Minister brings an air of positivity to Bagenalstown

Looking South
With Clare Minnock
THERE was an air of positivity around Bagenalstown Family Resource Centre last Monday (5 September) when minister for social protection Joan Burton arrived.

The minister toured the fantastic facilities and chatted with locals for over an hour before she made her way to Mount Wolseley in Tullow for the Labour party think-in.

“She was really impressed with the range of services offered and the value for money. She was very approachable and understands what community work can do in the area,” said manager Anne Shortall.

“We have 18 unemployed people, mostly women, who are doing back to education training and they met her and told her the difference the centre has made in their lives. She met everybody and was really impressed with it,” added Ms Shortall.

The Bagenalstown centre, located at Moneybeg, Royal Oak Road, caters for 160 children and more than 200 people on a daily basis.

Earlier in the year, there were growing concerns for the future of the local service, but minister Bruton moved to allay fears.

“Three or four months ago we were concerned we were going to be closed. The McCarthy Report recommended closing resource centres but she assured us that won’t happen. It was all very positive, which is always good to hear,” added Ms Shortall.

Tidy towns joy as Leighlinbridge and Clonegal secure gold medals

WHILE CLONEGAL and Leigh¬linbridge both secured gold medals once again in the Tidy Towns competition, the hard work and dedication of neigh¬bouring towns and villages in South Carlow didn’t go unno¬ticed.

Old Leighlin managed to scoop the endeavour award and rack up a phenomenal 13 mark increase on last year’s standings.

Tidy Towns officials complimented the village on its “old world charm” adding that they were “impressed with the overall look of the place”.

“The village has far more potential in this competition than it has realised to date and it is hoped that it will make good progress in the years ahead,” added the independent report.

Also building on their hard work to date were the committee in Kildavin, who added a further 11 marks to last year’s results.

Despite being absent from the competition for several years, Kildavin made great efforts to “get all the local community involved”, according to adjudicators.

“Well done to the community of Kildavin for the efforts you are making to promote your lovely village. The Tidy Towns committee is to be complimented on the work to date and, in time, you will be catching up on your neighbours up the road,” they added.

All towns and villages across the south of the county gained marks on their entries from last year.

Schools in Borris were congratulated on their efforts to ensure the area was kept spick and span, as were those in Fenagh.

Judges noted that the Celtic Tiger left its “claw marks” in Myshall but said they had “confidence” in the locality to achieve results.

On the whole, the county performed very well, with both Clonegal and Leighlinbridge only marks away from the overall winner.

The complete results for South Carlow are as follows (improvements on last year are in brackets): St Mullins 280 marks (+3), Ballymurphy 272 marks (+3), Rathanna 270 marks (+4), Nurney 262 marks (n/a), Myshall 282 marks (+3), Clonegal 305 marks (+2), Tinryland 246 marks (+5), Fenagh 240 marks (+6), Kildavin 235 marks (+11), Ballinabranna 228 marks (n/a), Old Leighlin 228 marks (+13), Leighlinbridge 304 marks (+2), Borris 257 marks (+7) and Bagenalstown 266 marks (+4).

Tinryland folk bid farewell to Fr McEvoy

AFTER nine great years at the helm in Tinryland, Fr John McEvoy bade a fond farewell to his parishioners as he took up his new post in Paulstown and Goresbridge on Thursday 9 September.

The well-liked parish priest will be sorely missed in Tinryland, but before he forgets about us entirely, a farewell social night has been planned in his honour.

The informal gathering will take place in Tinryland GAA clubhouse on Friday 23 September from 􀃬pm.

Parishioners of all ages are invited to attend and celebrate Fr McEvoy’s hard work in Tinryland and surrounds over the years.

“It’s just a bit of a gathering of parishioners to thank Fr McEvoy for all that he’s done in the last nine years. Hopefully, there will be a nice turnout. It’s just a chance for a chat,” said Maureen Byrne, one of the organisers.

A group of parishioners from local clubs and businesses decided to host the farewell night and pay tribute to the local priest and to bring the community together.

“He’ll be missed but there’s new arrangements in place now,” added Maureen.

Light refreshments and a bit of chat are promised for the night which, no doubt, will be a fitting send off for the outgoing PP.

Tickets for the event, at €􀃩 each, are available from Deane’s shop or from any of the following: Marie Brophy, Maureen Byrne, Pauline Cleary, Brendan Farrell, Josie Kelly, John Keogh, Catherine McGuill, Breda Murphy, Phil Nolan, Goretti O’Neill and Denis Shannon.