Eily’s Report – 21st December

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

December 21^st. The shortest day of the year. From now on things can only be looking up, each day will have a few moments more, evenings will get get gradually  brighter and as we plough our way through the pandemic a bright day makes everything seem better and it starts tomorrow. So chin up until next June when the longest day is the 21^st will see the year slowly winding down again. The cycle of life and the very circle of life was brought back to me this week with the lovely response from Gerard Chambers proud son of Maureen (Murphy) whom I mentioned last week and how she followed in the footsteps of her lovely Mother Katty.  How she continued the trend by singing in the choir of the adopted home town in the USA, thus completing another circle of a seed well sown. Many thanks Gerard for your welcome response.

It’s the last week of Advent. The Fourth Advent candle was lighting on the Alter on Sunday, plain to see in its raised wreath of greenery and at Christmas the white one the one in the centre will be aflame to celebrate the Birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ. A scene repeated all over the world which brings peace and hope to all.  When the choir sings Silent Night some people cry, others pause, more people hope, while others offer their heartfelt thanks.  It’s a  special time  when it is good to reflect, stop everything for that moment and ask oneself, how am I doing? The singing of Silent Night unlocks many emotions.

Every effort is being made to make our lives a little better this Christmas because of the obvious. Even An Post is taking the opportunity to brighten up the unwelcome chore of writing Christmas Cards, by selling  stamps that carry a message. We can choose from,  Sending Hugs , or Ho Ho Ho, or Peace & Joy, even Naughty or Nice.  It’s a novel idea, a first and when you think of it ,they do put you thinking. We all know people we wouldn’t send Ho ho ho to, because they’re not the kind to rise to it.  Sending hugs is lovely but again think, who is it going to?  May get the wrong impression. As for Naught or Nice, well that is almost a question, with the ‘are you’ missing. I find myself having to read them and pick the most appropriate one for the most appropriate person or people. But of course Peace & Joy requires no thinking at all. Well done anyway to An Post  and speaking of stamps it’s a good idea and saves time both for you and our Post Office staff to buy them in bulk, If you buy by the Book you have the added plus that if the cost of postage goes up during the year, your stamp in the book does not.

By the way am I the only one who has the lunchtime at our recycling unit,  wrong. I was amazed as I arrived there on Thursday at 12.40 to find it closed.  Later found out that their lunchtime is from 12.30 to 1.30 and we are blessed by the helpfulness and kindness of the staff.

As I heard Fr. Brian D’Arcy saying on tv recently  “Gratitude it the Best Attitude”.

It’s a busy time of year ,even for my equals, with Cards to write and decorations to put up and we’re never without a little blip or mishap. I couldn’t get the Super Glue to flow after I had removed the cover so I got my best scissors and nipped the top off the tube, closed it and got on with the task of the super glue, but unfortunately the next time I went for my scissors, it was stuck firm and had to be binned.

Still with Christmas decor, once again the Dennehy’s at Knockdrish are brightening up the entrance to our town  from the  Drishane Rd end with their mega lights display. The town looks great and takes on a magical ambience when a light fog sits in on the streets at night. The revolving patterns on the wall of the Wallis Arms gives a continuous air of movement and coupled with the stately Christmas tree beside it is just perfect.   The night comes down fast and it’s a worthwhile thing  to drive around the area and see the great efforts that are being made by people who want to make Christmas good for us all.

Our Holy Tubrid well is never  without people, at all hours of the day and into the late evening. They go there to pray, or sit in that haven of peace and tranquility, away from the busy life around them, maybe meet an old friend or make a new one, in safe calm surroundings.  It  got a beautiful new  facelift in recent times. All the edges are trimmed the paths brushed and on the alter a Golden Christmas tree stands centre way and I’m told it a sight worth seeing after dark.

 It made me sad today when I heard a man describe his deceased dad as a lovely man who worked hard on his family farm and loved to go to the pub on a Sunday night to meet his friends, alas the drink-driving laws deprived him of that and so many others like him. You try to get it out of your mind the dreadful damage that was done to our elderly people when those laws cut them off from their last pleasure in life then every now and then somebody refers to it and the heartache kicks in again. Why were so many punished because of so few.

Our  Annual Community  Council Church Gate collection was taken up at the weekend. The strange times does not make it easy to organise events like it. But modern methods to the fore and it didn’t take Joseph Lawler long to gather the troops at the closing  minutes. I’m not a regular attendee at meetings any more for reasons which I do not have to explain and it gave me a real inner joy to see the response that Joseph got to his request for help to set up the tables and a rota of volunteers to man them. A team of fine articulate people intermingled by those with long years of service gave my heart a lift as I went to Mass on Sunday. From humble beginnings in 1977, the Community Council has stood firm in the cause of Millstreet and it’s community and all things associated with it ever since.  There were great times and there were some very lean times. Sometimes barely holding on  but when the going got tough, the tough got going. I’m a founder member,  I was there for it all. So many times you’d wonder, “will it close ?” but close it didn’t and when I read all the  supportive responses on line, coming in at Joseph’s bidding and the fine number at the Church Gate at the weekend, I smugly told myself, no it will never die. Well done to all involved.   The  calendars organised by the Community Council for 2022 are on sale at many outlets at the moment. Proceeds to Air Ambulance.

Because of the week that’s in it, and the current regulations, the 45Drive which is held at the Canon O’Donovan Centre every Tuesday night will be held at 6pm this evening. Please pass the word so that none of their wonderful supporters will miss the great Christmas event. All precautions are being taken to ensure the safety of all concerned. Masks are a must and lots of sanitising available .

Here are the results of this weeks Lotto draw which was held on Sunday night. Numbers drawn were 6,29,30 31,and the Jackpot was not won. €100 went to Margaret c/o Irish Rail the seller was Tom Carroll and he got €50 sellers prize. €50 went to Mary T .c/o Lehane. €20 each to Jerry Heineken. Tenzin Gyatso, c/o The MalPaso, Jim Scriven c/o O’Regans Mills, Brendan Bourke Murphy’s Tce, Tina Murphy, c/o Colemans, Martina O Sullivan c/o N Tarrant. Mags O’Callaghan c/o Centra Bridget Buckley c/o Joan Casey. That’s the final draw before Christmas, Next Draw will be on January 16th 2022.

Our lotto draw keeps on going without a winner in much  the same fashion as the national one, must be something in the water, this year. Patrons please take note that as because our weekly draws can no longer be held in public houses, the work of the crew is filmed every week as proof of a well run and honest fundraiser in aid of  all sections of our community, and on behalf of the joint committees of the Town Park, The Millstreet GAA and the Community Council for the Youth Complex, I want to wish you all a very Happy and Safe Christmas and thanks for your wonderful ongoing support.

Please contact our Parish Office if you want to book a place at any of the Masses over the Christmas period. 029 70043.  New changes are coming on stream all the time depending on the progress of the pandemic. If and when new cases occur, the lawmakers will have to act fast, to protect their people as best they can. We must all play our part, hard and all as it may be. Even little children are brought into the net. Sadly they may not be free to visit their cousins or friends to show off what Santa brought them and vie with one another as to who got the best toys or machine or video game. I’m sure all of these new rules will lead to big changes in the lifestyle of people of every age  and now that children are in the mix, the things they will experience will live with them forever maybe lead to a new way of life, new to us all,  which will steer them successfully through their growing years.

Our Gardens are looking resplendent just now.  The poor trees which were stripped of their leaves in the autumn are taking on a new role now as they do their bit to hold up every kind of flashing light and fixture. The scene when you look across the countryside at night is heart warming. All the different handiwork of proud home owners. A show for all to see of how proud they are of what they have and God Bless them for it. Many young people are moving into new homes for Christmas while others are about have way there but with ample determination to get the work finished early in the New Year. What a heartening sight it is for the likes of me. We didn’t stop at the work of those who went before us and the young of today won’t stop with us.

I love Christmas, always did and the changes that I’ve seen in Christmases down the years have never taken it away from me. The Crib is put in the Church at the moment, a beautiful feature on a fine new setting in recent years, I can remember when it was down on the ground just inside the main door. We knelt on the floor as my Dad told us the story behind each of the figures. The baby Jesus looking so cold and half naked, I wondered why wouldn’t someone pick him up. There was hustle and bustle of people with strong noisy boots passing and talking in hushed tones, but it did nothing to distract us from the high whispers of my Dad, as he told us the greatest story ever told, at six o’clock on a cold and frosty Christmas morning. By today’s values, I suppose it sounds like an unbearable experience ,but times were different even though our Mom was in Heaven, the seven of us  played and had chases all the mile long trip to the Chapel. We didn’t have much but like Brendan O’Carroll said on the Later Late Show, we didn’t want it because we never had it, didn’t know what it was like to have it ,’so be happy and very happy without it. And that is the real message of Christmas, happiness. Reach out to others make a phone call, send a card, try and  stop for a chat, even through your mask. Be there for someone and above all be safe.

In closing this Report,  my last one for 2021, I want to wish you all a very happy, safe and Holy Christmas. I hope you have enjoyed my weekly ramblings as much as I have in bringing them to you .

Agus sin a bhfuil, a chairde, Slan agus beannacht.