Lorrha Notes
The 2019 Lorrha & Dorrha Parish calendar is on sale throughout the parish. As usual the calendar is packed from cover to cover with photographs from the past and the present. A lovely present for those living away or just a treasured keepsake. Wishing to order through the post? Call (086) 8647166 or email info@54.171.167.182 and we will post to you.
Jean Hough, Eileen Mannion, Mary Coen, the three Lorrha Parish representatives on the Tribute to Richard Bourke, choir.
Thank You.
A big thank you to everyone who attended the ” Tribute Concert to Richard Bourke ” last Sunday night in Rathcabbin Church. It was a priviledged way for us all to remember Richard and the legacy he has left to the people of Rathcabbin and Lorrha and all who knew him. The choir members , musicians and presenters would like to thank everyone who made it possible to present this night as a Tribute to Richard : Richard’s wife Bernie and family , Darren for all his help and his own tribute , Rathcabbin and Lorrha choir members , the PPC members , and all who helped in any way on the night, Fr. Tom and Fr.Michael, Mary the sacristan , Darina Kelly in the last Chance Bar for her hospitality and all who made us feel so welcome and at home with tea and refreshments . A special thank you to all who donated so generously to the retiring collection for Focus Ireland working with the Homeless at the end . The total sum amounted to € 2,430 and 50 cent.
Church News.
Please Note that all details of Mass times, dates and contact numbers are detailed on the parish web site www.lorrhadorrha.ie under local info and Churches.
Vigil Mass in Redwood Church on Saturday Dec 15th at 6.30pm.
In each church we have our giving tree. People are asked to take a leaf and bring an item of non per perishable food, toy or book for the St. Vincent de Paul. Items will be distributed to those in need.
Christmas Mass Times.
Christmas Eve Mass will be celebrated in Lorrha Church at 7.30pm and Christmas Day Mass will be celebrated in Rathcabbin Church at 11.00am. Reconciliation service will be held on Monday 17th December at 8.00pm in Borrisokane.
Nativity Play.
Lorrha NS will be holding their Nativity Play in Lorrha Church on Saturday night 22nd Dec. at 6.30pm. Musicians and singers are very welcome to join in on the night. All are welcome.
St. Pio Mass.
St Padre Pio Mass will be celebrated in St. Brendan’s Church Birr on Thursday night December 20th. Rosary at 7.00pm and Mass at 7.30pm. All welcome.
Sympathy.
Sympathy is extended to the family and relatives of Kathleen (Buddy) O’Meara, formerly London, Borrisokane and Rathcabbin who died on 4th December. After funeral Mass on Thursday 6th in Ss Peter and Paul’s Church, Borrisokane, burial took place in Nenagh Road Cemetery. May she rest in peace.
Sympathy is extended to Breda Gleeson and family Redwood on the death of her mother Bridget (Bridie) Mounsey, Ballingarry. After funeral Mass in St. Patrick’s Church, The Pike, Ballingarry on Saturday last Dec 8th.burial took place in the adjoining cemetery. May she rest in peace.
Sympathy is extended to the family of Mary O’Brien, Cullagh, Rathcabbin who died on Friday last 7th December. After funeral Mass in Our Lady Queen of Ireland Church Rathcabbin on Monday last Dec. 10th burial took place in Bonoham Cemetery. May she rest in peace.
Grants Available.
Deep Retrofit grants are available for houses built before 2007. Names and details are now been compiled for the 2019 round of works in the parish. Anyone interested call Jackie Hogan on (087) 6319890.
North Tipp Ploughing.
The annual North Tipperary ploughing Christmas party night will be held in The Yanks, Borrisokane on Saturday night Dec. 15th. Booking is essential to Laura at (085) 2753560.
Ecumenical Carol Service
An Ecumenical Carol Service will be held in St Ruadhans Church of Ireland on Thursday 13th Dec at 8.00 pm. All are welcome.
Rathcabbin NS Christmas Variety Show.
The children of Rathcabbin National School will perform their Christmas Concert on Thursday 13th December at 12 noon and a second showing at 7pm in the village hall in Rathcabbin. We would love to see you all there to support the children after all their hard work and dedication in preparing for this festive family event! There will be lots of raffle tickets on sale and lots of great spot prizes to be won at both showings that day, all in support of Rathcabbin National School. Please contact Clare on 087 1364936 to book your seat for the 12 noon show as the 7pm show is now fully booked. Please note there is also a hamper up for grabs in Kellys Shop with proceeds going to the school and tickets are available instore…All are very welcome and we look forward to seeing you there. A fun day and night guaranteed!!
Local Link New Bus Service
Serving Lorrha to Birr on Fridays. This new service will also cover the following areas to Birr every Friday, Lorrha, Moatfield, Redwood, Rathcabbin, Killeen(Riverstown), Birr.
First pick up in Lorrha at 10am & drop off 11am. Departing Birr at 2pm (times are approximate). This is a demand responsive & door to door service which means passengers wishing to travel can register with us & book their trip. Please contact us on 076-106-6140 to register or to receive more information about this service or existing services in your area.
Easter 2019 Pilgrimage.
St. Pio Easter Pilgrimage to San Giovanni Rotondo and Benevento from April 22nd for 4 nights €649 per person sharing and included Airport transfers with guide assistance. One night in Benevento, 3 nights in San Giovanni Rotondo full board. For bookings or enquiries call group leader Michael O’Connor on (087) 2677656.
De-Clutter.
When cleaning out your wardrobe to make room for the new collection, please remember Lorrha Development/Tidy Towns who continue to collect unwanted clothes throughout the year. Items of clothing must be clean and dry and in good condition please and we can supply bags if you want. We can also collect to make it easy for you, just call (086) 8647166, (086) 8493595 or (087) 2601413 with your name and details. Please note we cannot accept Duvets, bedding, household linen, pillows, cushions, carpets, rugs and mats including bath toilet and shower mats soiled or wet clothing but good quality unwanted clothing for re-use (not recycling). All money raised from all fundraising ventures is used for the ongoing work around Lorrha Village. Many thanks for your continued support.
Charity Golf Outing.
Rags golfing society are organizing a charity golf outing on Saturday December 29th in Portumna Golf club. Tee off at 10.00am and all are welcome so come along and support a worthy cause. For further details contact Donie Brady on (087) 2225516.
GAA News
There was No Winner of this weeks lotto jackpot of €8,250. Numbers drawn were: 17-24-25-30.
No Match 3.
Next Monday’s draw, 17th December, will also be our Christmas Draw for extra festive prizes. The jackpot will be an attractive €8,400 with a Match 3 pot of €140 so it makes for an attractive Christmas present if won so make sure you are in with a chance of winning something.
Thank you for your continued support.
Senior AGM: The Annual General Meeting is on Tuesday 18th December in the GAA Centre at 7.45pm. All are welcome to attend.
Juvenile AGM: was held last Thursday evening in the GAA Centre in front of a decent attendance. Chairman Tommy Kennedy and secretary Kathleen Gleeson provided details reports on another busy year at juvenile level with all hurling and football teams in all grades extremely competitive, with the high point being the success of the Lorrha Rovers Gaels Under 15’s in the North ‘B’ Hurling Plate. Both were re-elected unopposed, as was assistant secretary Caroline O’Brien.
The appointment of management teams for 2019 has been deferred until after next Monday night when County Convention makes a decision on the age grades for the year ahead.
Inter-divisional Hurling: Congratulations to Kevin Cahalan and Oisin Guinan who were part of the successful North Tipperary Under 15 Hurling squad who won the Garda Cup on Saturday.
Christmas Party: The Club will be hosting a Christmas Party fundraiser in the GAA Centre on Thursday 27th December, with music by Tradstone and DJ Sean O’Meara. Tickets €20, with part of the funds going to Seamus Hennessy’s Running for Josie project supporting Pieta House and Tipperary Living Links. A great night is promised and the ideal event for those home for the Christmas period.
Auction: Our annual Auction has been fixed for Sunday 27th January 2019.
Tipperary GAA Clubs Draw: Unfortunately the club had no joy in the December draw which took place last Sunday night. Thanks to all our subscribers and we hope for better luck in the New Year. All promoters are asked to bring their accounts up to date.
Lotto: The jackpot is €8,400 with a Match 3 pot of €140. You can play online at www.locallotto.ie. Our Christmas Draw for extra festive prizes takes place next Monday, 17th December so make sure you are in the draw.
Social Dancing: in the GAA Centre on Friday to the music of Michael Sexton. Dancing 9.30pm to 12.30am.
Sympathy: Lorrha GAA Club would like to sympathise with the Hogan family on the death of DP Hogan, late of Roden, who passed away in England recently. May he rest in peace.
Tipperary Farmers win Origin Green Farmer Awards for Beef
Bord Bia Honours Ireland’s Sustainable Farmers
Nicholas Bergin from Roscrea and Noel Farrell from Golden took home top awards for beef farming at this week’s Bord Bia Origin Green Farmer Awards, held at The Heritage Hotel, Killenard on 12th December.
Noel Farrell and his wife, Joan, run an 85-cow suckler-to-beef herd alongside a herd of milking goats in Golden. They were awarded winners in the Suckler-to-beef category at the awards. The judges were impressed with the Farrell’s under 16 month production system, finishing bulls to 400kg market requirements. Noel has identified milk yield as the main driver of suckler-herd performance and honed in on a system that ensures this flourishes with top grassland management.
Nicholas Bergin farms near Roscrea, with help from his wife Bernie, father Danny and children Carol and Danny. Nicholas was awarded top prize in the Suckler-to-weanling/store production category at the awards. Nicholas’s Limousin-cross suckler herd is crossed with carefully-selected artificial insemination (AI) sires, to produce highly-muscled, healthy weanlings for live export to Greece. He has grown his herd from 60 to 80 suckler cows in 2018, following investment in housing and handling facilities. According to the judges, cattle handling, management of animals around calving and housing facilities were all first rate.
The Tipperary winners were among 11 category winners as Bord Bia honoured Ireland’s most sustainable, efficient and environmentally friendly family farms. Over 240 farmers and senior representatives from farming organisations and the agri-food industry gathered to celebrate the achievements of the finalists, drawn from the dairy, beef and horticulture sectors across the country.
In total, 39 finalists competed for the prestigious awards following a rigorous process that included on-farm judging by teams from Bord Bia, Teagasc, the Irish Farmers Journal, UCD and IT Blanchardstown.
Opening the awards ceremony Bord Bia’s Chairperson Dan MacSweeney highlighted the importance of sustainable food production to the future of Irish farming and rural economies: “In addition to supporting on-farm sustainability efforts, Origin Green supports our marketing and sales efforts, playing a key role in helping us meet the ambitious targets of Food Wise 2025, which see our food and drink exports grow to €19 billion annually by the middle of the next decade.
This isn’t just a win for industry, it translates into more value coming back to the rural economy right across Ireland, as growth in sustainably produced food and drink delivers jobs and activity to local communities now and in the future.”
Presenting the awards Bord Bia CEO, Tara McCarthy paid tribute to the achievements of all the finalists: “The pursuit of excellence by Origin Green farmers is at the heart of the Irish food and drink industry’s export success in a challenging consumer-driven trading environment.
Bord Bia highlights these family farms to food buyers who are looking for living examples of the highest values in Irish food production. When they visit these farms they see the commitment to protecting the land and its environment for future generations of food producers and consumers.
Tonight’s finalists are producing beef with a 40% lower carbon footprint than the average producer and producing milk with a 16% lower carbon impact. These are the solid proof points that impress international customers who are seeking solutions to their consumers’ demands for more sustainably produced food. It is from this foundation that we can build durable relationships with food buyers for the food we export.”
All finalists will be invited by Bord Bia to participate in an organised visit to an overseas market to see how the organisation uses their achievements in sustainability to win new business.
Category Winners:
Beef
Suckler to beef
Nicholas Bergin
Roscrea, Co. Tipperary
Suckler to weanling/store production
Noel Farrell
Golden, Cashel, Co. Tipperary
Weanling/store to beef production
David Auchmuty
Ballygalda, Co. Roscommon
Dairy calf to beef production
Derek and Gareth Peoples
Carrigans, Co. Donegal
Dairy
Reduced carbon footprint
The Crowley Family (Trevor Crowley)
Dairygold co-op
Lissarda, Co. Cork
Small/med herd (herds from 45-80 cows)
Mairead and Pat McLoughlin
Lakeland Co-op
Rath, Co. Offaly
Large herd (herds of 100+ cows)
Shane and Dermot O’Loughlin
Glanbia co-op
Oghill, Co. Kildare
Horticulture
Mushrooms
Reilly Mushrooms
Athlone, Co. Westmeath
Protected crops and fruit
Flynn’s Tomatoes
Bealinstown, Swords, Co. Dublin
Potatoes
Kilmore Potatoes (Chris and John Fortune)
Ballyhealy, Kilmore, Co. Wexford
Field vegetables
John B Dockrell
Screen, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford