Rest in Peace, dear Essie.

CHURCH NEWS:

Last Sunday, we remembered the anniversary of Rhona Kiely. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hAnam dilís.

Baptisms: Congratulations and welcome to two new babies who were baptised after Sunday Mass. We had Alex John Noonan, second son of Brendan Noonan & Mairead Walsh, Kilmore. Ryan Craig Baker, second son of Lisa & Danny Baker, Graigacurra.

Easter Ceremonies Granagh: Holy Thursday - 7.30pm; Good Friday - 3pm; Easter Sunday - 10.30am:

Ballingarry, Holy Saturday - 9pm.

Thought for the Week: Your Trócaire Box donation will make the difference of a lifetime this Lent:

CHOMHBHRÓN:

We offer our deepest sympathy to the family of Essie Chawke (née O'Grady), who passed peacefully on the 21st, in the exceptional care of her daughter Siobhán & family in Portumna. Predeceased by her husband Richie, son Richie, siblings Peggy Sheehy, Paddy O'Grady, May Byrnes and Annie Keating.

Deeply regretted by her son Pat, daughters Marie (Bennett), Siobhán (Tuohy) & Esther (Hickey), sister Kitty O'Shaughnessy, daughters-in-law Carmel & Bridget, sons-in-law John, John & Joe, grandchildren Paul, Aoife, Brian, Kevin, Ailish, Olivia, David, Seán, Billy, Pádraic, Martin, Clodagh & Leanne, great-grandchildren Conor, Cillian, Kayleigh, Caoimhe & Séimí, nieces, nephews, relatives & friends.

Essie was reposed at O'Grady's Funeral Home and was received into St.Joseph's Church by Bishop John Fleming, on Palm Sunday evening. Requiem Mass was concelebrated on Monday by Fr. Tom and Fr. John Duggan, with burial afterwards in the local cemetery.

Fondly known as the queen of the parish, Essie passed away quietly from us, to her eternal reward, in her 97th year. She was always travelling, visiting family, so when she attended Granagh mass, there was usually a queue to get to talk to her. She loved the chat, enquiring about all the family, babies, who was doing what & would usually be last to leave the Church grounds. She was a dedicated reader of The Observer so knew all about the local happenings.

Her grandson Paul spoke at Mass and described her as devout, determined, proud, independent, resilient, witty and maybe a little bit stubborn.! She loved day trips with friends, pilgrimages, family occasions and get-togethers. Making conversation & connections was her gift so both young and old were drawn to her. No doubt this partly stemmed from her career as a nurse, and she was one of the first nurses to work in the new regional hospital in 1955. On night duty, at that time, one nurse and a sister were in charge of three wards on three different floors, no lifts either ! She also worked in Croom Maternity Hospital and Paul noted that an Rip condolences came from one of the babies she delivered, 71 years ago !! Her caring nature and genuine interest in people was reflected in the large numbers attending the removal and funeral. A truly beautiful lady who will be dearly missed but never forgotten, by family & friends. As Bishop Fleming commented, " the old order has passed away ". I measc na Naofa go mbeidh sí I gcónaí.

DAFFODIL DAY:

Mary Morrissey would like to express her thanks to all who supported her annual Daffodil Day, last Sunday.

Thanks to the many volunteers who catered for the teas, wrote up raffle tickets, provided fabulous cakes & pastries, donated raffle prizes and supplied daffodils. It's a day of hope and solidarity, with everyone affected by cancer.

Total lodged so far, €3,459.00. Door Prizes - Maureen Toomey. John Cronin & Jane O'Connell, Ballingarry.

First prize in the main Raffle, a Mustard Seed Voucher, went to Caroline Lenihan. Other Winners;- Alicia Kiely, Eileen Twomey, Annette Burke, Marie McMahon, Tom & Marie O'Connor, Peter Morrissey, Catherine Maguire, Norina & Vera Sheehan, Margaret Kelly, Liam Boyce, Lil O'Brien, Eda Noonan, Jack Hennessy, Breda Fitzgibbon, Aileen Murphy, Colm Birmingham, Joe Carroll, Gerard Burke, Tom O'Regan, Helen O'Mahony, Kathleen Toomey, Trisha O'Neill, Mary Carroll, Mike O'Regan, Dolores Chawke, Patsy Power, Anne O'Rourke, Bridget Morrissey, Fergus Daly, Karen O'Donoghue, Mary Burke & Eileen Power. Míle buíochas do gach duine.

TRÓCAIRE - LENT:

Friday 22nd was World Water Day & it really didn't matter to us, because we have plenty... how Lucky we are.

Not long ago in Malawi, Charles inherited a small plot of land from his parents. In an amazing act of generosity, he gave full use of it to his community for an irrigation scheme. Here, more than half of the people live in poverty – and climate change often means floods and drought in a single season. Sadly, the diesel-run water pumps were out of reach to fuel and to maintain, and his community had to haul water to survive.

But thanks to your donations, a local Trócaire partner helped Charles and his community install three water boreholes with solar pumps that needed only sunlight to run. “Water is now pumped up from 50 metres underground, even in times of drought. Sixty households from seven different villages now benefit. People are growing crops to sell at market and for their own consumption. This gives them the means to pay school fees for children... afford bicycles for transport... women have funds to start and run their own small businesses... and families can buy and care for livestock such as goats that provide milk, meat, and income, and a better and more balanced diet.” The power of the Trócaire box.

DID YOU KNOW:

25th Mar:- 1635 - Hailstones, with stones as large as four inches, is reported in Offaly; a hen is killed & a woman injured.

26th, Mar, 1969:- "Marcus Welby, M.D.", debuts as a TV movie in the US.

27th Mar,1980:- Mount St. Helens erupts.

28th Mar,2017:- World's largest dinosaur footprint at 1.7 metres found in Western Australia.

29th Mar,1873: - Peig Sayers, Blasket Island storyteller, is born in Dunquin.

30th Mar,1867:- U.S.A. Buys Alaska for $7.2 million.

31st Mar,1952: - Birth of comedian Dermot Morgan in Dublin.