Latest Laois News: Out and about in Durrow

All the news from Ballinakill, Cullohill, Durrow & Spink

THIRD LAOIS DURROW SCOUTS: The waiting list is now closed and new members will be contacted in July/August regarding membership. The waiting list will reopen again in September.

NEW ATM IN DURROW: St. Canice’s Credit Union wants to let people know that an ATM is now available on the street at our Durrow Branch. Also people should be aware that we have a fully functioning current account with Debit Cards etc… so any Ulster Bank or KBC customers who have to move accounts can come into the branch or open an account online with us.

DURROW TIDY TOWNS COMPETITION 2022: We need your help! The entry has gone in for this year’s competition and as a small committee of just nine and we need your help to keep Durrow looking beautiful for judging. The first round of the competition will be judged in June with the second round in August. We don’t know what day for the first round but have been  advised that it’s between 11th to 22nd June for Durrow. It would be much appreciated if everyone could assist in the five-minute sweep outside homes and businesses and to pick up  litter, the litter picking station is at the back of the CYMS and litter pickers and bags are there. If you are putting out window boxes this year, it would be great if they could be out by June 10th. We are also grateful to our Team Tidy Towns Volunteers, DDF and the CES who are assisting us with the jobs to be done but we have a huge amount still to do in the coming two weeks with planting, weeding, sweeping and tidying and if you can help in any way, please do – we can’t do it without your much valued assistance! Many thanks for your ongoing support.

DURROW LIBRARY NEWS: Durrow Book Club MeetUp – Tuesday, 31st May at 6:10pm and Tuesday, 28th June at 6:10pm. Durrow Book Club have read ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ by Delia Owens for the month of May. We will be meeting to have an informal chat about the book over a cup of tea on Tuesday 31st May at 6:10pm. If you have read it, read part of it or are thinking of reading it, why not call in to see how we got on. All are most welcome. Fort the month of June we will read, Standing in Gaps by Seamus O’Rourke. There are a number of  copies available at the library to borrow.

Lego Free Play – Every Wednesday from 2pm until 4pm. Children are invited to call to the Library with their parents or guardians to play with our big selection of lego. Places are limited. Please phone or email in advance to book your place.

Cruinniú na nÓg – Clay Workshop – Early June, date and time TBC. Children aged 4 -10 years will learn how to make David Walliams character Boogie Bear and take home your very own Boogie! Please contact Durrow Library to express your interest and book your place.

Durrow Library Opening Hours are Tuesdays from 11am until 7.30pm and Wednesdays from 10am until 5.30pm (closed for lunch from 1.30pm until 2pm each day). Phone: (057) 8736090 or contact us at durrowlibrary@laoiscoco.ie by email.

NUMBER FOR ST. VINCENT DE PAUL – LAST UPDATED JULY 2021: Our new contact phone number for confidential assistance is (087) 6974792.

CULLOHILL COMMUNITY CENTRE: Progressive 25 Card Game continues in The Cullohill Community Centre every Sunday evening at 8.30pm sharp. All are welcome.

COMMUNITY CENTRES INVESTMENT FUND 2022: The Government’s Department of Rural and Community Development will host two Information Sessions in relation to the new €15M Community  Centres Investment Fund on the 1st of June from 2.30pm to 4pm. These sessions will provide information regarding the application process and will answer some of the frequently asked questions. If you are interested in attending please register online at: https://www.gov.ie/en/service/fec91-community-centres-investment-fund/ as soon as possible.

CHURCH NEWS: Parish Office: The new Parish Office is now open at the Presentation Centre beside the Church or call (085) 2625033. Opening hours for this office will be from 10am to 2pm Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The booking of Masses, Christenings of babies, sale of Mass Cards, Booking of  weddings and funeral arrangements will go through this office. All  matters relating to Church business in the Parish must also go through this office. 

Mass Times in Durrow: Sundays – 12 noon; Saturday Nights – 7.30pm. 

Mass Times in Cullohill:  Saturday Nights – 7pm. All are most welcome.

SYMPATHY is extended to the family and friends of Nancy Mahoney, Chapel Street, Durrow, Laois County, on their recent bereavement.

SYMPATHY is extended to the family and friends of John Sheeran, Grennan, Attanagh, Laois County, on their recent bereavement.

ANNUAL CEMETERY MASS: The Cemetery Mass of 2022 will be held in Durrow on Sunday August 14th at twelve noon. Please let your families know.

DURROW MEALS ON WHEELS: Durrow Meals On Wheels are currently looking for volunteer drivers. Please contact (057) 8736870 for further information.

THE WHEEL INN: Dancing in wheel inn this Sunday Night May 29th to Teddy and Cathal Barry. All are most welcome.

NEW SMART BENCH INSTALLED IN DURROW: A Steora branded Smart Bench with bike station has been installed opposite Bobs Bar. The bench has embedded solar panels, a bike station with tools and charging points for devices and scooters. Your eBikes and eScooters will be able to obtain a charge from the unit, thus cutting down on carbon emissions from fossil fuel generated electricity sources. The bench is now connected and ready to charge and to repair. Thanks to Laois County Council and Durrow Development Forum for securing this station for Durrow, we are delighted as it is in the perfect location adjacent to our cycle lane to Abbeyleix. 

CULLOHILL PRIMARY SCHOOL: Scoil Tighearnach Naofa is now accepting enrolments for Junior Infants, September 2022. For more information please email scoiltnaofa@gmail.com or call us on (057) 8737281.

DURROW COMMUNITY SERVICES: We currently have four vacancies on our Community  Employment Scheme: Position – 2 x Environmental Workers based in Durrow; Position – 1 x  Environmental Worker based in Ballacolla; Position – 1 x Groundskeeper Sports Field based in Durrow. No Experienced Required. Work 19.5 hours per week. Eligibility to participate on CE is generally linked to those who are 21 years or over and in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment for 1 year or more or 18 years and over for certain disadvantaged groups. Your eligibility will have to be verified by the Department of Social Protection. Please contact Astrid Andersson on (057) 8736870 or to andersson@durrowcs.com by email for more information.

DURROW-CULLOHILL ANGLERS: Membership Cards for the River Nore and its Tributaries and also Grantstown Lake are available from Durrow-Cullohill Parish Anglers through their agents: Lawlor’s Gala, Daybreak Durrow, Lawlor’s Flower Shop, Fran’s Fishing Shop Mountrath and Club Secretary David Walsh.

ERKINA RIVER FESTIVAL: Keep The Date – Saturday 25th June! The Erkina River Festival is set to return to the river bank at The Woodenbridge on Saturday 25th June with all the fun at the fair. We look forward to seeing you there. More details to follow closer to the event.

PEDAL VINTAGE – Durrow Community Bike Hire Scheme: “Spring Chicken” Leisure Cycle Trails in association with Kenna’s Family Butchers Durrow. Bookings are now being accepted for our novel leisure cycling event, which will be held on Friday evenings at 7pm and/or Saturday mornings at 10am., during the month of April. Cycle fee €5 includes the hire of one of our leisure bicycles, helmet, hi-vis jacket and free entry into our draw for a free range chicken, courtesy of Kenna Family Butchers, Durrow. Routes will be decided on the day of the event, being mindful of each cyclist’s capabilities. Groups or individuals are very welcome. Leisure bikes available for hire 7 days per week for the summer months within reasonable booking times. Contact: (086) 8694691 or email durrow.doings@gmail.com for more information.

DURROW COMMUNITY SATURDAY MARKET: Durrow Community Market continues on Saturdays from 9am to 12 noon on the Kilkenny Road beside the Church.

LAOIS GARDENING FESTIVAL 2022: We’re delighted to announce that Buds & Blossoms, Laois Garden Festival is taking place at Spink Community Grounds, on June 12th! After a two year break, we are really looking forward to welcoming attendees, speakers and exhibitors for what promises to be a great day of gardening fun!

LIVE LOCAL WEATHER: Visit www.laoisweather.com for live local weather data from Durrow with up-to-the minute temperature, humidity, rainfall, air pressure, wind speed and wind direction information.

COMMUNITY ALERT: Be aware of calls from a person purporting to be from Amazon. The caller goes on to say there is a problem with their Amazon Prime account and in order to resolve personal information was required. A few members of the public called in to advise that they have been receiving calls from a 094 number purporting to be from Amazon looking for person to pay €80 on their account. 

Please be wary of scam callers regardless of who they say they represent. Some people are still falling for their stories and providing personal details otherwise they wouldn’t continue with their efforts.

About Identifying Whether an E-mail, Text Message or Phone Call is from Amazon: E-mails, text        messages or calls from Amazon will never ask you for personal information. If you receive a suspicious (sometimes called phishing) e-mail, text message or call, here are some tips to determine if it’s from Amazon: If you receive a suspicious phone call, email, or text message claiming to be from Amazon,  asking for payment, personal information or offering a refund you do not expect, please do not share any personal information, and disconnect any phone call immediately. You can report suspicious spam in   Ireland, to your local Garda station. Please also note that Amazon will never ask for your personal information, or ask you to make a payment outside of our website (e.g. via bank transfer, emailing credit card details, etc…) If you received an e-mail regarding an order or Prime membership, or anything that you don’t recognise, please forward the e-mail to stop-spoofing@amazon.com and then delete it. Do not click on any links in such emails.

MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY: Maynooth University are operating a national help desk for queries. This is serving as a single national point of contact for Ukrainian students and researchers who are seeking to continue their higher education studies in Ireland. The helpdesk, staffed by admissions and researcher advisers, has several functions including: assessing students English standards; assisting them with documentation; and offering individual help to identify potential courses or work options which students or researchers might be interested in. It will also seek to guide applicants to the Education and Training Boards adult education guidance services, where options such as further education or apprenticeship may be more appropriate. The National Student and Researcher Help Desk can be contacted by email at: NSRHelpdesk@mu.ie or by phone on +353(0)1 474 7788.

COUNSELLING SERVICE AVAILABLE: Counselling & Psychotherapy. Eva-Maria Dunne, Dip. Counselling & Addiction, Hons BSc. Counselling & Psychotherapy. MIACP, Teacher Training, Child First Safe Guarding. Serving Durrow & Abbeyleix, Laois, Carlow & Kilkenny. Call (089) 4400758 or email dunnetherapy@gmail.com – Humanistic & Integrative Counselling Service available for Adults, Children & Adolescents. One to One, Couple and Group therapy available. Person Centred, using mediums of Creative Therapy, Art Therapy, Brief therapy and Solution Based Therapy. Covering a vast array of difficulties, Addiction, Anxiety, Anger Management, Bereavement & Loss, Bullying, Couples Therapy, Depression, Family Therapy, Filial Therapy, Eating Disorders, Gender Identity, General Counselling, Health Related Issues, Personal Development, Relationships, Self-Esteem, Self-Harm, Suicidal Ideation, Stress, Sexual Dysfunction, Women’s Issues, Work Related issues. Child Play Therapy. Brief Therapy. Court Orders are welcome. On-Line Sessions are also available via Zoom / Teams.

THE HARPS GAA CLUB NEWS: Split the Bucket: A standing order of €8 a month gives one entry a week, €16 a month gives two entries a week and €20 a month gives three entries a week. If you would like to set up a monthly standing order please contact Joe Deegan on (087) 9678729 or Shane Brophy on (087) 2034035. Thanks to everyone, who supports our weekly Split the Bucket draw.

Cul Camps 2022: This year’s Annual GAA Cul Camps will take place from July 11th to 15th and also from August 8th to 12th. Each player attending will recieve a free backpack and training gear. The camps are a great opportunity to learn and develop new skills and also meet your County Stars! For more information about the camps email mike.henchy.gamesmanager.laois@gaa.ie – you can also book your place at https://kellogsculcamps.gaa.ie online.

Harps Players feature as Colaiste Mhuire lift Leinster Titles: Congratulations to Colaiste Mhuire Johnstown and well done to the Harps players involved Rory, Justin, Donal, Eoin, Liam, Martin, Ross, Jack, Cormac and Mark who won the Leinster Junior Hurling Final on Monday May 23rd.

Congratulations also to the Second Year students of Colaiste Mhuire Johnstown that won their Leinster  Final recently in Dr Cullen Park, Carlow. The Harps players involved on the day were Eoin Delaney, Jimmy White, Ross Deegan and Dean Phelan.

TRIDENT FITNESS CLUB – KETTLEBELL SPORTS AND FITNESS CLASSES: Learn to use kettlebells safely and effectively from one of Ireland’s top ranked and most experienced professional kettlebell sports and fitness instructors with over 10 years of experience in kettlebell sport and fitness. Included in the classes are bodyweight exercises as well as posture correction and strengthening techniques. Together with proper kettlebell instruction you can learn to prevent and remedy a wide range of joint and mobility issues and injuries. Class schedule: Tuesday 6.30pm; Thursday 6.30pm; Saturday 11am. Venue: Durrow Community Hall CYMS. Call David or email for further information. Also available for personal training. Tel: (087) 3833258 or email: tridentfitnessclub@yahoo.ie or borukettlebellclub@yahoo.com for more information.

LIONS AFC: FAI Summer Soccer Schools Camp is now open for Bookings. The 2022 camp takes place at the Lions AFC grounds in Durrow from 4th July to 8th July. Book Early To Avoid Disappointment! Visit https://bookings.summersoccerschools.ie/s/ online to complete your booking.

Congratulations: Huge congratulations to our U14 player, Tony Mahony, on being awarded soccer player of the year 2022 for Coláiste Mhuire, Johnstown. Another fantastic achievement to top off his brilliant season.

Juniors Promoted! Big congratulations to our Junior Team who got promoted to Division 1 after a well deserved 4 – 0 win over River Rangers last Sunday in Derdimus Park. Goals on the day were from Aaron Grady x 2, Conor Deegan (penalty) and Lee Campion. All the boys deserved this day as their commitment and drive all year was fantastic. A special mention for Michael Larkin and Donie Walsh, both coaches put in a huge effort and commitment this year and all players are very grateful to them both. The boys now turn their attention to the Leinster Plate Quarter Final which will be played in the next two weeks against Cabinteely or Home Farm from Dublin, match to be played in Durrow. Keep an eye on our social media sites for updates…

U15 Girls St Canices Credit Union Cup Semi Final: Lions AFC 0 V 2 Stoneyford. The Under 15 girls headed into to last week’s semi final facing a strong Stoneyford team. The Lions played with guts, fierce determination, and great pride! In fact,  the 2-0 scoreline flattered Stoneyford with Lions Olivia Hovenden, Molly Cummins, and Lucy Kelly causing problems for Stoneyford at the back throughout the game. However, they could not break through despite hitting the post twice as well as the bar. Stoneyford, then had a stroke of luck and were fortunate to take the lead in the first half. 

This did not deter the Lions as the back line kept Stoneyford at bay for the rest of the half. A worthy defensive display from the two centre backs Amelia Starnes and Sarah McGrath as they helped limit Stoneyford chances both making key tackles throughout the game. Other notable performances saw Alison Curran have an excellent game at left back as well as all of the U13 girls that joined the cause. The second half saw Stoneyford score a penalty after a hand ball in the area which was duly slotted hard into the corner despite a valiant effort to save the day from Robyn Townsend. The girls didn’t give up and they fought to the bitter end as they continued to carve out opportunities but they just could not find the back of the net. Eventually the girls ran out of time but they could leave the field with their heads held high, proving they truly are proud Lions!

Kilkenny U13s: A big shout out to the Lions U13 player Lucy Kelly who had a fantastic couple of days earlier this month with the Kilkenny U13 girls at the Darren Ward Tournament in Cahir. Lucy helped     Kilkenny top their group on the Saturday with the winning goal against Clare. On the Sunday, Kerry were the opposition in the semi final but they were brushed aside by Kilkenny with Lucy bagging two goals. Unfortunately, Tipperary proved too strong for the Kilkenny girls in the final. Nonetheless an experience for Lucy as the Kilkenny girls prepare for next Seasons Gaynor Cup. Keep up the hard work Lucy.

U13 Eric Wilcox Shield Final: Result – Lions AFC 3 V 1 Freebooters. The Lions scorers were Fionn O’Sullivan, Alex Sheppard and Adrian Beliskyy. Well done boys on a great win.

U11 David Doran Shield Semi Final: Lions AFC 0 V 1 Freebooters. Hard luck to our U11 Shield team who lost to Freebooters. The boys put in a huge performance and effort only to fall short with a goal   conceded just two minutes from time. Heartbreak for the young Lions boys but the club and coaches are very proud of these boys for their effort and commitment all year. Good days ahead…

DURROW PARISH LOTTO RESULTS: DURROW PARISH LOTTO RESULTS – Monday, May 16th 2022: There was no jackpot winner of €2,000. The numbers drawn were: 05, 14, 20 and 24. The cash prize winners were as follows… €50 –  Jim Coffey; €30 – Frank Dunne; €20 – Shane Lawlor.

Monday, May 23rd 2022: There was no jackpot winner of €2,200. The numbers drawn were: 16, 19, 23 and 27. The cash prize winners were as follows… €50 – Savannah Delaney; €30 – Tommy Thornton; €20 – Fiona Bergin.

The Next Jackpot will be €2,400 on Monday 30th May. Tickets are available from the following clubs: Scouts, Gun Club, Fishing Club and Our Lady’s Meadow or on sale in these supporting outlets: Castle Arms, Post Office, Gala, Daybreak, Decs, Bob’s, Fawltys. If you are not in, you can’t win…

EV CHARGING SURVEY: No matter where you live or what vehicle you drive, we want to hear what you think of our plans for electric vehicle (EV) charging. Now is your chance to influence future development in this area, so take a few minutes to have your say. Visit www.gov.ie/en/consultation/0a579-public-consultation-on-the-electrical-vehicle-charging-infrastructure-strategy/ online before May 31st 2022.

WHIST DRIVE: The Killermogh Whist Drive is held in the Parochial Hall, Cork Road, Durrow at 8 pm. It will be held on the last Thursday of every month. Please come and enjoy a lovely friendly night.

DURROW FIRE AND RESCUE: Do you need a smoke alarm? Or do you know of someone who does, in the Durrow, Cullohill or Ballacolla area? Every home should have a minimum of two of the life saving   devices! Durrow Fire & Rescue will provide and install smoke alarms for anyone that needs them, and there is no charge for this service. Simply email info@durrow.ie if you are interested, or if you know of a friend or neighbour that needs to have the devices installed. Please leave a contact number too.

NEXT NEWSLETTER: The next newsletter will be out on the weekend of June 11th and 12th 2022. All adverts must be booked with Angela Drennan (087) 1928522 or (057) 8736419. Advertisements cost €2 per issue of Durrow Parish Newsletter and must be paid for in advance. Clubs and Organisations are encouraged to email info@durrow.iewith their ongoing news and notices which will be printed in the upcoming newsletter and also be posted on the Durrow.ie website.