Monday, November 25, 2013

Yet another blow to Muskateers

My better half (and you better believe it ) has suffered the sad loss of the very last sibling of her mother's side,the Heffernans,with the death of her aunt  Alice Loughlin of Frome,Summerset,England in her 95th year.She did not suffer for long,thank God.
I understand that she emigrated over 70 years ago from Tipperary to Frome.She outlived her husband by many years and is survived by a number of children and grandchildren ,about more of which anon.
She graced Dunderry when she was able to travel a number of years ago and stayed with us for a short visit.
For many years now my better half has sent her weekly a copy of the Tipperary Star,which she avidly looked forward to.Bernie Flanagan very kindly orders it weekly for us to transmit over, a tradition we will keep up for my wife#s sister Dolores,who also emigrated from Tipp to FRome and who like myself is burning a drop of diesel.
Herself is heading over for the funeral.
We mourn her death as no matter what age you are there is no convenient time time to die.
Ar Dheis De go raibh a hAnam Dilis.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Extraordinary Generosity of Dunderry Massgoers.

At the four Masses celebrated by Father Hornick in Dunderry,Robinstown and KIlbride last weekend he most generously forsook the usual Sunday Mass collection for the upkeep of the Parish Churches ,Schools and clergy and dedicated it to the displaced people of the Philippines and Syria instead.
The Mass goers responded with the sort of  Christian charity which is indicative of their Faith by stumping up the sum of E 3,024.00.
 I think  that about 37 % of Parishioners attend Mass regularly ,maybe 600 people men,women and children. This level of charity is ,in these austere times, laudable.
Were this level of Christian charity matched by those who sneer at ,deride, criticise and belittle practising Catholics in the Parish and indeed  countrywide  these worthy causes would benefit hugely.
A frustrated scribe called Liam Fay ,who sneers for the Irish Independent ,has described  a Catholic Priest ,who advocates for the right to life of the unborn as a "sky pilot".
Now Liam ,let us see how good well you and your fellow sneers can do in helping such charitable causes ,or is sneering and belittling your sole stock in trade ?
Through out a short and interesting life I have found that an empty vessels  makes the most noise and that actions speak louder than words.
So buala bos again to the Mass goers of Dunderry Parish Churches ,no matter where they live.



Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Immoral Medics contemptible

Just a few short months ago the masters of the Maternity Hospitals lectured us all an the ethics of abortion.Those who favour it left those opposed in no doubt that they regarded them as idiots.I thought to myself at the time that some of these people were so dismissive of other similarly qualified medics of opposing views that an unborn baby, who has no voice at all in the world of the womb raiders, would have no chance  of putting his case even if anyone was interested in taking up the cudgels on his behalf.
Abortion ,in the instance where there is no immediate threat to the life of the mother is largely a matter of morality and ethics.
The recent disclosure that some of these people are taking top up payments on top of their well paid salaries (these top up payments alone are many times the Welfare payment that many unfortunate unemployed people receive) reveals yet again the contempt that these people hold for those less fortunate than themselves.
The untrammeled greed they display in these austere times when many decent and less well off people are facing the emigrant boat at best and eviction,illness and suicide  at worst, displays a total lack of morality and contempt for others and a total absence of community  solidarity.
Given their total lack of judgement  and outrageous greed in such a basic  arena as a maternity hospital totally disqualifies them from  attempting to pronounce on such a moral and ethic subject  as the deliberate taking of life in any meaningful way.
Put another way.;if they are so greedy and morally deficient in  this area they have no right to lecture anyone else on matters affecting life and death.
I recently saw that these masters of the universe will force pregnant smokers who are incarcerated in their hospitals to decamp to the streets for a smoke and one at least will enforce a policy of zero tolerance.
Surely these people ,now that the financial cat is out of the bag ,will have the moral conviction to do the decent thing and resign.
And surely a Minister,under whose watch  the general public are in dread of going to hospitals for fear of infection ,will treat his colleagues as severely as he treats mature smokers who he is so clearly persecuting.
But no and don't hold your breath.The contempt will live on.And the masters of the universe,where greed is most definitely not limited by gender,will continue to lecture and bully and dictate.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Muskateers in deep mourning.

Muskateers Liam (Dalton ) and Deirdre (Clynch ) missed these last two Friday;s prayer  sessions.I figured but did not intrude into the reasons ,as I guessed that his aged mother and her aunt in law  was unwell.
And so it panned out.
This venerable and aged lady died recently in her 97th year.Not a bad age.
She was well until very recently and was sick only briefly.
I know that there is no convenient time to die and am mindful that Queen Victoria is reputed to have  said "my Kingdom for just three minutes more."
This lady led an exemplary life and I have little doubt but that she has already  passed through the Pearly Gates.
She suffered the loss of her husband Peter and her other son Paul during her long life but there remains  to celebrate her good life a son of the highest integrity in Liam and his wife Marie and grand daughters Edel,Annemarie,Mairead,Louise and Sharon and four great grandchildren,as well as a very decent coterie of relatives including the aforementioned Deirdre and her husband and children ,who are neighbours as well as relatives.
Robinstown Church was packed tonight for her arrival there.
Tomorrow Wednesday 13th November her funeral Mass will be held in Robinstown at 1.00 p.m.with funeral afterwards to Dunderry Cemetery,
Ar Dheis De go raibh a hAnam Dilis,

Monday, November 11, 2013

Minor Silverware arrives in Dunderry.

Pairc Tailteann is a big place for adults,never mind juveniles and there is no hiding place.Anyone who played there knows that.It is especially big for thirteen a side teams,which is the norm for the Div.5 .M.F.C.,where we met Nobber in the Final last Sunday.
T'was cold enough but the pitch was immaculate.
I can only take my hat off to a young female steward who was kindness itself to yours truly,a total contrast to the behaviour witnessed in the Vodaphone shop in Trim a fortnight ago (see article "Bullied etc in Trim,"in earlier blog).Faith in human nature fully restored.
From the  go we had an exciting contest between two well matched teams who tried to the bitter end and who were only separated by a point after 70 minutes of intense football.
I suppose our more prominent players are Luke Martyn and Mark Kane.Both ooze potential in this grade and both excelled.To be fair both their markers were no daws either and both had their hands full ,but both contributed massively to our cause.
No one man wins a match on his own and the supporting cast gave it their all (and more) in pursuit of the laurels.Nobber forged ahead in the early play and coming up to half time we were in trouble .But a scoring burst in the run in to half time when Lukie lent  his considerable support to the attack  gave us hope.
On the resumption Nobber forged ahead again and with ten to go were ,if memory serves right ,six points ahead and looked comfortable.but Kane was still using his speed and accuracy to advantage and splitting the posts and Brady was playing the way his father used to,that is going only in one direction; forward.
Daly and Casey minor made up for their lack of bulk by playing cleverly and passing to better placed and stronger colleagues..Clarke was playing a Captain's part and winning his share of possession.ably assisted by Leonard.
Gradually we clawed our way back into contention and drew lever with  five to go.
Nobber stepped on the gas again and gallant defending was called for.Conor Dempsey and Aaron Feeney (a chip off the old block Tommy) stepped up o the mark but for me the man who really rose to the occasions was first half sub ,Cillian Conway,who not once,nor twice but thrice put in telling tackles and brave interceptions which negated sure scoring chances for a confident Nobber team.Cometh the hour cometh the man.
Mc Cabe,whose great grand uncle in the 1880's was the first Dunderry man to play in an All Ireland Senior football final did his part  and Dowdall dug deep,
Casey major made intelligent use of his kick outs and it is a tribute to his backs that he was rarely called on to make saves,
With the teams level at full time an extra 20 minutes (10 each half ) commenced.Fortunes swayed first one way and then the other and mentors Mitchell,Casey,Hickey and Dowdall and trainer Fitzie,,rang the changes using substitutes to full  advantage and we snuck it by a point in the end on a scoreline of 3-14 to 1-19,the subs, fully justifying their selection to a man.
Team was.
                                                               A,Casey
C.Dempsey (0-2)                                                                 A.Feeney

C Harten                                      L.Martyn                          R,Mc Cabe,

                                  C.Leonard                    S.Clarke,

M.Dowdall  (1-1)                               M.Kane (0-8.3 frees )         J.Brady (0-2)

E Daly                                                                                          P.Casey.

Subs used.C.Conway.A .Walsh.(1-0),C.Lawless.P.Hickey,T.O.Conaire  
The attendance stayed fully transfixed  to the end and Clarke made a brief but well modulated acceptance speech
I.n truth no team deserved to lose,but take it we will.And did.
A bonfire blazed in the centre of the Village afterwards but someone rang the fire brigade.Political correctness gone mad.Who will get the bill?
Such are the times we live in.No joy allowed.

              

Monday, November 4, 2013

A surfeit of scores for Dunderry u 21's

5-29 we racked up against a hapless Wolfe Tones this weekend.We won that hurling match and play Longwood in the final.My heart went out to Father Heaney's brother and the other Tones mentors .The former has been preaching the hurling Gospel for a long lifetime and this must hurt him.I'd say he holds some kind of record.More luck to him.
Our boys didn't rub it in and emptied the bench to give them a chance.
Longwood deservedly beat us in the under 21 football championship a few weeks ago and will expect to do the same in the Hurling Final.
We won't get 5-29 but have a fair team and will be all out as this is our last chance of adult silverware.
To auld lads like me it is sacrilege to be beaten  in Football by a recognised hurling power like Longwood.With a much lesser population we won three under 21 football championships proper in the 1990s ,as a Dunderry man in exile in the States recently  reminded me.
God be with the days.
Our Minor footballers did what our Junior B 's couldn't do and beat Boardsmill last Friday.I missed the match but am informed they played well.Nobber awaits us in this Div,5 Final.They already beat us this year  but we were short then.We have a chance.
Our Junior Camogie Team went down against a more experienced Kildalkey Intermediate Team in the League Final in Boardsmill last Sunday.They led for much of the game but were caught and just about passed in a thrilling finale.
No shame in this defeat and with the junior Championship in the bag it was a season to be proud of.
The team was.

Back to the one Muskateer .

Just mise last Friday.I'd say that Leo and Carmel were minding the pub,what with Fiacra and Leanne on the honeymoon,No word yet on Liam and Deirdre.
With the realisation that the barbarity of Love/Hate is dwarfed by the real life dismemberment of a human being in Blanchardstown it is clear that evil and its proponents are on the march.
The atheist and anti Christian bigots who dominate the media  and facilitate the anti life  agenda must be pleased.
No doubt the Catholic clerics who speak out against this type of thing are no more than "sky pilots" as the" Independent" scribe resident in Leitrim so sneeringly labelled a Catholic Priest who committed the "sin" of standing up for the defenceless preborn.
Yep you gets what you pay for.
I hope we get what I pray for.The beat goes on.