A Glimmer of Sunshine:

CHURCH NEWS:

Last Sunday, we remembered the anniversaries of Patrick Leahy and Donal Scanlon. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a nAnamnacha dilís.

Baptism: Congratulations to Aimee McCarthy and Johnny Jordan who baptised their little girl Isabelle at the weekend.

Thought for the week: Speak to be understood, Listen to understand. (Pat Falvey).

GIVE BLOOD:

Wed, Thur, 24th, 25th Apr: at the Longcourt Hotel Newcastle West V42 TD72.

This is an appointment based clinic, please call 1800 222 111 to book. They recommend that you have eaten something and have had plenty of cold drinks.

CONGRATULATIONS:

At the recent Sustainable Grassland Farmer of the year awards, Michael Carroll, Coolruss was joint winner of the nutrient management category. The awards recognise the best grassland farmers in the country, who are growing & utilising more grass on their farms. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D. presented the awards last Thursday, at the Teagasc Ballyhaise Agricultural College. He congratulated all the winners and said they can be very proud of their achievements. Chair of the Grass10 committee, John McNamara, also mentioned the families who are so important in the running of successful farms, so Martin & Mary, take a bow.

PARISH MEETING:

Granagh Dev. Assoc will be calling a parish meeting to discuss the future of the Parochial House. The house appeared on our agenda in 2019 & a small sub-committee have been working on the project since then. Summary of project as follows. July '21, the Diocesan Finance Committee decided that the house should be sold. Sept '21 a meeting with the local Property Subcommittee & the Limerick Diocesan Finance Committee was held. Results - a stay on the decision to sell the house & the GDA should be given the opportunity to explore community development possibilities for both house and site. The Diocese would consider a two year lease to allow GDA to plan this development, with the possibility of purchase at the end of the lease. A parish survey was undertaken in Dec '21. Feasibility study completed in June'23. Meeting with the Bishop in Mar '24. Now, the sub-committee has concluded their job and the parish has to decide the following; (1) Will we apply to Limk Co. Co to include us in the next round of funding i.e. Limk Co. Co. will purchase the house and lease it back to the community.?

(2) Will the Granagh community purchase the parochial house as a community asset.?

(3) Will we just allow the Diocese to sell the parochial house.? Options 1& 2 will involve a parish committee being formed to take on the development of the parochial house & site, Granagh Dev cannot do this on their own.

EARTH DAY:

It was on Monday 22nd and what a beautiful day it was.! Earth Day is a global event which aims to highlight and remind us about the importance of protecting the environment. Changing habits a little at a time, as individuals we also contribute to warming emissions. Here are some things you can do to reduce your personal impact.

You can limit your impact by repairing minor faults in clothing rather than replacing them, donating rather than throwing away. It takes 3,781 litres of water to make one pair of jeans.!

On a day-to-day basis, switch off lights and appliances when not in use, turn down the heating.

Improving insulation in walls, ceilings and windows can reduce the loss of heat from our homes and the amount of energy needed to heat them.

Food waste - save money and reduce waste by making smaller portions and saving leftovers for later.

The world wastes between 25% and 30% of its food.

Plant some Irish wildflowers, which provide food and shelter for our pollinating insects, enabling them to survive and thrive. These insects play a vital role in pollinating crops, contributing to food production and ecosystem health.

DID YOU KNOW:

22nd Apr, 1969 - First human eye transplant performed.

23rd Apr, 1984 - Singer Marvin Gaye shot by his father.

24th Apr, 1990 - Space Shuttle Discovery launched the Hubble Space Telescope.

25th Apr, 2003 - Sinéad O’Connor announced her retirement from the music business.

26th Apr, 1998 - Catriona McKiernan becomes the first Irish woman to win the London Marathon.

27th Apr,1994 - Nelson Mandela voted as South African President.

28th Apr,1999 - Ireland's largest convoy packed with 200 tonnes of relief supplies for Kosovar refugees leaves Dublin for Albania.