Direct from Durrow

CONGRATULATIONS to John and Marie Brophy, Derrywood, Durrow on the birth of their daughter, Anna.

Congratulations to Bowes Café and Foodhall, Durrow who are included in the Georgina Campbell Ireland-Guide for 2017!

Congratulations to Castle Durrow which is number six in the top 25 hotels of Ireland according to the 2017 TripAdvisor awards!

The Cullahill and Durrow flower club meet next on Monday 13th February in the Community Call, Cullahill at 8pm. We will have a flower arranging demonstration by Bertranda Delaney. New members are always welcome and also visitors.

Visit www.laoisweather.com for the latest weather data from Durrow.

Monday 23rd January 2017: There was no jackpot winner of €11,600. The Numbers drawn were: 02, 04, 07 and 25. The small draw winners were: €30: Mary Dollard, c/o Our Lady’s Meadow School; €25: Claire-Ann Alley, The Square, Durrow, Laois; €20: Pat Walsh, c/o The Stores, Durrow, Co Laois.

Monday 30th January 2017: There was no jackpot winner of €11,750. The Numbers drawn were: 06, 10, 17 and 22. The small draw winners were: €30: Marian Phelan, Cork Rd, Durrow, Co. Laois; €25: Jim Coffey, Barnhill, Durrow, Co. Laois; €20: Genelis Dempsey, Seandoire, Durrow, Laois.

ST VINCENT de PAUL: Anyone looking for help can contact us on (087) 3476012.

GLASSES FOUND IN DUNMORE WOODS: Contact Kathleen on (057) 8736415 or (086) 8263368.

The Community Council will hold a Cake Sale in the Presentation Centre after the Masses on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th of February. Your generous support will be most welcome as all proceeds will go towards the running expenses of the Annual Senior Citizens’ Party.

Laois County Council wishes to advise that a grant is now available to assist householders with the cost of replacing lead pipes in their homes. Application forms, which include details of eligibility, may be obtained from the Water Services Department, Laois County Council, Áras an Chontae, Portlaoise, Co. Laois. Further information may also be obtained from our website at laois.ie online. If you have any queries please call the following number: (057) 8764120.

What is covered during the day – Planning and design of your garden and polytunnel; Soil, composition, how to improve it; composting and how to use the compost; Calendar of sowing & companion planting; Spacing vegetables; Weeds and their uses; Vegetable varieties, sowing and planting; Fruit trees, fruit bushes and roses pruning explained; Tools, mulching, hoeing; Vegetable garden, kitchen garden, pleasure garden. At the end of the course you will have the skill and knowledge to create your own kitchen garden and you will receive a reference handout to take home.

This course is a must if you want to understand in just one day the essence of traditional gardening. You will be well equipped to follow the seasonal courses! The cost of this course is €100 per person. It is a full day course. It starts at 9.30am and finishes at 4.30pm. Small groups up to 7 catered for. You will get tea/coffee on arrival, tea break around 11am and lunch at 1pm. At the end of the course you will be equipped to start your own garden and a full range of follow up courses will be available to you. You can find out more by calling (087) 1258002 or tanguy@dunmorecountryschool.ie by email.

Cullohill Community Centre Operation Transformation walk       continues every Monday and Friday night, starting from Community Centre at 7pm. Adults only, please wear visible jacket. Circuit training continues on Tuesday nights at 7.30pm for ladies and 8.30pm for men – contact Shirley Bergin in Cullohill Topaz-Gala for more information. Progressive 25 Card Games are held in the hall every Sunday night at 8.30pm sharp followed by tea and sandwiches. Please support!

The Durrow and District Pipe Band are striking up again and are looking for new members. Pipers and Drummers are needed. There is no age limit and free training will be provided. For information call John Sheeran on (087) 2493749.

A book with 200 pages of Photographs spanning almost 100 years of Durrow and Cullohill memories including ICA, Hurling, Camogie, Soccer, School to mention but a few. Books for sale €25 each or two for €40. Please text or call Tom on (087) 2936531 or Kathleen on (086) 8263368 for further information.

The Vocum Daru Choir under Choirmaster Ann Moylan continues it’s weekly practice choir sessions on Tuesday nights at 7pm sharp in the Presentation Centre. New members are welcome!

Scoil Tighearnach Naofa, Cullohill is now open for enrolment for September 2017. Please contact the office at (057) 8737281 for more details.

REC3: A cold but fun 24 hours updating our Rescue Emergency Care (REC3) certs with David Batt and Osier Hill Training. A big thanks to one of our instructors Fergal Hill for organising everything.

Summer Paddling Training and Schedule: Please keep an eye out on our website and Facebook pages for our summer training sessions. We will have beginner training courses for all age groups and if you are unsure or would like to try out kayaking, by learning and obtaining a level 2 cert you can proceed on to a lot more paddling and disciplines.

Winter Pool Schedule continues with Balto Kayak Club on the following Sundays will continue for    kayakers to gain experience. Learn to roll or just improve your skills in the warmth of Athy pool. Please confirm with Brian or Matt to reserve your place. Arrive for 5pm, on the water from 5.30pm to 6.30pm, the last pool session dates are February 5th and 19th.

Winter Paddling at weekends only and advance notice of events and meets will be on our Viber Group or on our Facebook page and Website. We look forward to seeing you on the water and paddling together, don’t forget to check www.laoiskayak.com for any updates or follow our Facebook page.

The Durrow-Cullohill Parish Anglers held their first Pike Competition of the Year in Grantstown Lake for the Brendan Sheeran Memorial Cup. First was Seamus Coffey; Second was Mick Walsh and Third was David Walsh. The next pike fishing competition will be held on February 26th. All members will receive a text message to their phones with all the details.

THE HARPS GAA JUVENILE SECTION: The Nursery Programme for Junior and Senior Infants Boys will start on Sunday, February 12th in Cullohill Community Centre from 12pm until 1pm.

Get fit, lose weight and feel better. With memberships from €32 per month, Personal training for less than €7 per session, at a time that suits you. Pilates, Yoga and Circuit training classes ongoing, you really have no more excuses! Feel free to come in and look around. For more information visit our website www.corehealthandfitness.ie or contact us on (087) 9302152 or (057) 8740637 or info@corehealthandfitness.ie by email.

On 22nd January Avril Deegan travelled to Cardiff, Wales to represent Ireland in the Celtic International Cross Country. Avril ran on the U20 squad and was placed 18th overall in a fast competitive field. Avril was happy with the fantastic experience of running on an Irish squad against top-class international runners.

Avril also had a very successful day last weekend in Athlone International Arena in the All Ireland Junior Indoor Track Championship. Avril won gold in the 1500m and bronze in the 800m final. A fantastic achievement taking home two All Ireland medals on the same day. The Schools Cross-Country is the next challenge for Avril and we wish her every continued success.

CULLOHILL HANDBALL CLUB: Congratulations to All Star Niamh Dunne who represented Laois and was awarded an All Star for Young Player of the Year at the Leinster Handball Convention recently.

U14 training resumes this Saturday, 4th February from 11am at The Harps GAA pitch in Cullohill.

Indoor Training: The Club is running indoor training in Durrow and Cullohill over the coming weeks for U8 and U6 age level. The first sessions will take place in the hall (opposite the Church) in Durrow on Tuesdays starting at 7pm. Girls aged 5 to 8 years are all invited to come for an hour of fun and games. Hurleys will be available for use but a helmet is required and runners must be worn. For information please contact Mary Donohue on (087) 2866147.

Smash Hits Night: Keep your diary free for March 11th when The Harps GAA will hold a fundraiser in Lennons Venue, Durrow. The massively popular Smash Hits group will perform songs that have thrilled audiences all across the UK and Ireland on the night. Keep an eye out on Social Media for further details and competitions to win some tickets for the event!!!

Congratulations: to Larry Mahony who won The Harps GAA’s Third Time Lucky Lotto draw on Saturday, 21st of January last. Larry’s lucky number, 45 was the bonus ball in the National Lottery’s main draw on the night clinching the win for Larry. The Club Chairman, Seamus Campion presented Larry with his cheque shortly after the draw, thanking Larry for his ongoing support for the Club.

€15,000 Grant: The Harps GAA Club were delighted to have been allocated a development grant of €15,000 from the Leinster Council recently. Club Chairman Seamus Campion and Club Secretary David Finnegan were both in attendance at the Leinster Council GAA Offices in Portlaoise to collect the cheque which will be used to fund the ongoing developments in the club’s facilities.

“Much work has taken place over the past three years with a new Gym complex, Ball Wall with Flood Lighting and associated groundworks which will serve all our players both young and old long into the   future.” said the Chairman following the award. “I would also like to thank David Finnegan, for his work in developing the plan when applying for this grant, he was instrumental in getting this grant awarded to The Harps” concluded the Chairman.

Annual County Board Draw: The Harps GAA Club appeal to everyone to support the Annual County Board Draw which is a massive fundraiser for the Club. Tickets are currently on sale from all committee members and adult players until February 28th. Why not buy one in conjunction with a friend?

Storytelling with Sarah is back after the Christmas break! And Sarah has kindly volunteered her time and talents to sit in our kid’s corner and tell some of the funniest and loveliest    stories from our children’s section. Why do Aliens wear underpants? What do you do with the world’s most annoying elephant? Who exactly is Superworm? Come along on Saturdays at midday and find out! No booking needed.

Caife agus Comhrá is a new group hoping to start meeting in the library regularly. Focusing on using their cúpla focail and having chats while having a cuppa, they are looking for experienced Irish speakers as well as beginners to add some numbers to their group.

Poetry Club – there has been some interest in the area in creating a poetry group. Whether it’s for the lost art of recitation, discussing your favourite poems or for the chance to read some of your own original work in front of a supportive group – Durrow Library hopes to host a one of a kind club dedicated to the spoken word!

Other News: The Exhibition on Betty Ridge and Castle Durrow’s fairytale is still available to view at the Durrow Library. We also received a lot of new Adult Fiction over the holidays and it’s well worth a browse – remember membership is free!

Opening Times: Tuesdays – 1.30pm to 7.30pm (closed 5.30pm-6pm); Wednesdays – 10am to 5.30pm (closed 1.30pm-2pm) and Saturdays from 11am to 1pm. Computers, printers and photocopier available for public use at a small fee. Contact Lori for more details on any of these groups or events at (083) 4274714 or contact lmoriarty@laoiscoco.ie by email.

Parents’ Council: If you are interested in joining the Parents’ Council or would like to help out at future fundraising events, please let us know by sending a text message to (086) 8898110. All help is gratefully appreciated.

Midland Cakes by Rita along with Kyle Farm Potatoes and Fresh Veg are both at the Saturday Market every Saturday morning from 8.30am to 12 noon in the CAIT Centre, beside the Catholic Church in Durrow. Rita makes celebration cakes for all occasions, cupcakes, cookies, scones, breads and standard cakes and these will be available each Saturday. For more information, please phone Rita on (085) 8423201 or Marie on (087) 7742506. Do drop in on Saturdays!

Durrow Tidy Towns is in much need of volunteers for the coming season, if you feel that you would like to get involved in the community, improve your living environment, have your speak on how you would like your town to improve, how you would like your town to shine and how you would like your town to excel, please keep it in mind as we will be looking for volunteers over the coming months, every little bit helps and every new idea lights a spark in a community that will enhance and improve your own living community and your own living environment, Don’t be shy, have your say and get involved! We will issue further notices in the coming weeks.

The next newsletter will be on sale the weekend of February 18th & 19th. All adverts must be booked with Angela Drennan (087) 1928522 or Mary Walsh (086) 3055157. Advertisements cost €2 per issue of Durrow Parish Newsletter and must be paid for in advance.