Inishmagrath - Drumkeeran News

NOTICE BOARD

General Notices,
are available on the

Two people from the Drumkeerin's St Brigid's GAA Club were presented with awards at the Leitrim GAA Awards Night held in the Bush Hotel on Friday, 27th January.

Ann Marie Gallagher was presented with the Ladies Junior Player of the Year award.
She is pictured here with her mother Pauline and her sister Paula.

For his lifelong involvement in the GAA at many levels Andrew Redican was presented with the Jim Lynch Hall of Fame award. The presentation was made by Martina Gill daughter of the late Jim Lynch.

We are indebted to Leitrim County GAA web site and Connaught.ie for these photographs.
The photographer was James Molloy, Manorhamilton. (james.molloy.oifigeach@gaa.ie)

The death has taken place of Fr Charlie McPadden.
Fr Charlie was born in 1936 in Tullaghans, near Newbridge,
then within the boundaries of Inishmagrath parish.
Having worked for a few years in Limerick he went to the US
where he joined the American army and served in Germany.

Charlie left the army in 1959 and joined the Maryknoll order, an American order of priests and brothers dedicated to evangelisation and missionary work.
He was ordained on 24th May 1969
in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.

Fr Charlie spent a year in Mexico studying the Spanish language. In 1970 he went to Chile where he would spend the next 16 years on missionary work. When he returned to the United States he worked in Los Angeles, in Grenville, South Carolina, and in Denver, Colorado.
In most of these areas he worked among Spanish speaking immigrants.

After he retired from the missions he returned to Ireland and served as a curate
in Glangevlin from 2005 until he became ill in mid-2011.
Fr Charlie died in Our Lady's Hospital, Manorhamilton,
on Monday, 30th January.

Bishop Leo O'Reilly, Bishop of Kilmore, was the chief celebrant at Fr Charlie's funeral Mass in Doobally Church on Thursday, 2nd February. The Mass was attended by many of the local priests as well as by a large number of people from Drumkeeran, Newbridge, Doobally and Glangevlin.

Parishioners of Inishmagrath have been offered a unique opportunity to attend the closing Mass of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress.
The Congress will take place in Dublin from Sunday 10th June to Sunday 17th June.

While most Congress events will take place in the RDS,
the closing Mass is scheduled to be celebrated in Croke Park on 17th June.

Our parish has been allocated 10 tickets for this very special occasion.
The Pastoral Council has decided that these tickets will be allocated by means of an open draw. Parishioners interested in being included in that draw are asked to contact Fr Alwill in person, by phone or by email, before 6.00 pm on Friday, 19th February, giving their names and phone numbers.
Successful applicants will be required to pay €10 for the ticket.

People who wish to attend the Congress in the RDS during the week must register online,
through the Congress web site. Here are some links:

The full programme for each day is now available on the site. Log on to the Congress site Home Page (www.iec2012.ie). Then click on "2012 Congress Details". Click on "Programme" and select "Full Programme" for the day you wish to view.

The death has taken place of Annie McKenna of Aughamore, Drumkeeran.
Aged 76, Annie died peacefully at her home on Thursday, 26th January.
She had bravely struggled against a serious illness for the last two years.

Annie was born in Bundiveen in 1935. In her late teens she went to the US where she spent about for about 8 years. She also spent a number of years in England training to be a nurse before she returned to Drumkeeran.
In 1963 she married Packie McKenna and they settled in Aughamore.
While Packie worked in the mines Annie proved that she was a woman of many talents. She helped out with the work on the farm, making the hay and looking after the the cattle.
She enjoyed doing her cooking and her baking, and always maintained an interest in it. She was an avid fan of the cookery programmes on TV. Every visitor to Annie's house was welcomed by a cuppa and a slice of her delicious apple tart.

Annie also enjoyed her gardening and took great pride in having a good display of flowers and shrubs. And she loved to be on the move, whether it be on shopping trips to Dublin, or the family outings to Bundoran or the frequent family outings to Knock.

Above all, she was a dedicated and devoted wife and mother. She and her late husband Packie gave everything to looking after and rearing Mary and Brendan. In 1992, when Packie was recovering from by-pass surgery, she cared for him and looked after him.
His sudden death in 2005 came as a huge blow to her. She missed him enormously.
But Annie had great strength of character and, of course, she had her deep faith.
Throughout her life she remained faithful to her prayer, to the Rosary, to the Mass.
Over the last few years she had to carry the cross of a serious illness.
But she never complained. She was strong and brave and full of faith to the very end

She is survived by her daughter Mary and her son Brendan and by her sister Bridget and her brothers Michael and Steve.

Large crowds attended the removal to St Patrick's Church, Tarmon, on Friday evening and the funeral Mass on Saturday morning.
The Mass was concelebrated by Fr Gerard Alwill PP and Fr Peter Burke PP, Drumshanbo.
After the Mass Annie was laid to rest beside her late husband Packie in Curraghs Cemetery.

(Back): Clodagh Redican, Maureen O'Keeffe, Bernie McCabe, Eileen McHugh, Paul Gallagher
(Front): Andrea Canning, Mary Dolan, Sinead Tighe

On Friday, 20th January, Drumkeeran National School said farewell to Mrs Mary Dolan. Mary, who has been a teacher in the school for over 16 years, is leaving Drumkeeran to take up her appointment as Principal of nearby Creevelea NS.

Andrew Redican (Former Chairperson of the Board) and Fr Gerard Alwill
Mrs Josephine White (Chairperson of the Board), Mary Dolan and Mrs Eileen Kelly (Former Principal)

Among those who spoke were Mrs Josephine White (Chairperson of the Board of Management), Maureen O'Keeffe (Principal) and Mrs Eileen Kelly (Former Principal). All spoke of Mary's wonderful work as a teacher, of her outstanding commitment to the her pupils and of her tremendous sense of humour and fun.
Andrew Redican, former Chairperson of the Board and Fr Alwill were also in attendance.

In her words, Mary spoke of how much she had enjoyed teaching in Drumkeeran and she thanked the staff, the parents and the pupils for all their support over the years.

While all were sorry to see Mrs Dolan leave Drumkeeran everyone wished her every success in her now role as Principal in Creevelea NS.

We congratulate the teachers and pupils of St Brigid's National School, Drumkeeran, on their recently launched school web site.

This colourful and friendly site gives the visitor an insight into the school and it's life. It has a Gallery for photos and an Events page that bring us the latest school news. There's a even a download page where parents may download copies of various forms and policies.

One of the most popular and best known men in the parish, Kevin, better known to his friends and neighbours as Kevie, died in Our Lady's Hospital, Manorhamilton,
on Saturday morning, 14th January.
He was almost 90 years of age.

Kevie was born in Treenadullagh in 1922, the son of of Pat and Ellen Harkin. His father Pat died when Kevie was only 4 years of age. Kevie worked for a while as an insurance collector. In 1948 he went to America and spent a number of years in Detroit, working as a cook on the boats that traversed the Great Lakes. It was while working as a cook in Buffalo, New York, that he met Mary, a lady from Co Kerry, and they were married in Killarney in 1953.
Kevie and Mary settled in Treenadullagh where they raised their two children, Mary and Jim.
Keevie was a devoted husband to Mary and a dedicated father to their children.

Kevie was a man of many talents and skills. He was a skilled carpenter, a good cook, a butcher, a maker of creels and a barber. He will be best remembered as a popular outgoing person who loved to meet with people and to chat with them, telling some of his many stories
and reminiscing on times gone by.
In particular he loved the bingo, the games of cards with the neighbours, the céilí music sessions, the hunting and the shooting. He also had a special interest in dogs and horses. He loved to train dogs and enter them in the local sheep-dog trials. He bred and reared his own foals and delighted in entering horses in the local shows.
Above all, Kevie enjoyed the company of people and had a great welcome for everyone.
He certainly was one of those people who enjoyed living life to the full.

Over the last two years his outgoing and energetic lifestyle was seriously hampered by illness.
Much of this time was spent in hospital. When he was at home his lack of mobility meant that he was confined to his house in Treenadullagh. But he never complained. He was happy to be with his family and among his own neighbours and friends along the Black Road.
Kevie Harkin will be sorely missed, not only by his family, but also by his many neighbours friends in Drumkeeran and Killargue.
The very large crowds that attended the removal and the funeral
show the high esteem in which he was held by the people of the area.

The funeral Mass took place in St Brigid's Church, Drumkeeran, on Monday, 16th January.
After the Mass, Kevie was laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery.

A new principal has been appointed to Creevelea National School.
She is Mary Dolan, from Blacklion, Co Cavan.
Mary has been a member of the teaching staff of Drumkeeran NS for 16 years.
We congratulate her on her appointment and we wish her every success and every blessing in her position in Creevelea.

The death has taken place of Sheila Dolan, Main St, Drumkeeran.
In her 90th year, Sheila died suddenly on Friday morning, 30th December.

News of her sudden death was greeted with much sadness and with much shock in Drumkeeran and in the parish as a whole.
Born on Main St in April 1921 Sheila spent most of her life in Drumkeeran town.
She and her husband Francis managed and ran their shop on Main St
until his untimely death in 1974.

Sheila, in the eyes of many people had a difficult life but, in spite of all the setbacks, she always showed tremendous optimism and cheerfulness in everything she said and did.
No doubt, her deep faith and her great strength of character helped her cope with whatever difficulties life seemed to put in her path. She was a very practical woman who was always grateful for the good things in life. She enjoyed life and she enjoying living it to the full. She had a deep regard for the people of the area and a deep knowledge of them.
She also had a very deep respect for the Mass and a deep devotion to the Rosary.
A keen member of the Apostolic Society, she worked hard at making and preparing vestments and copes for the missions. Not only that, but she always amazed her fellow members in the society by the speed at which she could knit woollen caps etc for children in mission territories.

Alert and active up until her death, Sheila was one of the great characters of the town and she will be sorely missed by all who knew her.
She was pre-deceased by her husband Frank in 1974.
She is survived by her daughters Margaret, Maeve, Una and Mary and by her son Pat.

Large crowds attended the removal on Sunday evening and the funeral on Monday morning.
Fr Gerard Alwill PP was chief celebrant at the funeral Mass.
He was assisted by Fr Sean Kelly OFMCap, CC, Priorswood, Dublin
and Fr Donal Kilduff CC, Ballyjamesduff.
After the Mass Sheila was laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery.

Fr Alwill, Chairperson of the Board of Management, makes a presentation to Aisling Tighe on behalf of the Board. Also in the photograph, to the left of picture, is Chris Mahon, teacher in the school.

On Wednesday, 21st December, the pupils, the staff, the parents and the members of the Board of Management gathered to in Creevelea school to say farewell to the Ms Aisling Tighe.

Aisling, who has been principal of the school since 2006, was recently appointed as principal to Cloghogue NS, near Castelbaldwin, Co Sligo.

Wednesday's proceedings began with the pupils presenting their annual nativity play.

Right: Rebecca makes a presentation of flowers on behalf of the pupils
and
Left: Johnny Lawson, Parents' Representative on the Board, makes a presentation on behalf of parents

Among the speakers were Johnny Lawson, Chris Mahon (Teacher) and Fr Alwill.
They spoke of Ms Tighe's dedication to her work as teacher and principal.
They also spoke of the wide variety of learning experiences she brought to the children and, above all, of the cheerful and pleasant atmosphere that pervades the school as a whole.

On behalf of the Board of Management, Fr Alwill thanked Ms Tighe for her commitment to the pupils and to the school community. He also wished her every success and every blessing as she takes up her new appointment in Cloghogue NS in January next.

Ms Tighe spoke of how much she had enjoyed her time in Creevelea and how much she had enjoyed working with the pupils. She concluded by thanking her colleague, Ms Mahon, the parents and the Board for their support and encouragement over the years.

The village Christmas crib, which is situated in the Square, has been refurbished for Christmas 2011.

The new housing for the crib was constructed by members of the Rural Social Scheme under the guidance of Seamus Shanley.

Through the generosity of a local family the statuettes of the crib have all been repaired and painted.

The refurbished crib was put in place in recent days by Patrick Joseph McTiernan.

Another annual highlight of the Christmas season are the decorations at the home of Margaret and Tony Forde on Main Street.

On Saturday 10th December Tarmon Church was reopened after extensive renovation works to the sanctuary.

The opening Mass was celebrated by Fr Gerard Alwill PP, assisted by
Fr Joe Flynn, a native of Tarmon.

The renovations entailed the removal of the old altar and the installation of a marble altar and rherdos. These were acquired from the Sisters of Mercy in Mallow, Co Cork, who were closing their convent chapel.

In a special ceremony at the Saturday evening Mass Fr Alwill, accompanied by Fr Joe Flynn, a native of the Tarmon area, blessed the new altar and rherdos.
Kathleen Rynn, sacristan and Christina Byrne, Eucharistic Minister,
then placed the altar-cloth onto the altar.

In his homily Fr Alwill spoke about the central role the altar plays in the Mass, symbolising both the altar of Christ's sacrifice and the table of the Last Supper.

Apart from the sanctuary, the renovations also included repairs to the roof, the installation of an electro-osmosis anti damp system in the walls and a repainting of the church interior.

The old baptismal font, which had been used as a holy water font outside the main door of the church, has been placed inside the church, close to the sanctuary.

All of the work on the marble was done by Donal McDonald from Kilkenny, pictured right above. Also in the photograph is Seamus Martin, Donal's partner on the work in Tarmon Church.
They were assisted for a week by Donal's son, Thomas.

We wish to thank all who were involved in the renovation project:
Francis Davitt & Pat McGowan (Engineers), Thomas McSharry (Building Contractor)
Sisters of Mercy (Mallow, Co Cork)
Donal McDonald & Seamus Martin (Kilkenny - Marble craftsmen), Michael Dolan (Painter), SMcS Security (Electrics), Pristine Cleaners, Sean McTiernan (Carpets)
Owen Seeley (Ocatronics - Sound), Rita McPadden (Altar Cloths)
and the Parish Finance Committee, especially the local members,
Kathleen Rynn and Sean Rynn.
We also thank the Rynn Family for cleaning the church at the weekends before it was closed.

We congratulate Kevin Noel McPartland who was baptised in St Brigid's Church, Drumkeeran, on Sunday, 11th December.
He is pictured here with his parents, Marie and John.
The Family lives in Dowra Road, Drumkeeran.

On Wednesday, 30th November, the The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church published a report on the current practice with regard to the safeguarding of children in the Diocese of Kilmore.

The report, which was based on the examination of all existing files,
acknowledges that there were serious mistakes and failures in the past.

With regard to current procedures in the diocese,
the report very highly commends Bishop Leo and the diocesan Safeguarding Children Team.

Bishop Leo was interviewed on RTE Radio's Drivetime news programme on Wednesday evening and appeared on Prime Time, RTE television's current affairs programme, on Thursday evening.

A quotation from the Report
The overall view of current practice is that it is of a consistently high standard. In many respects, the Diocese of Kilmore may be viewed as a model of best practice within the Church in this critical area. To a significant extent, this is seen as a consequence of the personal commitment and diligence of Bishop O’Reilly who demonstrated a willingness to lead others and to address safeguarding concerns when they arose. For this he should be commended.

Suzie Duffy, Director of the Diocesan Child Safeguarding Committee
and, as such, a leading member of Diocesan Child Safeguarding Team.

Another Quotation from the Report
Some of the most notable features of practice within Kilmore were the enthusiasm and commitment of staff and volunteers. They wanted to improve and to achieve best practice for the sake of vulnerable children. Particular praise must be paid to the Bishop of Kilmore, Most Reverend Leo O’Reilly DD. He provides direction for his staff and constantly supports and encourages them. His approach is an excellent example for others to follow.

Kilmore was is one of six dioceses on which reports were published on Wednesday.

While the comments in the report about Kilmore are very positive and are very welcome,
we cannot not forget the pain of the victims whose lives have been shattered by the Church failures in the past. On one case in particular, one that pre-dates Bishop Leo's appointment as bishop, the report stated that the "the response was considered by the reviewer to be inadequate".

This is the sixth edition of the John McKenna Calendar.
Over these years there has been a wide selection of photographs displayed, remembering people and events of both times gone by and of more recent times.

Hopefully these photographs have revived happy memories for many people. For some though, some of these photos may bring a touch of sadness as they remind us of friends and relations that have since died.
As well as the usual wide selection of photos, this year's calendar carries a number of class photos from both primary and secondary schools.

The John McKenna Society expresses its thanks to all those who supplied the photos.
The proceeds from the sale of the calendar help fund the Society and its ongoing activities.

Copies of the calendar may be purchased from the John McKenna Society.
Contact info@johnmckenna.ie

Bishop Leo O'Reilly, Bishop of Kilmore, and three members of the Diocesan Pastoral Team attended a public meeting in Drumkeeran Community Centre on Thursday, 17th November.

This was the first of a series of meetings that the bishop and the pastoral team plan to make over the coming months. They plan to visit all the pastoral areas in the diocese.

Our pastoral area, known as the Shannon / Lough Gill Pastoral Area, consists of four parishes, Dromahair, Inishmagrath, Ballinaglera and Blacklion/Glangevlin. Representatives of the pastoral councils and finance committees of each parish were invited to attend. So too were members of the general public. In all, about one hundred people attended the meeting.

Fr Michael Router, Director of the Kilmore Pastoral Centre, explained the need for and purpose of pastoral areas. Claire Coyle, Diocesan Youth Officer, spoke about the Pope John Paul awards as a means of involving young people in parish activities. Suzie Duffy, Director of the Diocesan Child Safeguarding Committee, spoke about diocesan child safeguarding policies and procedures.

Bishop Leo also spoke on many of these issues. Members of the audience were also given the opportunity to make comments and to ask questions.

Bishop Leo shakes hands with Josephine White. Also in the photo are Irene Redican and Bríd Fallon.
All three ladies are members of the local Parish Pastoral Council.

People were very pleased with the meeting and, in his final words of thanks, Fr Alwill, parish priest of Drumkeeran and Pastoral Area Leader, said that such visits were a welcome development and he expressed the hope that they might become a regular feature of pastoral area life.

The cast: Margaret O'Rourke, Paula Loughlin Connaire, Seamus Gallagher, Margaret Hamilton, Andrew Redican, Thomas McHugh and Donna Keaney.

Over the weekend of 12th, 13th and 14th November Drumkeeran Drama Group staged their presentation of William Rocke's hilarious comedy, "Try Anything Twice".

Each night packed audiences were treated to a very funny and very entertaining piece of comic farce that followed the antics of Michael McGowan after this wife wins a Glamorous Grandmother contest and brings home suave womaniser Clive Cartwright as her prize.

The top-class performances from all of the cast provided non-stop laughter for everyone.

The cast included Seamus Gallagher, Margaret Hamilton, Andrew Redican, Margaret O'Rourke, Paula Loughlin Connaire, Thomas McHugh and Donna Keaney.

The proceeds of the Group's productions have been used to provide new seating for the comfort of the audience in the Community Centre, to extend the stage area, to provide a new set of flats and doors and to purchase a new stage lighting system.

We congratulate Fiona Forde and Fergal Molloy
on their wedding in Drumkeeran Church
on Friday, 11th November 2011.

Fiona is a native of Ballinaglera and Fergal is a native of Drumkeeran.
They currently live in Sheena, Drumkeeran.

The residents of Áras Bhríde were joined by a large attendance of their many friends and neighbours for their annual party.
The party took place on Thursday evening, 10th November.

During the past week the men working on the marble fixtures concentrated their efforts on laying the marble steps. This a slow and tedious process where precision with measurements and levels is absolutely crucial. It's not possible to see the new marble steps in the above photo as they have been covered for protection while other work is ongoing.
The builders were working on repairing and sealing cracks in the exterior plaster of the church and on removing the loose and damp plaster on the interior of the wall adjacent to the sanctuary.
In the above photo, the newly plastered area on that wall takes on the appearance of an eerie shadow of a large cat-like creature!

In this photo we see the outline of the new marbles steps.
Because of the protective cover it's not possible to see the steps themselves.

Because the marble on the steps is about 2.5 cm higher than the floor level it is necessary to raise the floor level behind the altar and around the rherdos.
Once complete, the floor of the sanctuary will be ready for carpeting.

Next week we hope to put the baptism font into place and we hope to start planning for the final stages of the work, including a major clean-up operation, the painting of the walls and the laying of the sanctuary carpet.

In the meantime the church remains closed.
It is not yet possible to give a date for reopening in church.

Pictured above are Treasa Harrison and Vincent Cheroy
who were married on 29th October
in L'Église de Isle Jourdain, Le Castéra, Toulouse, France.
Treasa is the daughter of Mary and Michael Harrison, Cornacloy, Drumkeeran.
Vincent is a native of Paris.

We are now nearly finished the third week of renovations works on the sanctuary of Tarmon Church. The craftsmen working on the project were hoping to finish construction of the rherdos by the end of this week.
The above photo shows the progress by Wednesday evening.
The new tabernacle can be clearly seen.

By Friday evening the rherdos is almost complete.
Only a few decorative pieces have to be added.

The brass door of the tabernacle is the door that was on the old tabernacle in the church.

Next week the workers will turn their attention to putting marble on the steps of the altar and, hopefully, in the following week the baptismal font will be put into place.

Because of other renovation work carried out this week the church is now very dusty and it has become necessary to close the church and to transfer Friday evening and Saturday evening Masses to Drumkeeran for the next few weekends.

Over the weekend of 29th & 30th October we welcomed two new members
into the parish community as
Babies Cara Bridget Redican and Emma Rose Forde
celebrated the sacrament of Baptism.

We congratulate Baby Cara Bridget Redican on her baptism in Drumkeeran Church
on Sunday, 30th October.
Baby Cara Bridget is pictured here with her parents
Clodagh and Finian Redican.
The family lives in Curraghs North.

And we congratulate Baby Emma Rose Forde on her baptism in Drumkeeran Church
on the previous day, Saturday, 29th October.
Baby Emma Rose is pictured here with her mother Gillian,
her father Micheál and her sister Isabelle.
The family lives in Sheena.

The altar which had been in use since the church was renovated in1973 was removed on Wednesday morning and work began on the construction of the marble altar that will replace it.

By late afternoon the front and side panels of the new altar were being put into place.

Although work on the altar is not complete,
weekend Masses will be celebrated as usual.

A report on work carried out during the first week of construction is available below.

We congratulate Michael Foley and Emma Daniel on their wedding on Saturday, 22nd October, in Jordanstown Church, Enfield, Co Meath.
Michael is the son of Ann and Peter Foley, Spencer Harbour, Drumkeeran and
Emma is a native of Enfield.

As the photo above shows, these days the sanctuary of St Patrick's Church, Tarmon, is looking somewhat like a building site.
Construction work has commenced on the marble rherdos and altar.
The rherdos is a marble structure housing the tabernacle.
It will be constructed behind the altar, along the rear wall of the sanctuary

By the second day of construction work we see the outline of the base of the rherdos taking shape.
We can also see the supportive block-work that will be hidden within the structure.
It is a very skilful task to make sure that the levels are correct and that the upright surfaces are perpendicular to the ground.

In the meantime the Friday evening and the Saturday evening Masses
will continue to be celebrated in the church.

The death has taken place of Noreen McLoughlin, Lugmeen, Drumkeeran.
Aged 74, Noreen died in the North West Hospice, Sligo
on Tuesday evening, 4th October.

Noreen was born in Kilmaine, Co Mayo, in 1937, the eldest of seven children. In 1950 the family moved to Tooting in London. After she finished her education there she worked in number of jobs including as a secretary with London Transport, at their Baker St office. Her father too had worked for London Transport.
In the early 1950's she met and got to know Hughie McLoughlin and they were married in Tooting in 1956. The family moved to Canada but five years later they returned to London.
In 1982 they came back to Ireland and settled in Drumkeeran.

For much of her life Noreen had to struggle with ill-health. She and her husband Hugh also had to live with the deep sadness of the deaths of two of their children, Teresa who died in 1986 and Hugh Francis who died in 1999. Over the last ten years or so her health deteriorated considerably, to the point that she often had to spend prolonged periods in hospital.

But Noreen was a deeply spiritual person and in her deep faith she found the strength to bear her difficulties with great dignity and with great courage.
Noreen was a cheerful person with her own unique sense of humour. She was also a very generous and devoted wife and mother. She gave herself totally to caring for her husband Hughie and for their family and, in more recent times, for their grandchildren.

Noreen is survived by her husband Hughie, by her daughters Marie and Gerri, by her grandchildren Zoe, Finn, Sean and Aidan, and by her brothers and sisters.

A special social was held in Drumkeeran Community Centre on Thursday, 29th September, to mark the retirement of Dr Rosaleen Harkin.
Dr Harkin, who retired from her practice at the end of May,
has been the local GP in Drumkeeran for 22 years.

On behalf of the community, presentations were made by Kathleen McTeigue and Angela Evans Flynn

David Harding made a presentation on behalf of Lough Allen College

One very special presentation was that made by 3-year old Ava Rosaleen Keaveney,
at whose birth Dr Harkin had assisted.

The main speakers were Mary Bohan and Fr Alwill.
Mary spoke of Dr Harkin's generosity and kindness, of Dr Harkin's commitment to the local community and of her tireless work on behalf of St Brigid's Hostel,
St Vincent de Paul and many other local bodies.
Fr Alwill spoke of Dr Harkin's gentle and reassuring manner and of how, over the last 22 years, she had touched the lives of nearly every family in the community.

In a touching speech Dr Harkin recalled some of the more humourous incidents that she had encountered over the years. She thanked the community for their generosity and kindness towards her. She also expressed her appreciation and thanks for her colleagues who worked with her the the Health Centre and for the many priests whom she knew over the last 22 years. She also praised the HSE and the local hospitals and ambulance services for the high standard of healthcare they provide to the community.

Among the many who queued up to speak to Dr Harkin were Andy McPartlan and Paddy McGowan

After the speeches many people took the opportunity to meet with Dr Harkin to express their individual gratitude and to extend their best wishes for her retirement.

With musical entertainment from Michael O'Brien, Harry McGowan and Pat Sweeney and with delicious food provided by local ladies, the evening was most pleasant and enjoyable for all who all who attended, especially for Dr Harkin and her friends.

Pictured above are Chrissie and Charlie McLoughlin, Carhulaur, who on Saturday, 17th September, celebrated the Silver Jubilee of their wedding.
Their evening of celebration began with a special jubilee Mass offered by Fr Alwill and attended by their family, Charlotte, Catherine and Christopher, and by their relations, neighbours and friends.

Chrissie and Charlie were married in St Patrick's Church, Glangevlin, on 20th September 1986. The late Fr Sean McGoldrick was the officiating priest.

We congratulate Chrissie and Charlie
and we wish them many more years of health and happiness.

The death has taken place of Annie McPartlan, Liskellew, Drumkeeran.
Annie died on Sunday night, 14th August, in St Felim's Nursing Home, Dromahair.

Annie was born 7th April 1923, the daughter of Thomas and Kate Smith, Towneycorry.
After spending a few years working in London during her mid-twenties Annie returned to her native Drumkeeran. She married Hugh McPartlan and they settled into the McPartlan home in Liskellew.

Annie and Hugh reared a family of ten children, not an easy task in the tough years of the late 1950's, the 1960's and the early 1970's. Annie was a devoted mother and she gave her full life to looking after and caring for Hugh and the family. Everything she did for them, whether it was the baking of the soda bread or the churning of her own home-made butter was done out of sheer love and commitment.

She was also a great neighbour and she was always willing to help out in any way she could,
in her own quiet, inimitable way.
She will be remembered for her gentleness, her kindness and her generosity.
She was also be remembered as a lady of deep faith, with a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Every Sunday Annie attended the 8.30 am Mass in Drumkeeran, often walking or sometimes cycling the journey from Liskellew to the church.

She was predeceased by her husband Hugh in 1977.
For the last few years of her life she was resident in St Felim's Nursing Home.

She is survived by her daughters Mary, Ann and Catherine, by her sons Hugh, Tom, Jimmy, John, Eugene, Brendan and Noel, and by her brother Tom Smith, Towneycorry.

Large crowds attended the reception of her remains at Drumkeeran Church on Tuesday evening and the funeral Mass on Wednesday morning. The Mass was celebrated by Fr Alwill, assisted by Fr John McTiernan, PP of Dromahair, and a former neighbour of the McPartlan family.
Annie was laid to rest in the McPartlan Family plot in Drumkeeran Cemetery.

On Saturday, 13th August, Irene and Andrew Redican celebrated
the 40th anniversary of their wedding.

The festivities began with a special 40th Anniversary Mass at which the chief celebrant was Fr Bernard Doyle. It was Fr Doyle who officiated at their wedding 40 years ago.
Fr Gerard Alwill joined Fr Doyle as concelebrant.

Irene and Andy were joined in their celebrations by their family, neighbours and many friends.

Though they are retired, Andy from teaching and Irene from nursing, they still play an active part in the life of the local community. They are both members of the Parish Pastoral Council. Andy, of course, is well known for his hard work with the Drumkeeran Drama Group and for his role as local correspondent for the Leitrim Observer. Irene is an active member in the Women's Group.

We congratulate them on their 40th Anniversary
and we wish them many more years of health and happiness.

Pictured here are Sarah Daly and John McTiernan
who were married in St Patrick's Church, Dromahair,
on Saturday, 1st October.
Sarah is the daughter of Susan and Paul Daly, Doolin, Co Clare,
and John is the son of Ailish and Patrick Joseph McTiernan of Grouse Lodge, Drumkeeran.

Fr John McTiernan, parish priest of Dromahair and uncle of the groom, officiated at the ceremony, assisted by Fr Alwill.

We congratulate Declan Flynn and Gráinne Kelly on their wedding in the Church of the Assumption, Sooey, Co Sligo, on Friday, 16th September.
Declan is the son of Kathleen and Michael John Flynn, Largy, Drumkeeran,
and Gráinne hails from Ballygawley, Co Sligo.

Pictured above are Martin Garvey and Ashling Woods who were married in St Brigid's Church, Drumkeeran, on Saturday 20th August.
Ashling is the daughter of Mary and Hugh Woods, Sheena,
and Martin hails from Ballindine, Co Mayo.

We congratulate Cathy Smyth and Gerard Harrison who were married in
the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Tubberclaire, Glasson, Co Westmeath,
on Saturday, 16th July.
Gerard is the son of Mary and Michael Harrison, Cornacloy, Drumkeeran.
and Cathy hails from Ballykieran, near Glasson.

Baby Shane Karl Rogan-Henry was baptised in St Brigid's Church, Drumkeeran, on Sunday, 14th August. He is pictured where with his parents, Vincent and Elizabeth.
The family lives at Windmill Park, Drumkeeran.

Pictured here is Baby Ella Rose Kavanagh-Turner who was baptised
in St Brigid's Church, Drumkeeran, on Saturday, 6th July.
With Baby Ella Rose are her parents Nikita and Mark.
The family lives in Stonebridge, Dromahair.