren which they also are to perform in the Friary hall on three nights next month from Thursday 7 to Saturday March 9.
It has been heralded as one of the funniest plays in decades. The story centres on Madge Molloy – a woman in her mid-60’s – who has lived over forty years of her life wondering why her husband Tom, whom she was married to for just five months, disappeared without trace. She was left to rear her only daughter Maura on their small farm and she has become bitter about men in general!
However, the arrival of a new curate to the parish – Fr. Michael McCoy - is about to throw light on the circumstances surrounding Tom’s mysterious disappearance. Will Madge Molloy have her revenge or is love about to conquer!
Linus to reseek party nomination
Local man Linus English is to seek to contest the May local elections for Fine Gael and to try to regain the seat he previously held on Louth County Council.
He was nominated by the local branch to go before the party selection convention next Monday in the Crowne Plaza Hotel for endorsement .
He served on Louth County Council from June 2011 to May 2014. He took over from Jim D’arcy on the latter entering the Senate.
He received 405 first preferences votes in the 2014 election when he stood in the Dundalk South electoral area before being eliminated on the eight counts.
What’sanother year?
What’s another year? So the song asked. Well for young aspiring local gaelic football players hopefully it will mean lots of fun and making plenty of new friends and creating of happy memories on the ladder to becoming performers of varying distinction in the game.
The Geraldines offered the first step on the ladder for budding potential stars of the future on Friday night, when they held their annual registration night for young boys and girls in the parish.