Mullinahone.net

The twins have been looked after at home by their parents and family since their earliest days. In recent years Mark and Tamara have attended special school in Cashel.

While Ann and Jimmy have received great assistance in caring for the twins, they themselves have invested countless hours in looking after both Mark and Tamara and making them part, indeed if not the centre, of the family.
Mark was waked in the family home in Fethard Street during Friday and his remains were conveyed from the house on Saturday morning to St Michael's church, where the Mass of the angels was celebrated by Fr John McGrath PP Mullinahone. He was assisted by Fr Christy O'Dwyer, Dean of Cashel. Mass, and, before that, removal to St Michaels was well attended by family, neighbours and friends as was the subsequent burial.

At Mass the lessons were read by Marks family, as was the responsorial psalm. The readers were brothers Jamie and Andrew and sister Linda. The offertery gifts were presented by his mother Ann, his father Jimmy and his brothers and sister. The prayers of the faithful were recited by family, extended family and friends.

On a poignant note one of the prayers recited was for neighbour Lisa Ryan, who was being married later that day.
After the Mass of the angels, the funeral cortege made its way to St Michael's cemetery, Killaghy for the burial. This part of the ceremony was also very well attended.

During the burial ceremony, a number of white balloons were released. As these made their way into the sky one could not but think of little Mark making his way to join the angels.
To his parents Ann and Jimmy, to his brothers Jamie and Andrew, to his sisters Linda and Tamara, to his grandparents and to the extended family we extend our sympathy. May the soul of Mark McGrath rest in peace.
Two years ago, Mark and his sister Tamara were confirmed with the last group to be confirmed in Mullinahone. Now on the eve of another confirming in Mullinahone Mark has gone to become one of the angels. Ar dheis Dé go raibh sé.

 

EASTER CEREMONIES – The Easter ceremonies are almost upon us and included in them are preparations for Confirmation in Mullinahone on Tuesday April 17. In preparation was a ceremony of light in St Michael's church on Sunday night which was well attended.
The Easter ceremonies proper begin with a Penitential service this Sunday evening, Palm Sunday, April 1 at 7pm. Visiting clergy will be in attendance on the following Wednesday evening, Spy Wednesday April 4, we will have Mass and service of the anointing of the sick at 8pm. On Holy Thursday evening, April 5, again at 8pm we have Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper.
On Good Friday, April 6, at 3pm we will have the celebration of the Lord's Passion and at 8pm we will have the Stations of the Cross. On Holy Saturday April 7 we have the Easter Vigil ceremonies and Mass of the Resurrection. This ceremony will begin at 8pm. Masses on Easter Sunday will be at the usual times 9.30am and 11.30am.

 

BIN COLLECTION – The new-style refuse collection, provided for us by South Tipperary County Council, is now coming to the end of its third month. Back in 2006 we had a collection every second week of (a) recyclables in clear plastic bags and (b) non-recycables in wheelie bins. To be collected, both sacks and wheelie bins had to have special tags or stickers. Last January a new system of payment was introduced for the wheelie bins. These were no longer tagged but they had been microchipped and were now weighed each time they were collected. We now had to pay by weight for our wheelie bin collection after each three month period.
Our first by-weight bills are due out in early April, the system having been in operation since January. How are the two systems to compare in price? We'll soon know.
Under the old system our wheelie bins could have been collected 6/7 times at most during the 13 weeks. Each lift used to cost e7 so if your refuse by weight bill comes in between e42-e49 then you are winning. However if you put out your wheelie bin every second time (every 4 weeks) then you would have spent only around e20 so you would be expecting your bill to be that low. Of course anyone who throws in a few cement blocks to keep the wheelie bin steady is in for a bit of a shock.
A number of people don't have wheelie bins so they don't pay the service charge of e225. The payment of the service charge entitles one to (a) wheelie bin collection (b) recyclables collection but raises an interesting query re recyclables collection and who is entitled to avail of it? Does your recycables sticker contain a service charge element?

 

LOCAL LOTTO – The local lotto jackpot was not won when the draw took place on Tuesday night March 20 due to the bank holiday. The numbers drawn were 2, 3, 4, and 22. We did however have two match-3 winners who shared e150. Congratulations to Mary Kenny and Kitty Doheny. Next draw will be on Monday when the jackpot could be worth e4,550. As this will be the last draw before Easter it would be an Easter Egg well worth winning.

 

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST – The St Michael's NS play held on Thursday night, March 15, was a wonderful success. The school hall was packed out with parents, supporters and well wishers as pupils from all classes took to the stage. The play Beauty and the Beast was written by drama teacher Jason Paul Ryan of Callan. Jason holds drama classes in Callan and would welcome new talent from Mullinahone into his group. He can be contacted at 085 7705239.
The play was loosely based on the fairy story Beauty and the Beast but included borrowed segments from The Wizard of Oz and indeed other fables.

 

The programme is a virtual who's who in Mullinahone so we'll only mention a half dozen or so of the leading characters. Killian Skorka was the Beast. His rival Gaston was Luke Mullally while the object of their affections Belle was Kerrie Lawlor. Le Fou was Sean Walzer. Pots was Michaela Reilly. Lumi was Fiona Fennelly while Cogs was Tom Sawyer. For further details do consult a most informative programme.

The newly erected stage came in for much praise. This was the work of KHS Tommy Sullivan and Michael Scott. It is a portable stage and is capable of being erected into various sizes. I am informed that the stage is the net result of NIB Kilkenny awarding the school e1,500 towards a drama project.
Huge congratulations to all the teachers and pupils. Thanks also to all the sponsors from the school itself. No doubt like St Patrick's flame on Slane the spirit of drama will take root over the years in the young people of Mullinahone. "From little acorns great oak trees grow".

 

2006 SECOND HALF – The first edition of the July newsletter contained a note from church and school cleaner Maureen Lanigan and her family thanking the parish for their kindness at the time of her husband Tom's death. The summer priests collection was about to take place. Our under-21 hurlers won the South Tipperary title, defeating Moyle Rovers 1-16 to 2-11 in Carrick while Mullinahone began the defence of their intermediate football title against Ballyporean. The format of the parish newsletter changed to portrait the following week as the newsletter began year 5.

The death took place of Paddy Culleton, brother of George, in Seven Acres. Macra na Feirme advertised "Know your neighbour" weekend. The community said goodbye to community care nurse Joan Woodlock and welcomed her replacement Aisling Byrne. Ann Marie Knox, Ballydonnell and Stephen Patterson, Boherlahan got married. Mullinahone GAA annual golf classic was advertised and our minor hurlers began their campaign with a draw against Ballingarry.
No traces locally of an unwanted copy of James Maher's Romantic Slievenamon. Vincent Doheny represented Tipperary in Cork in the Munster intermediate hurling final.

The next issue had a blitz of weddings Maurice Hickey and Marie Hale, Catherine Comerford and James Noonan, Fiona Brett and Brian O'Rourke and Patrick O'Gorman and Catherine Kelly. All local names first.
Our minors drew their second game in a row in hurling and won their football semifinal. Fifty years previous Mick Donovan formerly of Mullinahone had played in some famous victories with Carlow in the Leinster minor championship. In the last issue of the month the spate of weddings continued. Barbara Luttrell married Padraig Kavanagh, Mairead White married Noel Leahy and Olive O'Brien married Thomas Neeson.

The death took place of Mamie McCormack formerly Killaghy while the Anner Players were booked to take Willie Egan's The Winter of 69 went to the Watergate. Mullinahone prepared to face up to Killenaule in the South Tipperary hurling final.