Pew Sheet – 25th May 2025

The Rector writes ‘Today is Rogation Sunday, when we traditionally hand out Sunflower Seeds to all the young people in church, hopefully encouraging them to grow an actual plant from seed. This Sunflower can then be measured at the end of summer, the tallest Sunflowers winning prizes presented at our Harvest Thanksgiving Services.

In the pages of this Pewsheet, we have lots of Rogation type stories! John Andrew, of the parish Eco Group has an excellent article on Biodiversity and how each one of us can now contribute to the national database. Hazel Fleury, who heads up the Plant Stall at our Parish Fete is encouraging us to pot up our plants ahead of the fete. The Owennabue Garden and Flower Club invite us on their annual outing… it is a very green issue of our Pewsheet indeed!

Rogation is an ancient church festival (circa 7th Century) to seek blessing for a community and its sustenance. The word rogation comes from the Latin verb rogare, meaning “to ask”, which reflects the beseeching of God for protection from calamities. As the old Book of Common Prayer put it: “Rogation Days are the three days preceding Ascension Day, especially devoted to asking for God’s blessing on agriculture and industry.” Since mediaeval times there has also been a tradition of “beating the bounds” of the parish, praying for God‘s blessing upon the crops and the well-being of that particular community and while this is still observed by a few today, here in Carrigaline Union, we just remember Rogation by handing out the seeds and of course, in our prayers!’

John Andrew – Member of: Carrigaline Union of Parishes Eco Group:

What is Biodiversity? In short, biodiversity is the variety of life on earth. Biodiversity is under considerable threat however, both globally and in Ireland.

St Mary’s graveyard and rectory were mapped two years ago with Biodiversity Ireland to help map wildlife –

https://pollinators.biodiversityireland.ie.

A number of years ago the trend was to have neat tidy gardens with no “wildness” whatsoever, this lead to a decline in insects, bees etc. Even if your garden is small you can help by either re-wilding an area or keeping a part of the lawn that you do not cut for a whole season. If you practice this every year within a number of years native wild flowers will grow . This is a better than sowing wild flowers from a packet as it is quite possible some or all of the seeds are not native Irish.

The all Ireland Pollinator Plan (https://pollinators.ie)

is an island-wide attempt to reverse declines in pollinating insects

You at home can now help by mapping your garden with Biodiversity Ireland, helping document local wildlife, understand its distribution, and track changes over time, contributing to Ireland’s

biodiversity data. Every single garden that is mapped is added to the Biodiversity database so collectively it can be seen what pollinator flowers are in an area. If there are a lot of gardens mapped in an area growing pollinators friendly plants, bees and insects will flourish with a good supply of food.

Start by going to

https://pollinators.biodiversityireland.ie

and look for the gardening tab and map your garden.

For further information feel free to contact John on 087-2556147 or Val 087-1270457.

Dates for your Diary

June

1st Sunday Club Prizegiving 11am in St Mary’s Church

8th Confirmation Service 11am in St Mary’s Church

(no 9:30am Service that day)

21st Parish Féte in School Hall and Grounds

Youth Group BBQ 7:30pm till 9pm

29th 5th Sunday United Service of Wholeness & Healing in St Mary’s at 11am

(no 9:30am Service that day)

July

9th Mothers’ Union 130th Celebration Service 11:30am Rushbrooke, Cobh

Calling all Gardeners!

Hazel Fleury is making her annual appeal for you all to start potting up now so we have a good supply of plants for sale on her stall at the Parish Fete on June 21st.

The Owenabue Garden And Flower Club, Carrigaline invite you to join with us on our Annual Outing to The O’Mahony Garden, Ballylanders and the Wexted Garden, Holy Cross. Also a visit to Dundrum Garden Centre.

Lunch and Dinner are included.

On Monday 26th May 2025, Coach leaves Carrigaline from the PTSB bank @ 8 am sharp.

Cost is €95 members, €100 visitors.

enquiries to owenabuegardenclub@gmail.com

Random Notes CDXCII

Illustrated herewith is a little, and perhaps it could be thought, a somewhat insignificant little memento of a once lovely country house, Clonbrock, nr. Ahascragh, co. Galway, for many years the seat of the family of Dillon, Barons Clonbrock. and at one time the centre of a not inconsiderable estate of some 93,000 acres.

The house, built in 1788, with later additions, remained in the family, complete with its wonderful and eclectic collection of contents, including the by now well known Clonbrock photographic collection in the National Library of Ireland, Dublin, until 1976 when the house was put up for sale, and the the contents dispersed in a three day sale in November of that year.

The house, stripped of its contents lay unused, and effectively abandoned for a further eight years until in 1984 it succumbed to the attentions of vandals, and was destroyed by a disastrous fire; the ruin, now engulfed in ivy remains, a but a sad reminder of a once lovely place.

This little card, for the use of house guests at Clonbrock, of unknown date, but most probably dating from the late nineteenth century was presented, with some other fascinating little bits and pieces from Clonbrock by Audrey Dillon-Mahon, the wife of the last owner of the place, to the compiler of this note, arriving in the post at Mount Rivers to much excitement, on the morning of Tuesday, 25th June, 1996.

The two photographs of Clonbrock here illustrated were taken in c.1982, and in 1984.