Eily’s Report – 20th October

Dia is Mhuire díobh go léir a chairde, and welcome to my report.

Prayers were never so needed as we sink down further into the abyss that is Corona Virus. Prayer is a wonderful prop when there is nothing better to be had. From where I’m standing and looking back at the years that have gone, prayer was vitally important. If somebody, a family member, a neighbour, a friend’s friend was sick, perhaps waiting for an X-Ray result or facing an operation, then those close to her/him would engage in extra prayers, Novenas, Masses that the Good Lord would make them better. But this time it’s different, we are all in there. All in the same boat, needing so many different things for so many different people so the best thing for it is to have we all put our shoulders to the wheel, both for ourselves and for those around us. There is no need to be sad or morose about it.

 There is a very interesting article on our website at the moment,written by Daniel Daly, the new manager of our adult gym. I was struck by the angle he chose to get people to look after their health and well being. Most of us feel reluctant to exercise, go for a walk, go to the gym ,etc. (I even heard an up and coming athlete saying on TV last week that he hates the work that goes into keeping fit. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all be the right weight, the  proper everything, without having to work so hard  for it.  Daniel Daly says that first of all we should change our attitude towards the likes. Instead of pitifully saying ” S’pose I’ll have to go for my walk or a bout in the gym, or even take a shower.  To say, even to oneself, I’m off to the Park , I did one round yesterday, maybe I can do two today. I might meet someone and have a chat, social distance. Admire the Autumn colours. Always be on the look up, have a cheery word for all you meet, even from behind the mask. Have a healthy attitude which is good for body and soul.

This week we are sorry to hear of the death, in England of Teresa Murphy, formerly of the West End, Millstreet. Her parents Jeramiah and Sheila, (O Sullivan, from Cullen) Corcoran, were in the drapery business always. Earlier on at Minor Row, where Margaret Kelleher lives now. In my young days they moved to the other end of town where they bought a drapery business from the Griffin Family. There were three members in the Corcoran Family. Eileen,Teresa and Derry who was in my class when we were in the Presentation Convent Primary school, he  was later ordained a priest and worked in England. Teresa’s dad was better known as Darby, and  she was very often known as Teresa Darby.  She was a wonderful community person, never found wanting if there was a place to be filled in the staging of a local concert, or helping with the annual agricultural show in the Lawn (new called the Town Park) We had a great drama Group in town that time with lots of wonderful solo singers. John Joe Tangney, Tadg O Driscoll, Larry Moynihan, Liam Coffee, to name but a few.   I can still see the tall and austere Maurice Murray O’Callagan, as he took the stage with his striking rendition of,  that wonderful poem,   ‘The Green Eye of the little Yellow God’.  Abbey Murphy,Minor Row used to bring the house down with her funny recitations. Annie Looney, Church St. had the sweetest singing voice.  Rosie Todd was a legend in her own right, singing  songs like ‘The Teddy Bear’s Picnic’  to the sheer joy of the children in the audience.  For music they’d have Jerry Cavanagh, Billy O’Brien and John Sing. Concerts were held at the Cinema a few doors up from where Teresa lived and during Lent when there was a ban on dancing our drama group played to packed houses  every time.  They also staged many three act plays. There were about three families of the Kellehers (Brokers) and they all were all part of the scene as well as the Mary Hickey and her sisters Noreen and Joan. Mattie Owen O’Sullivan and his brother Denny Owen,who later became a TD, come to mind.   I’m sure other people reading this will be able to add more by way of names and memories, and that would be so welcome. But to return to Teresa, when her parents passed away,herself and Eileen ran the highly popular business,  Darby’s in the West End. It was the kind of place where you’d never fail to pick up something nice, often at the last minute.  Many of us when  we look at old photos today can still spot a little number that we got at Darby’s. Teresa married Paddy Murphy, Clara and they had two lovely daughters, Sheila and Helen.   When they retired their girls took both Teresa and Eileen to their home in England where they happily lived out their final days.

 In Closing I’d like to offer my deepest sympathy and that of the people of Millstreet to  Sheila, Helen and their children. May the lovely Teresa  along with her sister Eileen gently Rest in Peace.

Time is taking it’s toll on the Summer flowers, but it is amazing that when you clear away all that debris  the garden can still have a lot to offer. The Virginian Creeper is in full colour now and many other leafy plants are showing off the reds and russets. Golden privets are a great standby. Their bright yellows seem to get more intense when all the multicolours are die down.  We’ve had a great year in our gardens so far.  On the whole the weather was very pleasing. We got rain when we needed it and plenty of sunshine as well. I had a plentiful supply of rainwater the whole time and in gardening programs on TV they are always urging people to reserve rain water in order to spare our reservoirs.  One great plant which never seems to get its due reward is the Phormium and other plants of that ilk. They are composed entirely of leeks. Some are small, others large and I suppose the Cordyline is a member of the Phormium family. They never lose their shape or colour, winter and summer they are the same. I have lots of them in my garden and I love watching them sway and twist and turn in the wind, their ribbon like leeks standing up unaffected by the forces of elements. Ferns are said to be the oldest form of vegetation. They appeared on earth before everything else, I believe.  I like ferns they don’t need much care and even though they die back in winter, they come up a lovely delicate green in the spring and you don’t have to look them again,except to admire them. Gardens never played a bigger part in our lives than this year. Every paper and magazine that you pick up have something to say about gardens and gardening. I was even listening the Daniel O’Donnell being interviewed on the BBC last week and he said that he and Majella donned their wellies and spent hours out of doors. Not being a good gardener he ordered some flower seeds thinking that they would have a beautiful show of ground-hugging blossoms, but low and behold they turned out to be Holly Hocks, and their six-foot stems were no match for the wild winds of Donegal. His final comment was that they had  enjoyed long hours in the out-of-doors and that was all that mattered. And so say all of us. By the way I bought my ticket for his concert which will be streamed on November 1^st.

Our Mass on Cork Music Station on Sunday was lovely. Many thanks to Sean for continuing to bring it to us on line. Needless to say we’d love to be able to see it,some can and some cannot. The Choir and Deirdre’s Organ music makes  our Sunday Mass very precious to us all. Many thanks to all involved. What a contrast  on Monday morning I got ten c’clock Mass from the magnificent Cathedral in Cobh. But none gives us the lovely familiar feeling of our own.

Here are the results of this weeks lotto draw which was held on Sunday night Numbers drawn were 1,2,5,23 and the Jackpot was not won. €100 went to Margaret Smith, Murphy’s,  Terrace.  The Seller was Margaret Bourke and she got €50 sellers prize, €50 went to Josie Gallaghar, Cloghoula, €20 each went to Mary Tommy, Minor Row, P.J. O’Sullivan c/o the Bridge Bar. Waterford Fan c/o Shane Browne, Mick O’Connell, Dernagree, Apple and Scone, Dude , c/o Michelle, Jerry O’Sullivan, Keale, Donie O’Mahony Murphys Terrace, Michael Twohig, Flintfield. Jackpot for next week  €10,400 ,the draw on Bank Holiday Monday night.

 So the decision is made, we are into phase five and the printout that we got in the post last week tells us what each phase means and the bottom line for me and the likes of me is again, is “Stay at Home”. We should know by now how to handle the situation. As I said earlier, don’t be downhearted about it for one thing it won’t help and it will only lead you down that dark path to depression. There are still lots of things that can be done to pass the time. In fact when we got out of the first lockdown, we were surprised by the many things that we didn’t have done. One of my girls was off work for a couple of months last year  which didn’t suit her busy mind a tall. Not to be outdone she went through all her photographs. Spanning the sixty years of her own life and lots more. They ran into hundreds I needn’t tell you. She put them all in separate bundles. The Weddings,The Christenings, Grads, Holidays, and so on and so on. Then she got a supply of frames and put all the photos in sequence into them . They grew into dozens and dozens, and then went on and hung them side by side on her walls. Around the kitchen, the conservatory, up the stairs, all the rooms and they do look a picture in every sense of the word. The bottom line now is that when people go into her house they rarely spend time talking to her, but go around all the walls often finding themselves in the frame. It was a very time consuming project and that’s what we need now, some thing of our own that will keep us happy and alert while we do our own part in ridding the planet of corona virus.

Don’t forget to tune into CMS tonight for Sean Radley’s wonderful show. More and more people are coming on board when they hear about  how he can unite the whole world from his lovely MountLeader home,beside the Finnow River.

The November Bank Holiday is upon us, it will be so different this time, especially for the little children who can’t go “Trick or Treating”. But as always a little of your time never fails to cheer them up. November being the Month of the Holy Souls.  We must not forget our dear departed, in what ever way we can in the present situation.

 Be careful, be happy, help others to be happy as the old people used to say when we were young, ‘Have the good word’. Love, Eily.