KILLAVULLEN

REOPENING OF SCHOOLS

Last Monday saw the reopening of our two parish schools for juniors, seniors, and first and second classes. The sights and sounds of children making their way to school and playing, seeing cars doing drop of and collections is a sign of great hope for us all for better days to come. Best wishes to the children and to the dedicated staff of Ballygown NS and Killavullen NS for a safe and healthy return to school. All going well on a national basis the rest of the children will be returning to school on March 15.

Leaving Cert students have also returned to school. We wish them and their teachers every good wish for their remaining weeks at school.

BALLYGOWN AND KILLAVULLEN NS

Enrolments for new pupils are now being accepted at Ballygown and Killavullen National Schools. For further information visit killavullenns.ie or ballygown. ie and click on the ‘admissions’ tab for more information on the procedure.

LIDL TOKENS FOR LADIES’ FOOTBALL.

Killavullen Ladies’ Football Club are asking for your help. If you do your shopping in LIDL you can download the LIDL PLUS APP to your phone and take part in their new campaign which may secure a new set of jerseys for our girls. Any time you spend €30 or more and scan the app you will get a digital stamp. Once you have six stamps you can submit them and select Killavullen as the club you wish to support.

It would be a great help to the club and a new set of jerseys would be a great saving on expenditure in the year ahead. There is only a short time for this promotion so the club would appreciate all the support they can get from anybody who wants to support this campaign.

You can do your shopping in any LIDL store, once you select Killavullen Ladies’ Football Club as your chosen team they will be given your stamps. This is a great way to encourage support from family and friends who are not even in the area, a way of connecting in a time when we are apart. Go raibh maith agaibh.

BE ALERT

CASH AT HOME - Thieves and burglars love nothing better than cash. It is therefore important to observe the following: Do not keep large amounts of cash in your home. Use banks, building societies, credit unions, post offices etc. Mallow Credit Union and the post office in Castletownroche are open six days a week for you to lodge or withdraw money as you need it. Keep all credit/ debit cards in a secure location as well as financial statements, records etc. Out-of-date cards should be destroyed. When out and about, avoid carrying large sums of money.

SCAMS - Be alert to con artists. Don’t fall for anything that sounds too good to be true. Do not give out personal information over the phone unless you know whom you are talking to. This also applies to internet communication. Do not give out your credit/debit card, bank account, social welfare numbers etc. to anyone over the phone, unless it is a trusted transaction e.g. grocery shopping in a local shop, prepaying at a pharmacy etc. Do not leave old and no longer relevant financial statements lying around. Be wary of bogus trades people calling to your door and advising you that your roof needs to be repaired, gutters are blocked and need to be cleared, trees need to be felled etc.

HOME SECURITY - Fit a door viewer and a door chain/limiter. These will allow you to safely check callers and retain control over security. Front and rear doors and windows should be kept locked day and night. Keep a list of emergency numbers that you can refer to quickly, if required, e.g. family, neighbours, Gardaí, medical or fire service. Keep a Personal Information Pack in your fridge (Age Action Ireland, tel: 01 4756989, for further information). Keep your postcode near your phone and also make sure your family or near contacts know it in case of emergency.

MEALS ON WHEELS

Mallow Meals on Wheels can provide a hot meal with either soup or a dessert Monday to Saturday for €5 per day to anybody in our parish, who may wish to continue to avail of this service or for new people who may wish to get a hot meal delivered daily. A cooled meal can also be delivered on Saturday which can be put straight into the fridge to be heated up on Sunday. During this pandemic the meals will be delivered to Killavullen and our Willing Hands Group are only too happy to help deliver them to those who have signed up. All our volunteers are discreet and do not want people to let pride get in the way of this amazing service. Please pass this information onto those you have contact with who may benefit from it. If you would like more information please contact Sheila at 085 2414879 for details.

CHURCH NEWS

PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL: If you are self-isolating and need help with picking up shopping, a friendly phone-call posting mail or urgent supplies then call the parish office (022 46578) and a local member of the pastoral council will contact you to assist.

Level 5 Restrictions have been imposed on church activities till a review of the situation is expected. The Irish Bishops are appealing to the civil authorities to allow a limited reopening of our spacious, well-sanitized and well ventilated churches, for regular, simple and short Masses. Public Masses are permitted in almost all other countries at this time. In the meantime, Mass will continue to be offered for your intentions in private. Churches will be open for personal visits, but public worship in groups is not permitted with the exception of the following: =95 Baptisms: attended by the immediate family only. =95 Weddings: six guests can attend. =95 Funerals: can be attended by 10 mourners only. When making a private or household visit to either church please sanitize your hands on entering and exiting and wear a face mask at all times.

Mass is broadcast live every day at RTÉ News Now TV at 10.30 a.m. On every second Sunday, Mass is broadcast at 11 a.m. on RTÉ TV One; on the other Sunday it is found on RTÉ News Now at 2.15 p.m. The readings of the day are found at the parish website: killavullenparish.ie.

PARISH BUILDINGS: The recent wet weather has revealed the ongoing issue of dampness in our churches, especially at Annakisha. The problem is not a specific leak, but seepage into the walls from rainfall, that finds its way inwards to eventually become indoor humidity. The moisture cannot egress due to the cement pointing in the external stonework. Conservation engineers have identified as a solution a return to the building method used when the church was constructed, that of a lime-based mortar pointing. This allows the walls to ‘breathe’ naturally. One of the gable walls has already been restored in this manner. The cost of applying the solution to the remaining parts of the building was estimated at €150,000 in 2019. The parish must realise this sum in its accounts before the work can proceed.

SAD DEATH OF OWEN O’NEILL

Owen O’Neill, of Ballingurrane, died last weekend. To his wife, Norma, sons, Eddie and Owen, Daughters-in-law, Katie and Fiona, and to his grandchildren, Dara, Conor, Eabha, Lauren and Emma, we offer our deepest condolences on their immense loss.

Owen was a founding member of the juvenile club in Killavullen GAA in 1979. A man of immense drive and determination, he along with the late John Beechinor, Michael Linehan, Ballygriffin and others had the where with all, to see that Killavullen had the numbers within its midst to have a team of their own in that year, the year when the Pope came to Ireland.

While occasionally Killavullen had fielded teams in their own name before then, they had been unable to sustain the interest, and had faded away, but not since 1979 has that, had reason to happen, and for Owen, we are so grateful.

A native of Castlemagner, who came to Killavullen to take up the running of his uncle’s farm, in Ballingurrane, Owen worked hard, got up early and got through an amount of work, in the day. He believed football should be played the same way, backs were backs, and defended the goals, and forwards ran freely about the place, but scored. To play football for Owen you had to be fit, and determined, and brave, and loyal, yet, he endeared himself to all the teams that he was involved with. How could you question the work ethic demanded by Owen of his players, when he put in all that, and more himself.

A great neighbour to those who lived close to him, a great supporter of Killavullen GAA, a juvenile chairman at one stage, in the 1980s and a firm, decisive and uncompromisingly fair umpire, when his friend Dave Mellerick was a referee of renown, and then also with Noel Brosnan, another accomplished referee.

Owen was great company to be with, you knew where he stood on the matters of the day, on politics, and his lifelong allegiance to the Fianna Fail party, on government, on television personalities, and sport.

We thank you, Owen for all that you done, for Killavullen GAA Club, we are truly better for your involvement. rest in peace.