Moate Matters

Moate Bridge Club: The results for last week were 1st Net, Marjorie Lowe and Kathleen Grogan; 1st Gross, Shelia Flanagan and Eileen White; 2nd Net, Vincent Cronally and Ann Killian; 2nd Gross, Joe Casey and Kathleen Cooney. Birthday Greetings Happy birthday to Mary Walsh-Nestor who forgot to mention to me that last Wednesday January 21st was her birthday. Belated greetings Mary! I believe PJ O"Roarke was taken by surprise in Egans last Saturday night when the ladies in his life surprised him with a fiftieth birthday celebration he was not expecting. Best wishes PJ on reaching the half century, I can assure you it is not too bad! Eighteenth birthday greetings to John Ledwith who although he does not live in Moate is almost a naturalised citizen. I thought some of his friends were heading to school on Saturday morning but then I realised they were on the way home from the party. Rosemount citizen Alma Fox was leading her friends astray on Saturday night last as they tested their stamina following an exhausting Friday night. Everyone passed with flying colours, well done to all concerned. Happy eighteenth Alma. Photography Class Digital, film, SLR, compact, beginner, advanced, no matter what your level or interest there is something to suit you at the Moate Business College photography class. Starting on Monday night, February 2, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm and running for seven Monday nights, this course is an ideal way to spend your Monday night if you have even a passing interest in taking better pictures. Phone Moate Business College at 090 6481178 to reserve your place. Warriors Late Burst Not Enough Midland Warriors U16"s travelled to Tullamore for a friendly on Saturday morning. Warriors got off to a very slow start allowing a very physical Tullamore team to dominate the early exchanges and as a result went in at half time trailing by 17-0. The second half was a completely different story with the young Warriors team ripping into Tullamore right from the kick off, and they were rewarded with three tries on the bounce, rocking Tullamore back on their heels. Tullamore to their great credit did recover to score a late try and secure themselves a win on a score of 24 points to 17.  Overall this was an excellent performance by this ever improving young team, a step in the right direction as they prepare for their upcoming cup tie against Loughrea. In the forwards, Carl Pickard was immense in defence constantly knocking the Tullamore players back in the tackle. Captain for the day Daniel Buckley led by example charging up the pitch with the ball under his arm at every opportunity. There was also an impressive debut in the pack for David "Pop" Bracken. In the backs Eoghan O"Hara was a constant threat and was well backed up by Cathal Boland who had his finest game to date in the warriors colours. Training continues this week at 7pm on Wednesday and Friday night, with no fixture this weekend. On a busy weekend for the club the Midland Warriors U12, U10 and U8"s teams travelled to a mini rugby blitz hosted by Ballinasloe RFC, playing matches against both the host club and Buccaneers RFC. All three teams played exceptionally well with the spotlight falling on the U10 squad who improved even further after their recent match in Birr. Playing against a strong Ballinasloe team the U10"s secured a well fought draw. In the second match against another strong and experienced Buccaneers team the U10s played superbly, excelling at every aspect of the game and eventually winning the match by seven tries to three. This particular match turned out to be an enthralling encounter and this talented U10 team fully deserved their victory. In the words of coach John Hughes 'They played out of their skin.' The excellent football skills and sharpness of James Bracken and Conor Claffey and the silky handling and running skills of David Fleming and Kevin Stone deserve particular mention. Darragh Owens excelled and had a great overall game as did Jack Kane who played the game with exceptional maturity. Jack Mc Cormack played to his usual high standard with outstanding tackling skills. The excellent ball handling and running lines of Paul Gorman, Lawrence Claffey, Jake Fannin, Paul Sheridan and Andrew Corcoran were a joy to watch, their rugby skills having soared in just a few months. The strength and power of Jack Nolan and his Ballymore team mate Conner were another key to the success as was the sporting talent of Padraig Nestor who has become an important member of the team.  Birthday boy Jason Murphy gave a very gutsy performance, showing no fear in his numerous drives at the opposition line with the other McCormack, Robert showing the same tackling talent that his brother displays. Newcomer Iarlaith Cunningham has also developed great rugby skills and his continuing rapid development will continue to contribute to the success of this team. If they continue at this level of ability  the club believes a number of these lads will be he heading for serious representative rugby  honours in the years ahead. Credit as always must also be given to the U10 coaches Hugh Flynn and John Hughes along with the support of Donal Bracken whose continuous efforts are building an excellent squad. The U8s also played outstandinglydemonstrating their usual multi-talented skillsto win both their matches against very good opposition.  U8 coaches Tony Ennis and Ian Rowlands are very pleased with the success of the U8s team in this blitz given the absence of a number of regular players. The Midland Warriors under 12"s team continued their excellent recent form beating the Buccaneers by six tries to nil. The Warriors raced into a 4 -0 lead by half-time and despite an excellent fightback from the Athlone outfit the Warriors tacked on two more tries in the second half to win by six. Excellent for the Warriors were Gavin Murray and Kevin Booth, both of whom missed the previous blitz in Birr through illness. Special mention must also go to Borja Ybarra, one of the Warriors Spanish players who was excellent both defensively as well as in attack. Borja has a natural rugby skill and we will not be surprised if one day he gains representative honours back in Spain. In the second game the Warriors faced a very strong Ballinasloe side. In a very competitive game with both defences performing excellently the Warriors ended up on the wrong end of a 1-0 defeat. The U-12 coaches, Brian Booth and Finian Farrell were delighted with the performances of the U-12"s who continue to develop with each game they play. Training will resume again on Sunday at the Castle Showgrounds at the usual time of 11.30 am. The next mini rugby blitz will be on Saturday, February 14th at Buccaneers RFC, Dubarry Park, Athlone. Kick off time to be confirmed. Tidier Town It is quite obvious that the town is back on the cleaning rota with the local county council as the streets show the benefit of the attention they are now receiving. It was also good to see the street cleaning machine back in town with a small reservation due to the time it arrives and the difficulty presented to the operator by parked cars which prevent access to the areas where it would be of most benefit. The other side to this litter problem is the irresponsible way that many people dump their waste and the problem which now exists with people using public bins for domestic waste and the spoiling of rural roads with plastic bags full of rubbish. The council cannot be expected to police this form of vandalism without the help and assistance of the citizens of the area. Golf for All The committee of Moate Golf are responding to the difficult times now encountered by some people and at the same time are making their club, which is only a short walk from the centre of the town, more financially accessible for those who wish to take up or resume the game. The club announced recently that membership is open for the 2009 golfing season with the "Entry Levy" now suspended, which means that the complete membership subscription is now €610. This is amazing value and is an ideal opportunity to become part of a progressive Golf Club in the midlands. The only other charge is the subscription to the Golfing Union (approx €20) and a Bar/Restaurant voucher (€50 - redeemable in the Clubhouse). The newly introduced 'Easy Payment' scheme offers great value to anyone who wants to take up the game of golf at a reasonable cost (about €50 per month). For full details, and an application form, please contact Anna at 090 6481271 or e-mail info@moategolfclub.ie. Why not visit the club, situated in the centre of Moate, or pay a 'virtual' visit, by logging on to their website - www.moategolfclub.ie. Pauric Whelan and the Catering staff would be delighted to see you at Sunday lunch or indeed during the week! Sr Muriel"s Charity goes to the dogs St Joseph the Worker is a charity which is run by the amazing Sr Muriel in Medjugorge. In recent years some local people have came across this extraordinary woman and have recognized the work that she undertakes for the poorest in society. Sr Muriel supports approximately 260 homes, with varied numbers in each house, bring food (non perishable) and basic essentials to each house on a monthly basis. Funds raised for Sr Muriel go direct to those in need and having experienced her work directly Tommy Kerrigan, Vincent Geoghegan and Carlene Claffey have organised a night out at the Mullingar Greyhound Stadium on St Valentines night, February 14. Tickets, priced at €20 each, which includes admission to the Greyhound Stadium, are on sale locally. Buses will be available on the night from Athlone, Mount Temple and Moate. For further information and tickets contact Tommie Kerrigan 086 8459357, Vincent Geoghegan 087 2583153 or Carlene Claffey 086 3349549. Carmelite Notes Bishop Smith celebrates 25years It is 25 years ago since Dr Smith was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Meath by Pope John Paul II. A native of Oldcastle, Bishop Smith studied for the priesthood at the Pontifical Irish College in Rome. He was ordained a priest in 1963, after which he served in Clonmellon Parish, St Loman"s Hospital and was appointed Secretary to Bishop John McCormack. Later he worked for the Irish Bishops Conference and had a central role in organising Pope John Paul"s visit to Ireland in 1979. At the age of 43, he was one of the youngest members of the Irish Hierarchy when he was ordained a Bishop at Mullingar Cathedral on January 29, 1984. Bishop Smith will celebrate the jubilee Mass, concelebrated by the priests and religious from across the diocese. The Papal Nuncio will attend and the homily will be preached by Bishop Tony Farquhar. The Taoiseach, local representatives and civil authorities have been invited. It is hoped that representatives from the various lay organisations in the Diocese will attend the Cathedral event on Sunday, February 1st at 3pm. The Conversion of St Paul So Paul"s great message to the world was: You are saved entirely by God, not by anything you can do. Saving faith is the gift of total, free, personal and loving commitment to Christ, a commitment that then bears fruit in more 'works' than the Law could ever contemplate. Paul is undoubtedly hard to understand. His style often reflects the rabbinical style of argument of his day, and often his thought skips on mountaintops while we plod below. But perhaps our problems are accentuated by the fact that so many beautiful jewels have become part of the everyday coin in our Christian language Quote: 'Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things' (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Recently Deceased Kathleen Lowry (Galway), sister of Fr Michael Cremin; Dan Grouden, Fairfield, Connecticut and formerly of Hall, Moate; James (Jimmy) Doyle, Knockdomney. Dates for Your Diary Feast of St Brigid, Sunday February 1st. Blessing of the Candles, Monday February 2nd. St Blaise, Blessing of the Throats, Monday February 2nd.