Tributes are paid to retiring priest
Planting a tree in the grounds of Taugheen Church were, from left: Martin Heaney, Doreen Dillon, Ger McHugh, Samantha Moran, Fr Sean Flynn, Maureen Quinn, Mary Warde-Quinn, Tim Quinn, Loretta Heaney and Michael Mooney
A large congregation attended Taugheen Church on Wednesday, December 11th, at 10am to thank Fr James Quinn for his loyal and dedicated service and spiritual leadership over the last 26 years.
Fr Quinn arrived in Taugheen in October 1998 from Dunmore parish. He celebrated in the region of 7,000 Masses, delivered close to 3,000 sermons, and made about 10,000 visitation calls. He was involved in the joyful and sad Church occasions of practically every family in the parish.
Fr Seán Flynn, newly appointed parish priest of Taugheen, Crossboyne, Ballindine and Irishtown was the chief celebrant, assisted by Fr Denis Carney (Taugheen, 1987 to 1996), Fr Shane Costello (former Mass server in Taugheen), Fr Austin Fergus (former classmate in Maynooth - both were ordained in 1965), Fr Martin O Connor (retired PP of Ballindine/Irishtown) and Fr Seamus Flannery (former classmate in St Jarlath’s College in the 1950s).
Representing the Quinn family were Mary Warde-Quinn, Tim Quinn and Maureen Quinn. Mary Warde-Quinn thanked all who attended, sent messages, participated and organised the ceremony and recalled life in former times by the tranquil shores of Lough Carra. Taugheen National School pupils were involved in all aspects of the Mass and Fr Seán Flynn’s sermon was well received.
After Mass, there were a number of presentations. Fr James Quinn watched the live stream at home in the Parochial House in Taugheen and was delighted with the ceremony. A Book of Appreciation (a manuscript of close to 100 pages of thankful messages), an engraved plaque, a specially designed Christmas Card, a Tree Certificate and a framed painting of Lough Carra were among the presentations.
The Quinn family farm runs along the shores of Lough Carra and was the Quinn family playground.
After the ceremony, a Cotoneaster Winter Jewel was planted in the Church grounds in appreciation of Fr Quinn's journey in Taugheen and Crossboyne and the wider community. Fr Austin Fergus officiated at the planting ceremony.
The congregation adjourned to the adjacent Taugheen Hall for tea and refreshments and chatted happily about former and present times.
One of the most popular country singers in Ireland, Mick Mulhern, from Ballyvary, has announced a concert in the McWilliam Park Hotel on Saturday, January 25th.
Joining Mick on the night, will be Tony Allen of Foster and Allen fame, Gerry Guthrie, PJ Murrihy and Eunice Moran. The Ryan Turner Band will provide the music.
Mick has a great rapport with audiences and his yarns and jokes add humour to the enjoyment of the night. He has two successful albums to his credit, and his songs are amongst the most requested on commercial radio stations throughout the country.
Tickets for Mick’s show can be purchased from the McWilliam Park Hotel or by telephoning 083-8163158. More ticket information is available from the website, www.mickmulhern.com.
Andrew Nestor, from Garrafrauns, won the Claremorris GAA club’s 50/50 last week. Andrew bought his winning ticket in Hillside Service Station and took home €1,589.
Brian Grace was the winner of last week’s Claremorris AFC 50/50. He won €1,175 with a ticket purchased in Silverbridge Shopping Centre.
The hamper winners were Mark Phillips (bought in the Western Hotel), Brendan Mannion (bought in the Shamrock, and Angela Ring, who bought her ticket online.
Megan Commins from Garrymore is running the Dublin City Marathon next October to raise funds and awareness for Childline by ISPCC.
As part of her fundraising efforts for next year's Dublin City Marathon, Megan is holding a 5k Run/Walk on New Year’s Eve, Tuesday, December 31st, at 12 noon. Registration takes place at 11am in Garrymore. The cost is €10 for adults with a family rate of €20. There will be refreshments afterwards.
Anyone who would like to make a donation to this great cause, you can do so at www.eventmaster.ie.
Infinity Photo Group is running three photography-related courses, commencing in January.
Introduction to Photography is a 12-week course that aims to give participants a better understanding of the basic operation of their camera, and to take better pictures as a result. The course is a mixture of theory and practice, which will be held in a fun environment.
At the end of the course attendees will have learned about composition of images, what all the buttons on the camera are for and how they impact the final image, and much more. The course will be held in the Infinity Photo Studio, Claremorris. The course will be held on Monday nights from 8 to 10pm.
Photography for Improvers is a course aimed at people who have a basic knowledge of camera operation, and who want to improve their images. This course will be partly held on location and partly in the classroom. At the end of the course, participants should have built an impressive body of work. The duration of the course is 12 weeks. The course will be held in the Infinity Photo Studio and at a number of other outdoor locations around Claremorris.
Introduction to Adobe Photoshop for Photographers is aimed to help people to edit their photographs using the legendary Adobe Photoshop. At the end of the course, students will understand the basics of Adobe Photoshop and be able to edit their pictures. The 12-week course is a mixture of theory and practice.
Each week, there will be an assignment based on what was covered in the class. Participants will need to have a computer that they can bring to class, which has a fully functional and up-to-date version of Adobe Photoshop installed. The course will be held in the Infinity Photo Studio, Claremorris.
The fee for the photography courses is €120 and the Photoshop course is €135, which is payable in advance. The contact number is 087-2908676 for further information and booking.
The annual St Stephen's Day match between Ballindine and Irishtown for the Michael Mooney Memorial Cup will be held in Davitt Park, with a 1pm throw-in. This year's game will be contested by two teams, consisting of players over the age of 25, who are currently not members of Davitts senior team panel.
All proceeds from the game will be going to former Davitts footballer, Martin Cosgrove, who is suffering from Primary Lateral Sclerosis, a rare neurological disease, and is now confined to a wheelchair. Any donation, big or small, to the fund would be greatly appreciated and the match promises to be very sporting and competitive.
On this Saturday, December 28th, South Mayo GAA will host a Minor Charity Match in aid of Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation. The game takes place in Garrymore. Throw in at 6.30pm.
The game will feature players who are in their last year of Minor football (born 2006). For the players involved, this will be their last underage game. The Board asks for support for the game. It’s good to see youngsters involved in charity work.
The Claremorris Family Resource Centre extends its sincere thanks to all the service users of the centre and the community.
The FRC’s commitment to offering various forms of assistance to the community through campaigns and initiatives is strengthened by the participation and trust of the community and the staff and the board wishes all a warm Christmas and a New Year full of solidarity and prosperity.
There was heartbreak for the Claremorris U-21s last week when they were defeated in the county championship semi-final by old rivals, Castlebar Mitchels, by a single point after extra time.
They will take no consolation from the fact that this was one of the greatest Gaelic football matches of all time. With games like this, there would be no need for rule changes. The final score of 3-20 to 2-22 says all you need to know.
Claremorris trailed 2-10 to 0-5 at the interval and a landslide looked likely. Claremorris had other ideas, however, and a stunning goal by Darragh Beirne ignited the great comeback.
With Claremorris three points behind well into stoppage time, Conor Óg Dennedy fired home a goal to level it and force extra time. But Mitchels nicked it in extra-time.
Claremorris: Aidan McGing; Seán Niland, Rio Mortimer, Mark Noonan; David Hurley, Paul Gilmore (0-1), Oran McNulty; MJ Duffy, Darragh Joyce (0-1); Johnny Cummins (0-1), Dara Hurley (0-3), Craig Cassidy (0-1); Darragh Beirne (1-7), Niall Hurley (0-8), Mark Maloney. Subs: Seán O’Connell, Harry Smyth, Adam Beirne, Conor Óg Dennedy (1-0).
Davitts were unlucky in their county semi-final with Westport, coming out the wrong side of a 2-13 to 1-8 scoreline.
The damage was done in a first half in which they conceded two goals and had a penalty saved. The save was particularly heart-breaking for Davits because the initial shot had come off the post. When that sort of double-hard luck strikes, you know it’s just not your day.
Davy Hennessey had a powerful shot from close range saved in the second half.
Davitts: Dylan O’Brien; Brian Óg McTigue, Michael Hett; Brian Birmingham, Seán Keadin, Cathal Corless, Burke Briere; Mark Birmingahm, Fenton Kelly; Jack Devane, Jack Melvin (0-2), Finn McLoughlin; Ciaran Treacy (0-1), Dylan Gallagher (1-0), Ronan Kelly (0-4). Subs: Thomas Ronayne, Davy Hennessey (0-1), Dylan Burke, Tadgh Feerick.
Plans are well underway for a 50th anniversary reunion celebration of the St Colman's College 1970-75 group, which will be held on Bank Holiday Saturday, August 2nd, 2025.
While the reunion applies to those who enrolled in 1970, the core of which became the Leaving Certificate class of 1975, it is also is open to all those who were part of that "journey" for any period of time. The school records show that 67 first-year students were enrolled into two classes in September 1970 with 15 additional students joining later through repeating a year or transferring from another school. Sadly, six pupils have passed away over the intervening years and will be fondly remembered on the evening.
The organising committee, including Michael Clarke, Michael McGrath, Alec Morley, Gay McManus, Owen Treston and Pius Forde, are determined that this will be the largest and best-supported 50th-anniversary reunion in the college’s history. Every effort will be made to make contact with each past pupil from the period. They are also asking readers to spread the word to family members or friends in Ireland or abroad, who were members of the classes.
The committee is also working closely with Roy Hession, Principal of St Colman's College, who is hugely supportive of the gathering. Updates and further developments on the reunion will be available on the school's social media platforms and in the in the coming months. A visit to the college on the evening of the reunion will also be facilitated.
As happened with previous reunions, school bus drivers and teachers from the era will also be invited. Full details of the reunion are still to be finalised but more information can be obtained by contacting committee members Michael Clarke at 086-8162559 or Michael McGrath by email at mmcgrath1981@gmail.com. These contacts can be used by past pupils who wish to confirm their intention to attend the reunion.
Roy Hession and Suzanne Lohan made a presentation to Thomas Morley on behalf of St Colman's College last week.
Thomas, a Leaving Cert student, has been representing his country with the Irish U-19 soccer squad over the last few months. Mr Hession spoke of the gruelling period of trial and friendly matches that Thomas was put through before being chosen for the competitive squad for the qualification for the European Championships, which take place next July.
“Thomas has done all this while keeping a strong work ethic in the classroom,” Mr Hession said, “and has been diligently working towards maintaining his high grades also. This is a huge personal achievement for Thomas as well as his family and all his coaches at underage level in his club.”
All at St Colman's are very proud of Thomas and his achievements and wish him the very best of luck as he prepares for the Euros in July and, of course, his Leaving Certificate in June.
Garrymore Foróige Club presented donations to Garrymore GAA Club, Temple Street Children’s Hospital and Hollymount Community First Responders group last week.
The donation to Garrymore was money raised by Garrymore Foróige members over the last 12 months. The club is very grateful to the Foróige members and leaders for their generosity.
The money presented to the Hollymount Community First Responders Group and Temple Street Children's Hospital were the proceeds of a Foróige table quiz held earlier in the year in memory of Caylum Flynn and Kyle Pilbrow, both of whom were cherished members of the club.
The total raised on the evening was €2,550 and 50% of the money collected on the night was presented to the Community First Responders while the other 50% was donated to Temple Street Children’s Hospital, as was the wish of both the Pilbrow and Flynn families.
Garrymore Foróige members and leaders were delighted to help out two very worthy causes as a way of thanking them for their support to the Flynn and Pilbrow families at extremely difficult times for both households. It is hoped that these donations will make some difference to the Responders Group, Temple Street Children’s Hospital and the people they take care of in their day-to-day work.
Mount St Michael had an overwhelming 5-17 to 1-4 win over Dunmore Community School to claim the Lidl PPS Senior B Connacht Final in the GAA Dome in Bekan last week. The girls produced a brilliant performance and were superior all over the pitch with 25 points of a winning margin. They were 1-4 up before Dunmore opened their account.
Bree Hession got Mount St Michael's only first-half goal and finished with 1-4 in total – but she was just one of several star performers for the Mount St Michael team, who led 1-9 to 0-2 at half-time.
The Claremorris girls added four more goals in the second half. Caoilinn Walsh, Róisin Horkan and Áine Lynn all found the net, as did Ashleagh Sammon, the outstanding player on the day, who scored 1-5.
The winner of the Taugheen Community Council Christmas Raffle was Eleanor McHugh. Eleanor was presented with a Starter Pack (firelighters, matches and kindling) and a trailer of Derryfad Turf, courtesy of Taugheen Community Council. The result was good news for Heaney Transport as the delivery journey was just a few kilometres to the village of Conloughfad.
It had been hoped that Santa would make the draw, but he was unavailable on the night as he was making final preparations for his annual big journey. In his absence, he nominated Cllr Patsy O Brien. Patsy was chosen because he had visited even more houses in the general South Mayo area recently than Santa.
Patsy dashed across by Derryfad Bog (source of the turf) on a bleak mid-winter's night from his base in Robeen for the Oiche Mhor in Forde’s Country Club. Patsy praised the committee for their work in the area over the last year and pulled the winning ticket.
Taugheen Community Council expressed their thanks to all who supported the draw - the Country Club, local outlets, sponsors, local and online ticket purchasers, and festive DJ Ray McHugh from Cong. Many are looking forward to a repeat raffle in 2025; the turf machine is already booked.
In a statement, Santa said he was disappointed to miss the occasion, but he was impressed with Derryfad turf and said he’d be back for more next year. He had brought a bag back to the North Pole on his sleigh after his visit to launch the raffle a couple of weeks earlier. He was delighted too, he said, to see that the turf was both sourced and won locally, minimising the carbon footprint additional travel might cause.
The death occurred on December 11th of Liam Griffith of Mayfield, in the wonderful care of the staff in the Cardiac Care Unit at University Hospital Galway.
Liam was predeceased by his beloved wife Ita and cherished sister Kathy, and his parents Gurtie and Bill. He is deeply regretted by his sons Eimhin, Cillian, Diarmuid, Ciaran and Liam Jnr, nine grandchildren, brothers Terry, Des, Tom and Paul, sisters Maura and Bridget, daughters-in-law, sisters in-law, brothers in-law, nephews, nieces and a wide circle of friends.
Liam was laid to rest in St Colman's Cemeter after Funeral Mass in St Colman's Church.
May he rest in peace.
The death has occurred of Nancy Durkan (nee Mannion), of Levenshulme, Manchester and formerly of Clogherbeg, Claremorris.
Nancy was predeceased by her husband Raymond, parents Henry and Nora Mannion, brother Tom Mannion and sister Mary Kileen. She will be sadly missed by her sister Nora Giblin, her nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and friends.
Nancy was laid to rest in Southern Cemetery, Barloor Moor Road, South Manchester after Funeral Mass in St Mary's Church, Levenshulme.
May she rest in peace.
The death has occurred of Mary Cusack (née Macken), of Castleknock, Dublin and formerly of Claremorris, on December 13th.
Mary died peacefully surrounded by her loving family, in the wonderful care of the staff at Woodlands, Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown.
Mary was the beloved wife of the late Seán and is predeceased by her parents John and Rita and sister Theresa. She was the much-loved mother of Eileen, Mairéad, Michael John and Kevin and darling Nana to Eoin, Daniel, Lucy, Aoibheann and Caoimhe.
Mary will be sadly missed by her daughters, sons, grandchildren, son-in-law Stephen, daughter-in-law Gillian, sister Rachel (Costello), brothers John (Jack), Pat, Tom, Michael, Matt, Mairtín, Jarlath and Austin, sisters-in-law, brother-in-law, nieces, nephews, extended family, friends and neighbours.
Mary was laid to rest in Doohoma Cemetery, in north Mayo, after Funeral Mass in St Brigid’s Church, Blanchardstown.
May she rest in peace.
The death has occurred at her home of Florence (Flor) McBride, née Higgins, Letterkenny, and formerly of Claremorris.
Florence was a retired nurse in Dungloe (Co Donegal) and the National X-Ray Unit. Florence was predeceased by her husband Paddy and all her siblings, most recently her brother Tommy Higgins. Florence is deeply regretted by her stepdaughter Geraldine Rice and stepson Seán McBride, her many nieces, nephews, friends and wonderful neighbours.
She was laid to rest in Conwal Cemetery after Requiem Mass in St Eunan's Cathedral, Letterkenny.
Season's greetings are extended to all our readers and to all the people who submitted items for publication. Please note that the next issue of the will be in the shops on Tuesday, December 31st.
