VOCEM DARÚ CHOIR: You Are my Light: A Candlelit Memorial Concert in fond memory of our dearly departed will be held in St Patrick’s Church, Ballyragget on Friday 8th December at 7pm, with music by Vocem Darú (Durrow Community Choir), Castlecomer Male Choir and Special Guests. Suggested Donation – €5. All profits in aid of Laois Hospice.
ABBEYLEIX AND KILLERMOGH PARISH: The Abbeyleix South National School is advertising for a part time secretary. Full ad is on EducationPosts.ie Online.
OLDER PEOPLES COUNCIL AGM: The Older People Council AGM took place on the 24th October. Music was provided by Martin Delaney and at the event the new Laois Age Friendly Strategy was launched by Anna May Mchugh, our Age Friendly ambassador along with Cathaoirleach Paschal McEvoy. To become part of the wider older Peoples Council and be informed on Age Friendly matters, contact Tom Curran on 086 0363426 or tcurran@laoiscoco.ie by email.
OUR LADY’S MEADOW PRIMARY SCHOOL: Our Lady’s Meadow Primary School Durrow are currently accepting applications for admission to Junior Infants for the school year 2024-2025. The closing date for completed applications is Monday, 8th of January 2024. Please ensure you apply before the closing date as last year we were oversubscribed. The school’s Admission Policy, Annual Admission Notice and Application Forms are available on the school website www.ourladysmeadow.org via email from ourladysmeadowschool@gmail.com or from the school by phone on (057) 8736329.
DURROW COMMUNITY SERVICES: Durrow Community Services currently have the following vacancies: 5 positions as an Environmental Worker in Durrow; 1 position as Groundskeeper in Durrow; 1 position as an Environmental Worker in Cullohill; 1 position as a Catering Assistant in Durrow Meals On Wheels. As per the Department of Social Protection requirements, the positions are 19.5 hours per week and must be on a Social Welfare payment for minimum of 12 months to apply. Please contact Astrid Andersson on 057 8736870 or andersson@durrowcs.com for further information.
DURROW TIDY TOWNS NEWS – Take a little piece of Durrow home with you, or buy the perfect gift for that someone special! Durrow 2024 Calendar now available featuring photographs of our beautiful Georgian village, all in support of Durrow Tidy Towns. Can also be purchased locally in shops and businesses in Durrow and will be on sale at the Saturday Market in the CES office. The calendar can also be purchased directly from any of our committee which includes Fred Townsend, Mary Thornton, Tom or Kathleen Flynn, Fiona Jacob, Kathleen Doyle, Rita Casey or Emer O’Brien. You can also message our Tidy Towns page on Facebook. Many thanks to everyone for their ongoing support of Durrow Tidy Towns.
CULLOHILL AND DURROW FLOWER CLUB GALA 2023: Themed “All is calm, all is bright” by floral artist Melanie Harris will take place in The Castle Arms Hotel at 8pm on Monday December 11th 2023. Admission €15 in aid of ‘As I Am’ – the National Autism Charity and The Cuisle Cancer Support Centre. Mulled Wine and Mince Pies Served. All who attend will be in with a chance to win our Door Prize on the night. All floral arrangements will be raffled.
SET DANCING CLASSES: Set Dancing classes have resumed in The Wheel Inn Ballyouskill on Thursdays at 9pm – all are most welcome to join. Contact Paddy at (085) 8607256 or Francis at (085) 7157694 for more details. An enjoyable way to socialise and dispel the winter evening blues while helping to keep fit.
SUNDAY NIGHT DANCING: Dancing in The Wheel Inn on Sunday nights to Checkers.
CULLOHILL COMMUNITY CENTRE – PROGRESSIVE 25 CARD GAME: Progressive 25 Card Game continues every Sunday night in Cullohill Community Centre at 8pm and all are most welcome. Winners on Sunday 26th November 2023 were: Joint First – Paddy Walsh and William Carroll, Joe and Anne Cass, Kevin Wolfe and John Mackey, Anthony and Noel O Sullivan. The Raffle Winners on the night were: John Mooney and Paddy Lalor. A minutes silence was observed, and condolences sent to the Bergin family by all present on the sudden death of Mary. May Mary Rest in Peace.
BALLYOUSKILL 25s CARDS GAME – Ballyouskill 25s Cards continues in Ballyouskill Community Hall on the last Friday of the month at 8pm. Usual prizes and a raffle on the night. All are most welcome to our next game on Friday, December 29th.
WHIST DRIVE: The Killermogh Whist Drive is held in the Parochial Hall, Cork Road, Durrow. November results: Top Score – Sadie Chester; First Lady – Heather Bailey; Second Lady – Kathleen Kennedy and Sheila Fogarty; First Gent – PJ Cahill; Second Gent – Margaret Brennan; Qrts: Billy Jackson, Louise Kavanagh, Ann Pearson, Willie Wallace, Henry Parr and Seamus Hennessy. The Next Whist drive is on Thursday 21st December at 8pm. All are most welcome.
DURROW BRIDGE CLUB: Club meetings continue on Wednesdays at 7.30pm in the Castle Arms Hotel. All are most welcome.
DURROW AND DISTRICT PIPE BAND: We’re always looking for new members, so why not come along to a practice? Get in touch with our Facebook page if you’re interested in learning the pipes or drums, all levels catered for. See https://www.facebook.com/DurrowPipeBand or search Facebook for “Durrow & District Pipe Band” to find us online.
LOETB COURSES IN JANUARY 2024: LOETB (Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board) are offering a diverse range of courses for
further education and training in various fields. This is a great opportunity for individuals in Laois and Offaly to explore new interests, learn new skills, and meet in a supportive environment. The courses cover a wide spectrum, from Dress Design and Cooking to Mindfulness, Sign Language, Horticulture, Art, and Craft and much more! This variety ensures there’s something for everyone, catering to different interests and passions. If you or someone you know is interested in trying something new or enhancing existing skills, reaching out to LOETB on (057) 8630093 is a good step. We can provide more information the courses, schedules, and enrolment details. Taking part in further education and training not only enriches personal knowledge but also fosters a sense of community and personal development. Its a positive initiative to combat the potential January blues and start the New Year with a fresh and engaging experience.
THE WHEEL INN BALLYOUSKILL: On Sunday night December 12th join us for dancing in The Wheel Inn to TR Dallas and Pat Daly.
THIRD LAOIS DURROW SCOUTS – Our Beaver and Cub Scout sections are currently at capacity for leader Ratios. If you are considering volunteering, love the outdoors and learning new skills then please consider joining the scout group. Email gldurrow@gmail.com with any questions or to put your name forward.
Scouts Section: Are you 12-15 years old? Do you like: * adventure; * the outdoors; * making new friends? If so, our Scout group could be for you! We currently have limited spaces in our Scout section. For more information please contact gldurrow@gmail.com by email.
DOG WALKERS! A reminder to clean up after your dog. We have Mutt Mitt dispensers and instructions on how to clean up after your dog, throughout Durrow. Dog fouling is a serious health risk and children can easily not see it and bring indoors on bikes, shoes, buggies and it’s a particular hazard to wheelchair users. If you’d like to become a green dog walker we have information in the Post Office and Library regarding the initiative. Please be responsible and clean up after your pet!
ABBEYLEIX HOUSE & FARM – Save the date. Our Christmas Market and Santa Grotto will take place on Saturday December 9th 2023. Open call for craft stalls & food vendors. Contact alice@abbeyleixhouseandfarm.ie for more information. Tickets will be on sale at a later date.
DURROW POST OFFICE: We here at Durrow Post Office do both AIB and Bank of Ireland Lodgements and withdrawals. We provide a quick and professional service for all your personal and business banking. We are here to help you and make banking easier.
AIB CUSTOMERS – You can do * Cash lodgements with bank debit card or lodgement slips; * Cash withdrawals with bank debit card; * Cheque lodgements with a personalised lodgement slip.
BANK OF IRELAND CUSTOMERS – You can do * Cash lodgements with bank debit card or lodgement slips; * Cash withdrawals with bank debit card; * Cheque lodgements with a personalised lodgement slip.
DEFIBRILLATORS IN DURROW: We are lucky to have defibrillators in Durrow – one at the Gala Grocery Store and one at The Community Playground. It is vitally important that if you or anyone you know is unfortunate enough to need to use one, you must inform Susan in the Gala Grocery Store as soon as possible afterwards, as the pads need to be replaced – NOTE: They are single use! The defibrillator needs to be ready for the next person who may need to use it – that person could be you or a loved one! Thanks for your cooperation.
DURROW LIBRARY NEWS: All our Laois Library branches are open to the public for browsing, PC usage, printing, photocopying and studying, in addition to all the free events taking place throughout the month – see details below. You can browse the Laois Libraries online catalogue here: https://laois.spydus.ie and if needed, borrowers can reset their library PIN in order to access the catalogue – contact your local library or email library@laoiscoco.ie for assistance with this.
ONLINE BOOK CLUB – Laois Libraries Online Book Club reads one book a month chosen from the BorrowBox collection. Join us on the last Wednesday of each month when questions are posed for discussion on our Book Club Facebook page. You can join the group on: https://www.facebook.com/groups/315513126404037 online. New members are always welcome.
OPEN HOURS – Durrow Library Opening hours are Tuesdays from 11am to 7.30pm and Wednesdays from 10am to 5.30pm (closed for lunch from 1.30pm to 2pm). Phone: (057) 8736090 Email: durrowlibrary@laoiscoco.ie for further information.
ADULT ART GROUP – A self-led art group meets weekly every Tuesday at 2:30pm. Call or email the library for more details.
IRISH CIRCLE — The Irish Circle group meets in the library on Tuesdays at 6.10pm. Beidh fáilte róimh cupán tae agus cúpla focail Gaeilge a labhairt no a canadh.
DECEMBER EVENTS: Cioral Comhrá meets on December 12th at 6.15pm. (No booking neccessary).
Family Craft Table takes place on December 12th at 2pm, December 13th at 10am and December 13th at 2pm. (No booking neccessary).
Crochet With Courtney takes place on December 6th and December 13th – both days at 3pm.
Lego Freeplay takes place on December 19th at 2pm. (No booking neccessary).
Book Club takes place on December 19th at 6pm.
Messy Play Fun takes place on December 20th at 2.15pm (Booking Essential).
DURROW COMMUNITY SATURDAY MARKET: Durrow Community Market continues on Saturdays from 9am to 12 noon on the Kilkenny Road beside the Church.
LIVE LOCAL WEATHER: Visit www.laoisweather.com for live local weather data from Durrow.
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.
DURROW FIRE AND RESCUE: Members of Durrow Fire Brigade are available to give fire safety talk to any interested adult groups or organisations, in the Durrow, Cullohill and Ballacolla areas. If interested please contact Station Officer David Donohue.
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CHURCH NEWS: Parish Office – Regular opening hours have now resumed and are as follows; Wednesdays from 9.30am to 2.00pm; Thursdays from 9.30am to 2pm; and Fridays from 10.00am to 2.00pm. We have signed Mass cards, Baptismal candles, Communion gifts and more available to purchase. All Mass intentions, baptisms and weddings must be booked through the office on [085] 2625033, by email at durrow@ossory.ie or in person. No Private advertising in the weekly Mass Newsletter.
Mass Hours – Saturday Evening – 6pm Vigil Mass in Rathdowney; 7.30pm Vigil Mass in Cullohill and 7.30pm Vigil Mass in Durrow (This Mass in Durrow only celebrated when Canon O’Doherty is available to celebrate it); Sunday Morning – 10am Mass in Errill; 11.15am Mass in Durrow.
Baptisms in Rathdowney and Durrow – Following the changes to our Mass schedule, baptisms can be booked for Saturdays at 4.30 pm in either Parish and Sundays at 12 Noon in Durrow and Cullohill or 12.15 in Rathdowney and Errill.
Adoration – There will be Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in Cullohill Church every Thursday morning from 8.50am until 9.50am.
Pastoral Council Members – The members of the Pastoral Council are: Martin Lawlor; Mary Lawlor; James Walsh; Carmel Ruane; Mary Ryan; Vicky Murphy; Margaret Murphy; Seamus Clancy; Sr. Anita O’Leary and Fr. Martin Delaney.
Church Envelopes – Envelopes for October, November and Christmas are now available in the church. You can return them at Mass times or to the Parish office in Durrow (Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9.30am to 2pm. If you can help a neighbour by collecting theirs too that would be great. Thank you.
Towards Healing – We provide face to face counselling, structured phone counselling, family counselling and a counselling helpline. Their help line is open Tuesdays to Fridays from 9am to 5pm. Freephone 1800 303416. Hearing-impaired Text Line Number: (085) 8022859. Email: info@towardshealing.ie Website: www.towardshealing.ie online.
Online Advent Retreat – The Priory Institute is delighted to offer a FREE OF CHARGE online retreat ‘Reflecting on the Sunday Gospels of Advent’. Visit our website www.prioryinstitute.com to register or find out more.
Anam Cara Midlands – The organisation that supports bereaved parents, is holding it’s monthly Parent Evening for bereaved parents on Wednesday 13th December at 7:15pm in the Mullingar Park Hotel. This event is free and open to all bereaved parents regardless of the age your child died, the circumstances of their death, or whether their death was recent or not. We also offer an online service. For more information please call us on (01) 4045378.
St Vincent de Paul – Both Durrow and Cullohill branches will hold Church Gate collections on the weekend of the 9th and 10th of December. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
Durrow Nativity Scene – The crib this year is situated in the Grotto in St Fintans Terrace, Durrow.
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NUMBER FOR ST. VINCENT DE PAUL – LAST UPDATED JULY 2023: Please note that our confidential contact helpline number for the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Durrow, has been changed to (083) 4056021 as of July 14th 2023.
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 Tom Ryan on (087) 6159226 or Shane Brophy on (087) 2034035. Thanks to everyone who supports our weekly Split the Bucket draw.
NOTICE – The Junior B Leinster Quarter Final is Postponed until January 2024.
U15 AWARDS NIGHT: Our U15 team had their awards night last weekend with plenty of silverware for their year’s effort on show. In all competitions they competed in six finals and won four of them. They were as follows: Laois “A” Feile Hurling Champions; Laois “B” Feile Football Champions; All-Ireland Hurling Feile Division 2 finalists; Maggie Walsh Tournament Winners; Laois U15 “A” Hurling Champions and
Laois U15 “B” Football finalists. Both players and management put in a huge effort all year and we in The Harps are all very proud of them!
THE HARPS CAMOGIE CLUB: Follow all the latest news from the club at https://www.facebook.com/HarpsCamogie online.
Player of the Year Award – Well done to Louise Mahony who last weekend accepted her Laois Junior Camogie Player of the year award. She is an amazing inspiration and role model for all our players in our club. It’s wonderful to see her accomplishments and unwavering commitment to the club acknowledged following yet another fantastic year. Thanks to Laois GAA for organising a great night.
Christmas Raffle – It’s that time of year again for our Annual Christmas Raffle and this year our prizes are amazing… First Prize: A pair of International Rugby Tickets for Ireland V Italy on the 11th of February 2024 in the Aviva Stadium. Second Prize – A signed Rugby World Cup Jersey by the Irish Squad. Third Prize: Overnight Hotel Break for Two. Plus many more great prizes too! All our camogie players have tickets to sell or you can buy tickets at: https://www.idonate.ie/raffle/HarpsCamogieClubAnnualChristmasRaffle online. We appreciate all the support everyone gives to our club and hopefully you can be lucky enough to win some of these amazing prizes!
Sympathy – Our deepest condolences to Rosa, Elaine and Joe on the sudden passing of their mother and grandmother, Mrs Mary Bergin. Thinking of you and all the Bergins at this most difficult time. May she rest in peace.
CULLOHILL HANDBALL CLUB: Three counties training sessions reached their climax last Saturday November 11th with a trip to the New Handball National Centre at Croke Park. Representing Cullohill we had Aoife Kelly, Ellie Laferty, Tadgh Hennessy, Liam Ellis, and Ollie Delaney. They played a number of games throughout the day and have now the fantastic honour of being the first Cullohill Players to play competitive matches in the superb, newly built national handball courts; All players did their club proud today and a special mention to Aoife Kelly who reached the final in her group. A big thank you to all the trainers, mentors and especially the parents who have supported these young players through this journey. You can contact the club on cullohillhandballclub@yahoo.ie by email.
THE LIONS AFC CLUB: FOR HIRE – Astro Pitch Hire, suitable for 7-a-side soccer social groups, casual bookings and team activities. For all enquiries or to make a booking please contact lionsafc@gmail.com or call (085) 7088511.
GRASSROOTS PROMOTION: Circle K and FAI Grassroots Promotion! Win €30,000 for your Club. To enter the competition, customers must have downloaded the Circle K App and registered for PLAY or PARK, Circle K’s loyalty game. Then you simply select your chosen football club in the FAI portal within the app and upload your Circle K receipt to generate a draw entry for your club. One draw entry will be generated per receipt uploaded. The more entries a club gets, the higher their chances of winning will be. Go Lions Facebook or Instagram pages to see videos on how to enter and we would ask for your support in getting in as many entries as possible over the next couple of months for the Lions AFC, Durrow!
BECOME A REFEREE: Please see a list of upcoming referee courses that have just opened up: Online Referee Beginners Course – 11th/12th December 2023 (7pm to 10pm) Online; Referee Beginners Course – 15th/16th January 2024 (7pm to 10pm) Online; Referee Beginners Course – 30th/31st January 2024 (7pm to 10pm) Online; Referee Beginners Course – 26th/27th February 2024 (7pm to 10pm). Visit www.fai.ie/domestic/referees/referee-beginner-courses for more information or to sign up.
WIN BIG THIS CHRISTMAS! This year is the 50th year of the Lions AFC Christmas Hamper Draw. To commerate this, we are running a separate 50th Year Golden Anniversary Draw running in conjunction with our regular Christmas Hamper Draw. The purchase of a ticket for the 50th Anniversary Draw will give you three separate chances to win €5,000 over the Christmas period. The three Draws will take place on December 26th, December 30th and January 6th. Tickets are €50 each, and all proceeds will go towards our Pitch Development Fund of which you can see our development plans on our Facebook Page. Tickets are available from the committee or a number of club members.
U11 GIRLS: Our U11 girls had another fantastic game of soccer on Saturday November 25th last away to Southend. There was some great team work and loads of skill on display. Well done girls keep up the hard work.
RESULT: Junior League Division 1 – Tullaroan 0 V 1 Lions AFC. Scorer: Cathal Jordon.
RESULT: U14 League Division 1 – Lions AFC 4 V 0 Deen Celtic. Scorers: Fionn O’Sullivan, Jack Delahunty, Alex Sheppard and Adrian Beletskyy.
RESULT: U12 Skechers National Cup – Lions AFC 0 V 4 Evergreen. Hard luck to our U12s who went down to a strong Evergreen outfit in the National Cup. The boys gave it everything and fought till the bitter end but were undone in an eight minute spell which left the lads 3-0 down. Too there credit they never gave up and can be very proud of themselves as the bow out in round four.
REPORT: U16 Sketchers Cup Round Four – Lions 2 V 1 Evergreen. Scorers: Conor Dempsey and Ciaran Mcmenimem. Lions U16s marched into the last 32 of the National Cup with a hard earned win over local rivals Evergreen. These lads created club history last year when they won the regional South East U15 Cup. They now have a semi final to look forward to in the New Year. The Lions started on the front foot with Rob and Conor pushing Ciaran, Joey, James and Eoin forward at every opportunity. The Lions bombarded the Evergreen goal and got the goal their good play deserved when Conor dribbled through the Evergreen defence before looping the ball over the advancing keeper.
The back four of John, Liam, Ronan and Paddy were coping comfortably with the Evergreen attack. However on the Stroke of half time a long ball found its way through and the Evergreen winger kept his cool to make it 1-1 at the break.
The heavy pitch was always going to be tough going in the second half and it took a moment of brilliance from Ciaran to decide the game. He cut in from the wing before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the bottom corner. Eoin, James and Ciaran all went close but the Lions couldn’t finish off the game. Evergreen kept going and a brilliant save from Eoin Holland and two goalline clearances from Liam Townsend in the last two minutes kept the score at 2-1. A well earned win. Well done lads keep up the good work!
REPORT: U12 Girls Subway Trophy – Hanover Harps 0 V 1 Lions. A great win for our U12 girls recently in Carlow against a very good Hanover Harps. The girls dug deep in the second half to secure the win and move into the next round. Keep up the good work girls!
DURROW AND CULLOHILL DISTRICT ANGLERS: JOIN US – The club is always looking for more Juvenile and Senior members to join up. Why not consider it – a great way to get outside to a new hobby! All fishing membership cards can be bought in The Gala Shop Durrow, Lawlors Flower Shop Durrow, and in Fran’s Fishing Shop Mountrath. All day tickets and full membership cards are available. There are court appointed water keepers overseeing the club’s waters and you could be asked for membership. Please ensure all membership and tickets are valid and please adhere to club rules listed on the membership cards. Happy Fishing!
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.