Thank You and Farewell
Just a few words before I leave Phibsborough to say what a privilege and
pleasure it has been for me to have known and worked with so many of you.
My sincere and grateful thanks for all your kindnesses shown to me which I
appreciated very much.
Remembering you all
very specially in my prayers and may God bless each one of you and hold
you in the palm of His hands.
Sister Madeleine Sheridan, D.C.
Bonnie Scotland - St. Peter’s Club Trip
May 2006
Bear in mind that May
was threatening to be the worst & rainiest May on record, and you will
realise how fortunate we were to be leaving on the 29th with the sun
shining brightly and, although we didn’t know it at the time, it would
continue to shine for the whole six days of the trip!
Mon, May 29th.
We got off to an early 9.00am start from Phibsborough with Peadar as our
safe and capable driver. Surprisingly he had not ever driven to Scotland
before although he had been born there. The now almost total duel
carriageway from Dublin to Belfast meant that we reached Belfast in two
hours and from there it was not more than thirty minutes to Larne where we
embarked on the P&O Ferry to Cairnryan in Scotland - a much bigger and
more comfortable ferry than those of old. Once on it, (and supplied with
sandwiches) Sr. Madeleine introduced the more sedate members of our party
to a special room known as the Quiet Lounge, a calm haven from the noisy
deck restaurant. After a less than two hour sea trip we arrived in
Cairnryan. From there we drove for two hours along the beautiful coast of
Ayrshire. To our left we had a sunlit blue sea and that standing rock -
Ailsa Craig which seems to follow you on your journey. The Island of Aran
and the Mull of Kintyre are to our right. From the start a feature was
the scrupulously clean tidy roads and villages. Not a speck of litter to
be seen (not quite like home!) We arrived in Ayr in time for dinner at
the Station Hotel - well named, for it was built astride the Railway
Station. I thought we’d all be astray in the head during our stay with
the noise of passing trains but it didn’t turn out that way. The hotel
must have been completely sound proof - that is apart from the lift.
Books could be written about it. Almost 100 years old and equipped with
an inside and outside iron gate both of which had to be closed (but seldom
were) after an entrance or exit on any floor. We learned that like listed
buildings it may not be
changed!
Tues, May 30th.
We drove to Largs and spent the day there. The great attraction there was
the sea front and the promenade where we were able to relax. The next
best thing in Largs was the ice cream! This was particularly important
for us, as for some unfathomable reason our Station Hotel in Ayr didn’t
“do” ice cream!
While in Largs we
were encouraged to visit the Viking Museum, with a model outside of the
old Viking boats used in the raids in Scotland and Ireland long ago.
Nobody seemed to bother going in. It seemed we preferred the beach and
sunshine, or, maybe, we were all registering an unconscious protest
against all the depredation the Vikings caused here in Ireland. One
thinks of that beautiful site of Clonmacnoise, once the finest monastery
in Europe, almost completely destroyed. I must say though, that I got a
salutary shock when I read recently that the fact was that the Vikings
raided Clonmacnoise 4 times, the English 8 times and the native Irish
tribes 26 times. Trust us!!
Wed, May 31st - Loch
Lomond. I had been
there many years ago but today was a revelation. I had had no idea of the
extent of the lake. A never-ending vista of placid sunlit waters nestling
among the hills. The sun was never hazy so the scenery was at its
stunning best. The lake seemed to extend forever and we were reminded of
Sir Harry Lauder’s famous song: “Keep right on to the end of the road,
keep right on to the end.” We must have stopped about twenty times for
snap shots (and about ten for other reasons!).
Thurs, June 1st -
Edinburgh.
We had a very pleasant and informative guide, Iain, to help us see the
best of this beautiful city. Princes St., Edinburgh Castle and so many
beautiful buildings. They say one of our party spent Thursday looking at
the Da Vinci Code in the local Ayr cinema instead of going to Edinburgh.
They had their sufficient punishment missing out on a great trip for a
rather boring film. Give me Inspector Morse every time!
Fri, June 2nd.
After all the considerable travel of the past few days we had a shorter
tour today, confining ourselves largely to the Burns country which is
quite near Ayr. Visiting the Burns house, The Tam O’Shanter Garden &
Restaurant and the Brig O’Doon, alsothe famous Turnberry Golf Links, where
the British Open Golf Championship is often played. A special feature
today was our visit to the famous “Electric Brae”. Our guide, Iain,
wouldn’t tell us in advance what it was famous for. It was very
undulating countryside, up and down hills everywhere. Anyway, when we
were half way up one of the hills the driver put the bus into neutral,
took off the brake and to our astonishment, the bus instead of slipping
backwards proceeded to move up! Magic? Well, not quiet. It was a
remarkable optical illusion. We couldn’t believe it but we were really
facing downhill. The good news for us that night was that Betty, who had
fractured her wrist in a fall on the hotel staircase the evening before,
would be able to travel home with us on Saturday. Michael and herself
both doing very well, thank God. Like last year in Killarney, we were
able to have Mass together every morning of our stay. Also a musical
evening and, of course the inevitable Bingo. I was actually looking
forward to it after my financial success of last year but sadly history
failed to repeat itself.
On our way back to the ferry in Cairnryan, it was nice to see many road
signs saying ‘Haste ye back’. All arrived to Phibsborough about 7.00pm on
Saturday with Sr. Madeleine, busy to the last, helping everyone with their
bags and baggage. Once again, our warmest and sincerest thanks to her for
making the whole trip possible and so
memorable.
Fr. Frank Mullan, C.M
St. Peter’s Club - Outing to Powerscourt
-October 2005
Tuesday
morning October 11th, 2005. The newspaper weather report spoke of cloudless
skies, bright sunshine all day with temperatures in the upper 20’s. But
that was for the Canary Islands! Things were somewhat different here on
the home front – but who cares. We do tend to fuss too much about rain
and there was a lot of it around for the entire day.
At
10.00am we left Phibsborough in a Marathon Coach ably piloted by Noel,
with Jack who proved to be a most entertaining and informative guide. We
first went up the Navan Road and went up the M50 and arrived in Bray in a
remarkably short space of time. For most of us, I think, it was the first
time we had gone by that route. No prizes for guessing where our first
stop was! Morning coffee with delicious hot buttered scones in the
Esplanade Hotel in Bray.
After an hour or so, and also, it should be said, after many scones we
took to the road again and headed for Powerscourt, a place famous for its
classical building now restored, and magnificent gardens with acres of
carefully manicured green lawns, herbaceous borders, Japanese trees and
plants, lakes, ponds and classical statues. You could spend hours
traversing the entire extent of the gardens. I know, because I did
exactly that, admittedly armed with raincoat, cap and umbrella. When
you’re surrounded by beauty, you don’t pay attention to mundane things
like rain.
The
less venturous among us enjoyed browsing through what can only be called a
veritable shopping centre inside the main building; a riot of exotic foods
and drink and perfumes. (Prices tended to be exotic too!) Everything from
finely woven cloth to the best Irish smoked salmon. It was all like an
Eastern bazaar.
Next stop the Avoca Weaving Centre where we were able to see the weavers
at work. Apparently it’s this weaving centre that supplies Powerscourt
with the beautiful collection that we had seen there. A brief look
outside assured us that the climatic conditions were unchanged. Not
everyone in the party was able to overcome the temptation to indulge in
another cup of tea – and buns. After all, it was more than an hour since
the last one.
The
last stage of our journey brought us to the Arklow Bay Hotel, and even
though we arrived a lot earlier than the appointed time for dinner, there
was no waiting and we sat down immediately to a very fine meal.
A
feature of the day was the wonderful good spirits of all, everyone
refusing to be daunted by the weather. All in all, a most enjoyable
outing, and once again, sincere thanks to Sr. Madeleine who masterminded
the entire venture. The only discordant note in the whole day occurred on
the return journey to Phibsborough when a certain gentleman treated us to
a not very melodic rendering of “I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen”.
Fr.
Frank Mullan,
CM
Trip to Killarney June 2005
As the T.V. ad says, “See Ireland First”, and certainly St. Peter’s
Luncheon Club members, helpers and friends say, if not all of Ireland, the
most of Kerry, on our trip to Killarney last week.
We left St. Peter’s on Monday morning, June 6th on one of the Donegal
James McGinley coaches and had Brian as our driver who proved to be most
courteous and kindly. And, just as important, a skilled and careful
driver.
We had two stops on our journey, one at Port Laoise and the other in the
beautiful little village of Adare in Co. Limerick. They say an army
marches on its stomach, well so did we. No stop was ever complete without
refreshments of some sort. It was a mild warm day exactly right for the
lengthy journey, and so we arrived punctually at the Gleneagle Hotel in
Killarney in time for, guess what? A hearty four-course dinner.
On Tuesday we did a tour of the Dingle Peninsula passing through
Castlemaine, Inch, Dingle Town and Ballyferriter. The day was dull enough,
but dry and so on our stops, en route, we were able to do some sightseeing
- that is after we had had a bite to eat!
Wednesday turned out to be really magnificent hot sunny day “just right”
for a journey round the famous Ring of Kerry, visiting Killorglin,
Cahirciveen, Waterville and Derrynane. That was the first half before a
stop at Sneem, which was a tourist paradise on such a beautiful day. It
was evident that it deserved to win the tidy town competition some years
ago - all the houses and shops - a glorious blaze of colour.
In the afternoon back to Killarney through brilliant mountain scenery with
time to visit the famous “Ladies View” of the Lakes, popularised by Queen
Victoria’s stop there - which apparently, was not necessitated by view
alone!
On Thursday we decided to confine ourselves to Killarney itself and again,
another day of superb sunshine and perfect visibility. It was the first
time I had ever spent a few hours in the beautiful grounds and garden of
Muckross House and it really was a revelation.
After the obligatory time off for you know what , most of us took the boat
trip around the three lakes through water with scarcely a ripple on the
surface and a panoramic view of all the surrounding mountains.
I
know I shouldn’t even say this in Ireland, but felt it was almost too hot
when we returned to dry land at Ross Castle. And at that time I didn’t
ever know that I still had to face a round of golf on the hotel pitch and
putt course, not to mention a marathon bingo session. This was hilarious,
as there were some, including myself, who had never been properly
initiated into the mysteries of bingo before. As it turned out, I did very
well financially out of it all! A free raffle and the mandatory tea,
coffee and biscuits brought us up to midnight - a wonderful ending to our
stay in Killarney.
A
few features stand out! The privilege of having Mass together in the hotel
each day. The great community spirit that pervaded the whole group and the
courtesy of the hotel staff.
Above all, of course, Sister Madeleine on the presiding genius and
organizing of the whole venture, giving meticulous care to every smallest
detail on the trip. To her a thousand thanks from us all.
Fr. Frank Mullan, CM.,
St. Peter’s
International Year of the Volunteer 2001
To
commemorate the 2001 Year of the Volunteer, a very pleasant ceremony was
held at St. Peter’s Club on Monday, 17th December 2001.
The surprise ceremony commenced with the presentation of certificates and
commemorative pins from Dublin Corporation to all the voluntary workers
associated with St. Peter’s Luncheon Club.
The
Club is one of the Parish Services organised
by St. Peter’s, Phibsboro under the guidance of Sr. Madeleine Sheridan,
DC, which provides subsidized lunches for the elderly in the area five
days a week.
Fr.
Sean Farrell, CM., was the keynote speaker. He said he wished to avail of
the occasion to thank and give recognition to the voluntary workers for
their work down the years. He stressed the importance and need for the
continued voluntary contribution to keep this service going.
Fr.
Sean made the presentation on behalf of Dublin Corporation to each of the
voluntary workers, ably assisted by Sr. Madeleine. A lovely tea followed
and a pleasant evening was enjoyed by all.
On
behalf of all the voluntary workers I would like to express our thanks and
appreciation to Cllr. Michael Mulcahy, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Dublin
Corporation Officials, Fr. Sean Farrell, CM. and Sr. Madeleine for the
honour bestowed on us - this fine gesture really boosted our morale. We
will wear the commemorative pin with pride.
Ar
Scáth A Chéile A Mhaireas Na Daoine!
Kay
Gleeson-Hickey
Food
Hygiene Certificates
presented....
On Monday, 18th June,
2001
Mr. Richard Collis presented helpers with
certificates from the Environmental Health Officers Association in
conjunction with Northern Area Health Board after they had completed the
Primary Course in the principles and practices of Food Hygiene. In his
speech Mr. Collis emphasized the importance of Food Hygiene in all
aspects in this day and age. He also commented on the wonderful work
that all our volunteers are doing. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL! Thank you to
Mr. Collis for doing the needful for us.
St.
Peter’s Club – Living it up in Lisdoonvarna
An account of a summer outing ...........
Recently, members of St. Peter’s Club and some friends,
including some of the Active Retired people went on a short holiday to
Lisdoonvarna, organised by Sr. Madeleine, assisted by Sr. Nora.
It was very enjoyable. We
went to the Burren and Ballynaughar, some visited the Ailewee Caves,
which is quite an experience. There was also a tour to Lahinch and
Doolin and on the last day we went to Galway and Salthill.
Unfortunately, Salthill was not at its best weather-wise.
We went to and from
Lisdoonvarna by coach, stopping for lunch on the way. The
trip was organised very effectively and there was plenty of fun
and good humour. There was a surprise raffle on the way home in which
everyone got a prize. We were blessed with good weather most of the
time. It was a pleasant break at the beginning of summer.
Marie Clarke
St. Peter’s Club Annual Outing
July 2002
The day
dawned bright and sunny , a good omen for the trip. The group of 48 were
ready with excitement and anticipation. Sr. Madeleine and Fr. Colm McAdam
welcomed us all aboard our coach and introduced our courier Luke and
driver, Billie. Carlow was our first stop and in the Seven Oaks Hotel
we enjoyed our morning coffee break. Then back on the coach and a long
haul to New Ross for the highlight of the trip, the guided tour, on the
emigrant ship, “Dunbrody”. It far exceeded our expectations, a wonderful
experience!
5.00
p.m back on the coach and on to the Valley Hotel Avoca for the evening
meal. It was a long day, but a happy one. Many thanks to all.
Betty Walsh
Home
Vincentian Refugee Centre
St. Peter's Club
Mission to Nigeria Eastern
Europe
Vincentian Volunteers
Phibsboro Aid St.
Peter's National School Parish of
the Travelling People
