Around the Districts: Ashford, Glenealy and Redcross
Pockets of Hope
Hopelessness can often be a characteristic of many lives today. This is not difficult to believe as with increasing secularism, war, violence, lack of social cohesion, the lack of care for our planet and general brokenness, it can be a real challenge to be a person of hope.
In response to our plight Pockets of Hope is a project created by Fr. Alan Hilliard and designed by Mary-Aoife Ong which is based on the writings of Pope Francis in the document Spes Non Confundit (Hope Does Not Disappoint) which is the theme for The Jubilee Year of Hope 2025.
Pockets of Hope draws on the imagery of the Burren Landscape on the western shore of Ireland. The display aims to highlight how hope can be discovered even amidst the most bleak of landscapes.
Our selection of Pockets of Hope reflection posters will be on display in the Holy Rosary Church Ashford for the month of June 2025.
You are invited to complete your own mini pilgrim journey as you contemplate each message of hope and let God speak to you through the reflections. This is a selection from the complete set of forty-two posters which are on display in the Dublin Churches. It allows the pilgrim journey though the document, contemplating its rich and life-giving narrative for today's world.
It is the desire that many people in Ireland can be filled with the gift of Hope through this project!
GLENEALY
Blessing of the graves
The blessing of the graves will take place in Glenealy Cemetery on Saturday 19th July at 3pm.
There will be refreshments afterwards in the hall courtesy of Glenealy Tidy Towns.
Card drive
45 card drive will be on every Thursday night at 8pm in Glenealy Village Hall. New players always welcome.
Indoor Bowls
Indoor Bowls are played in Glenealy village hall every Wednesday night from 8pm to 10pm. New players always welcome.
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Pilates
Pilates is now on in Glenealy Village Hall every Tuesday night from 7.30pm to 8.30pm. For more information contact Zara on 087 9367474.
Book Exchange
If anyone would like to exchange books or take books, the book shelf is just inside the main door at hall. There is a great selection to choose from.
Astro Turf
Astro turf is now available to rent at very competitive rates. Tennis court also available. For more information contact 0404 44040.
REDCROSS
Summer Fair
Scoil San Eoin in Redcross are hosting a family-friendly Summer Fair on Saturday, June 14 from 12 noon to 3 p.m. at the school grounds.
This is a fundraising event to support our small rural school, and the day will include stalls, games, food, a raffle, face painting, and a fun passport game for kids. All are welcome!
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Irish Times
5 days ago
- Irish Times
Irish people are talented at many things. But we have our shortcomings too
Ancestrally speaking, and just between us, there are things Irish people are and are not good at. Digesting dairy? We're very talented at it. Our lactose intolerance rate is under 5 per cent, which is way under the 65 per cent global average. That makes us almost superhumanly good at digesting butter, as well as exporting it. We can enjoy it without a roiling gut and an afternoon of debilitating cramps. Our ancestors equipped us to digest the foods around us, which is apparently largely dairy, and whatever the British weren't first having themselves. Knowing the secrets of everyone in the small town where we grew up? Nobody is better at that either. We are like a nation of grizzled but lovable private detectives. We all know Jimmy 'the wagon' (unfortunate and insensitive nickname – classically Irish) is off the wagon again when we see him sitting inside the window of the local Supermac's eating garlic cheese chips without a fork at half 11 in the morning. We are all familiar with the widely circulated rumour that Mary from down the road killed a man in a disagreement over scratch cards in 1984. Crucially, since they never found a body, she's still the school lollipop lady (we are all innocent until proven guilty). There are things Irish people are good at. Emigrating and then remaining very Irish in almost hermetically sealed cabals of their own despite being in Canada, or Australia , the Philippines, or wherever else. Alcohol consumption – unfortunately, we earned that reputation fair and square, and my numerous family members with drinking problems will readily attest to it as, I'm sure, will yours. READ MORE We have many gifts and talents. A penchant for the creative – art, literature and music. A sort of hardiness that comes of being largely cold and wet for hundreds of consecutive generations. (We might be genetically coded for immunity to trench foot.) A fitting and solemn respect for a dinner that is mostly carbohydrates as long as it has gravy on it. But we have shortcomings too. Many of these are not our fault, and I would argue strongly that one example is our poor ability to adapt to other climates. We have pollen in Ireland, of course, and the summer season is an absolute pain in the face (quite literally) for anyone with hay fever in a country richly carpeted in grass Living in Australia, I've seen more than one man red as a beet in a Mayo jersey, his boiled forehead audibly sizzling under the Australian sun as he declares it's 'actually unbelievable to feel the heat' on his face. 'My friend,' I think, 'the heat you are feeling is radiation scrambling your DNA. Get some factor 50 on or you'll be scraping your forehead skin up off the floor.' [ Hay fever and asthma sufferers face more severe symptoms due to agricultural fertilisers - study Opens in new window ] Those of Celtic heritage developed their skin tone, as I did, vaguely in the vicinity of Limerick, where sunlight is a thing we mostly read about in books and consider a rare and special treat, like having pancakes for dinner. It's all well and good for us to be going to California or Sydney or the UAE or wherever, but we would be foolish indeed to think that we don't need to take precautions to protect ourselves against a climate we are ill-equipped to survive in. We need sunscreen, ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) clothing and a decent hat or we will, quite simply, perish. Pollen is no different. We have pollen in Ireland, of course, and the summer season is an absolute pain in the face (quite literally) for anyone with hay fever in a country richly carpeted in grass. We would go to visit my great aunt who lived on Bere Island every summer when I was a child. Each year, just as I was taking in the verdant majesty of my favourite part of the country, my eyes would promptly swell shut. Because it was the 1990s, nobody thought to actually do anything much to assist a temporarily blinded seven-year-old with restricted airways. In fairness, my great aunt did say she'd pray for me, which was good of her. Unfortunately, in the depths of my youth and physical discomfort, this promise served only to convince me that I was dying. So look, I thought I 'knew' pollen. She has been my old nemesis, reeling drunkenly forth each year as spring slurs blowsily into being, and staying long past her welcome once September arrives, still swaying alone on the dance floor as people are stacking chairs in the background. 'The season is over, you relentless slattern,' I would think. 'Go to bed'. And, eventually, she would. My airways would clear and my eyeballs decrust, and there would be room to promptly catch a cold that you couldn't shake till April, like every other respectable Irish person. Still, somewhere out on the vast, mountainous horizon, there are plants desperately trying to have sexual intercourse with one another Then, I moved to Canberra, the hay fever capital of Australia, which does have a primary pollen season during the summer but also enjoys a rolling repertoire of other, less extreme pollen seasons through most of the year. You can actually see the pollen, rolling in mucky clouds, on a windy day. It furs window screens and sills, parked cars and public benches, giving everything it touches the look of something long neglected on Miss Havisham's diningroom table. It gathers in your hair and eyebrows, clinging to your clothes. You can see it running down the drain when you wash your face at night. It plagues people with asthma, who are advised to shower on arrival at home during the worst of the year, lest they keep repollinating themselves each time they move. [ The challenging art of pollen forecasting Opens in new window ] Now, it's autumn in Canberra, as the Irish climate warms up, and I somehow still have hay fever. The leaves are falling, limp and yellow, and my thermals are on and my feet are cold, and still, I am sneezing. Still, somewhere out on the vast, mountainous horizon, there are plants desperately trying to have sexual intercourse with one another. Possibly, there's some sort of lesson in all this, but I'm too congested to glean what it is. It does make me miss Limerick a bit, though, and its chaste plant-life that has the decency to die – or to play dead – once autumn shuffles in. Sign up to The Irish Times Abroad newsletter for Irish-connected people around the world. Here you'll find readers' stories of their lives overseas, plus news, business, sports, opinion, culture and lifestyle journalism relevant to Irish people around the world If you live overseas and would like to share your experience with Irish Times Abroad, you can use the form below, or email abroad@ with a little information about you and what you do. Thank you
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Irish Independent
Around the Districts: Ashford, Glenealy and Redcross
Pockets of Hope Hopelessness can often be a characteristic of many lives today. This is not difficult to believe as with increasing secularism, war, violence, lack of social cohesion, the lack of care for our planet and general brokenness, it can be a real challenge to be a person of hope. In response to our plight Pockets of Hope is a project created by Fr. Alan Hilliard and designed by Mary-Aoife Ong which is based on the writings of Pope Francis in the document Spes Non Confundit (Hope Does Not Disappoint) which is the theme for The Jubilee Year of Hope 2025. Pockets of Hope draws on the imagery of the Burren Landscape on the western shore of Ireland. The display aims to highlight how hope can be discovered even amidst the most bleak of landscapes. Our selection of Pockets of Hope reflection posters will be on display in the Holy Rosary Church Ashford for the month of June 2025. You are invited to complete your own mini pilgrim journey as you contemplate each message of hope and let God speak to you through the reflections. This is a selection from the complete set of forty-two posters which are on display in the Dublin Churches. It allows the pilgrim journey though the document, contemplating its rich and life-giving narrative for today's world. It is the desire that many people in Ireland can be filled with the gift of Hope through this project! GLENEALY Blessing of the graves The blessing of the graves will take place in Glenealy Cemetery on Saturday 19th July at 3pm. There will be refreshments afterwards in the hall courtesy of Glenealy Tidy Towns. Card drive 45 card drive will be on every Thursday night at 8pm in Glenealy Village Hall. New players always welcome. Indoor Bowls Indoor Bowls are played in Glenealy village hall every Wednesday night from 8pm to 10pm. New players always welcome. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Pilates Pilates is now on in Glenealy Village Hall every Tuesday night from 7.30pm to 8.30pm. For more information contact Zara on 087 9367474. Book Exchange If anyone would like to exchange books or take books, the book shelf is just inside the main door at hall. There is a great selection to choose from. Astro Turf Astro turf is now available to rent at very competitive rates. Tennis court also available. For more information contact 0404 44040. REDCROSS Summer Fair Scoil San Eoin in Redcross are hosting a family-friendly Summer Fair on Saturday, June 14 from 12 noon to 3 p.m. at the school grounds. This is a fundraising event to support our small rural school, and the day will include stalls, games, food, a raffle, face painting, and a fun passport game for kids. All are welcome!
The Irish Sun
28-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
I'm a car boot sale pro and found a £600 gem for just a tenner – I even managed to haggle seller down more
CAR boot sales can be a treasure trove for bargain hunters, if you know what to look for. Among the mountains of used toys, mismatched mugs, and bric-a-brac, there are hidden gems that are worth serious cash. 5 Mary Hagan visits a car boot sale almost every week Credit: Mary Hagan 5 There are always hidden gems to be found at the outdoor sales Credit: Getty And nobody knows that better than thrifty Mary Hagan, from North Lanarkshire, Scotland. She picked up her love for car boot sales from her parents, visiting Paddy's Market in Glasgow every week as a family before it was closed down by the city council in 2009. She said: "I loved it and was very sad to see it close, as were loads of others. "It was a big talking point in Glasgow years ago and families and friends would meet to show their bargains off. "I even got my prom dress there for high school. It was a £5 bargain but I felt amazing in it. "Times were hard then and although my mum worked, my dad didn't due to his health but it didn't stop us ever looking good." Now, the 48-year-old loves nothing more than scouring car boot sales and charity shops in her local area. "I've had loads of bargains over the years", she told Fabulous. Most read in Fabulous "I hardly ever buy anything new. But I love it as it saves things going to the landfill, and it's better for your pocket. "Also, with the way things are going, you need every penny you can get to survive." I made £271 in a day of selling at a car boot sale & my mate did £130 - I left with half a car's worth of new bits too If she's at her caravan holiday home, Mary ventures through to the Silloth boot sale in Cumbria - which she hails as a "money town where you're guaranteed the best". And it's here that she bagged a £600 designer gem for just £8. The tan Mulberry Alexa satchel was wrapped in a dust bag when Mary stumbled across it towards the end of the day. After sharing her find on TikTok ( "I could tell it was genuine right away. It's real leather, and the insides, the emblems, and condition are all spot on. 5 Mary found a £600 Mulberry handbag for just a tenner Credit: TikTok/@mazzah77 5 She managed to haggle it down to £8 Credit: TikTok/@mazzah77 5 Mary is convinced the bag is authentic after checking the logos and lining Credit: TikTok/@mazzah77 "I asked how much and the seller had said because it was the end of day £10. "Inside I was like 'wow I'm definitely taking it anyway' but the Glaswegian in me knew to haggle. I mean, who goes to a car boot and doesn't haggle? It's part of the excitement. "So we agreed on £8. I was delighted and walked away Googling it straight away to realise a pre-loved Mulberry bag the exact same was fetching £600. "I don't know if I will resell or keep it, it's not my usual style so who knows - if the price is right!" She adds: "It's always worthwhile going to car boots and charity shops as you just never know what you will find. Read more on the Irish Sun "Just remember to rummage and haggle." The nine best items to find at car boot sales Self-professed 'Car Boot Queen' Ellie Macsymons, from NetVoucherCodes, has revealed the nine items you should hunt out at car boot sales that could sell for hundreds of pounds: Vintage Pyrex Dishes Retro Gaming Consoles & Games Branded Vintage Clothing Mid-Century Furniture & Decor LEGO Sets Vintage Cameras Rare or First Edition Books Designer Handbags or Accessories Royal Doulton, Wedgwood, or Denby Ceramics Ellie says: "Car boot sales are the perfect place to spot a deal. Often sellers don't know what kind of treasure they have right under their nose, and often sell luxury items for a fraction of their price. "If you know what you're looking for, you could resell some of these items for hundreds of pounds, giving you an extra boost coming into summer."
