Parish Notices Sunday 7th June 2015

The Rector writes ‘ Our United Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross launched ‘Charting a Future with Confidence’ at the end of 2014.  Since then, the Council of Charting a Future with Confidence has met and four working groups have been established. One of these groups is assessing what the current situation actually is in the Diocese, other than based on anecdote or the most vocal.  As part of their work, representatives of this group are visiting every Union/Group of Parishes in the Dioceses. The main aim of the visits is to gather information and listen.  This will take the form of a short questionnaire, to be completed by those attending the meetings.  There will also be an opportunity for the Charting a Future with Confidence representatives to listen to the views of those present.  Our meeting is tomorrow, Monday 8th at  7.30PM in the Parish Hall. It is hoped that as many parishioners as possible will attend the meeting as this will help the working group to gather as much information as possible about the current situation in Dioceses. We needn’t say we were consulted! Hope to see many of you there.’

HUGE thanks to all those who supported last week’s Parish Féte. It was a wonderful day and it was also a wonderful fundraiser for the parish, raising slightly over 7,000 euro! Eddie Pierce and his stalwart team must be justifiably proud of their efforts. A great day.

Many thanks to all who supported the recent coffee morning which was held in the Rectory in support of Monkstown Chamber Choir. €210 was raised which will go towards the purchase of new Anthem books when we return to Choral Evensong in September. We have used various resources in the past, but dedicated Anthem books will further enhance the work of the choir. Some choir members are looking forward to attending the ICMA/RSCM Summer School in Maynooth in July, where Irish Church musicians gather to listen to and perform recent compositions and publications. The speakers will include RSCM director Andrew Reid. No doubt our heads will be bursting with melodies and music by September. (RCE)

SUMMER HOLIDAY CLUB ‘JUNGLE JAMBOREE’ This year our Parish will join again with Templebreedy Parish to run a children’s Bible-based Holiday Club from 20th to 24th July in the Canon McCrea Hall, St Mary’s School. 10am till 1pm. €30 per child or €70 per family, which includes snack.       Registration forms are available from the Parish Office or the Rector.

‘Grace and Flavours’  a collection of thoughts, prayers and graces accompanied by 50 delicious but simple seasonal recipes to take us through the church and calendar year. €4 per copy.  Buy one after church or ask Hilary about them. Monies raised from both the ‘Ladies’ Night Out’ and the booklet sales will go towards our Mothers’ Union  ‘Mums in May’ countrywide  fundraising. Thanks for your support. (HD)

Scrap Metal Collection

For information call Adrian Bateman on 0868300379 or Henry Forbes on 0872035000  A full listing of acceptable items and materials is on the website www.carrigalineunion.org

 

FORWARD PLANNER

 June 8th   Toddler Plus One 10am Parish Hall

Monday Club 3 – 5pm Parish Hall

Charting A Future with Confidence Parish Meeting 7.30pm Parish Hall.

June 11th Friendship Club, 11am Rectory

 

July 11th Parish Garden Party

July 16th Theological Book Circle, 8pm Rectory Garden

July 20th—24th Holiday Club 10-1 Canon McCrea Hall

 

Sept 4th  Parish Barbecue 7.30pm Rectory Garden

 

Random Notes CXLI

Below is a small extract from “Our Place” which was published in 1979. Nancy McCarthy simply entitles her piece “I Remember…” and is a direct insight in to life in Monkstown during the 1920’s. Such a fine piece requires no picture, as it paints its own colourful picture!

“It was Tuesday morning following the August week-end in the 1920’s. The Civil War was drawing to a close. It affected us little in Monkstown and Glenbrook. A party of “regulars” occupied Glenbrook Police Barracks. They spent their idle days sitting outside the barracks enjoying the sunshine or firing over the river at seagulls for practice. We lived half-way between the two railway stations and we usually got the morning train at 8.10 from Glenbrook to work in the city. That morning, we reached the ruined baths, separated from the road by the Cork Blackrock and Passage Railway line, bordered by a five foot wall. Suddenly there was an outburst of rifle fire almost over my head and the spattering of bullets against the railway line wall. It came from across the river, narrow at this point. I lay flat on the road for cover. The “Troubles” had long accustomed us to this type of  protection. Then I saw my first uniformed Free State soldier – about 17, with a squint and a smoking rifle in his hand. His Dublin accent was marked – “Is it afraid for being shot you are?” he asked. I was scared. The question was stupid and my position lacking of dignity. “No, playing marbles I was”, I said crossly. He sat down on the kerb where i joined him. He told me that during the night the gun ship “Helga” crowded with            soldiers and arms and a big gun had landed in Passage West from Dublin. The “irregulars”, taken by surprise took to the hills at either side of the river and my companion was “drawing fire” to locate their position. He told me the “irregulars” had blown up Rochestown Railway bridge so there was no train to Cork. He offered to escort me home. Feeling safer on my own i doubled back home and took the news to our household.

The local fighting lasted about 4 to 5 days. We kept our wooden shutters closed against stray bullets. Upstairs, we slept on mattresses on the floor. We were a large family with a few visitors thrown in; but there was no shortage of food as Monkstown was some hundreds of yards west of the fighting. One of our friends in Glenbrook got a bullet through a bedroom window which was embedded in a wardrobe. Then, what we had all awaited eagerly, happened – the mackerel broke. For years, this event meant that candles, lit in jam-jars were lowered over the water at Monkstown pier lined with fishing rods hauling the fish up. War or no war, we fished. It struck me as odd that this normal  function was carried on with lethal firing around the corner.

The Carrigaloe people (across the river) were completely hemmed in. The “Helga” from Passage docks pounding at the hills over them, where pockets of “irregulars” were stationed. Irregulars firing from the hills over Passage. No shops – no milk for children. It was usual for a milk cart to deliver the milk each morning form the Rushbrooke direction. In some way, a truce was arranged. Firing continued day and night. Each morning at around 9am we would see and hear the milk cart. It stopped across the river opposite our house. The driver stopped the horse, cupped his hand around his mouth and yelled aloud “Hello”. He waited 10 minutes until all firing had stopped at either side of the river and then drove towards the beleaguered terraces, delivered the milk and returned to his first stopping place. He gave another shout of “Hello”. There was a 10   minute pause and then the Civil War recommenced.” 

RCE