Moate Matters

The road sweeper returns The absence of the road sweeper has often been referred to on this page so it is only appropriate that the return of this much-needed service is acknowledged. Monday last saw the sweeper working in various locations around the town. Hopefully this will get rid of the broken glass which is a danger to any child unfortunate enough to fall in the wrong location. We now look forward to the roadside grass and weeds being removed. Aerobox Aerobox fitness classes resume at Dun na S& iacute; starting Tuesday September 23. Aerobox at 7pm, fun Aerobic work out 7.45 pm. Body conditioning class to strengthen and tone muscles. Expressions Expressions School of Speech and Drama, Roseland House, classes extended. Limited places, Junior and Senior Infants 2.30 - 3.30pm, 1st and 2nd classes from 3.30 - 4.30pm, 3rd and 4th classes from 4.30 - 5.30pm, 5th, 6th and 1st years from 5.30 - 6.30pm. Family discounts apply. Pre School, 3 & frac12; years plus commences on Wednesday September 23 from 1.30 to 2.15pm for 10 weeks. Childrens C& eacute;il& iacute; Dancing Classes for Fun resumes in Dun na S& iacute; on Thursday nights from 7 to 8 pm. All Welcome. Memories of Moate After many enquiries about the launch date for Kieran Galvin"s new book (see last week) Childhood Memories of Moate in the Mid-Forties I am told that a definite date will be available for next week"s paper. Scor A meeting of the Westmeath Scor Committee took place last night and following the auditions which were held in the Grand Hotel it is now full steam ahead for this new season. With many new faces on board the club hope to maintain the recent proud record of winning at least one county title each year since the Scor committee was revived by Tommy Heavin. Creative Writing at Convent Primary School A special mass scribing session will take place in the Convent Girls Primary School tonight Wednesday September 24. The session is open to everyone from infants to sixth class. The facilitator is Chris Thompson, Chris has designed and facilitated educational arts projects of all kinds for many years. Her background is teaching in the primary sector but she also has qualifications in educational drama and a diploma in mathematics teaching. Scribing is a new way that you can help your child with creative writing at home. Your child is creating the story, but you are holding the pen and writing down the story he or she tells you. It is easy, does not take long, and is enjoyable to do. Parents, grandparents, friends, relations and older siblings can all be scribes. A scribed story is where one person, adult or older child, acts as listener, recorder and editor for the author. It can involve one adult, a teacher or parent listening to and recording the orally recounted stories of one child or a small group of children. Children can also Scribe for each other. Scribing with its emphasis on oral skill development and story makes it a useful and effective tool in the learning process. You are helping your child to create stories that they could not do without your help as scribe. They will use a wider range of vocabulary, more imaginative language and will be free to construct more interesting stories. Very young children really enjoy scribing and children who are already good at writing often find scribing a welcome change. Come along on Wednesday and help your child get creative with story making. Ganley School of Dancing The Ganley School of Irish Dancing continues on Wednesday nights, in Dun na S& iacute;, Moate at 7pm. This is the ideal time for beginners to start. Dancing for Fun classes commenced in Mount Temple Community Hall on Friday last, new members are welcome to come along for the "craic". Enquiries to Joe at 087-6473497. Moate GAA Lotto Draw held in Egan"s, jackpot €6,200 numbers drawn 6, 12, 14, 15, no jackpot winner, four match threes, Mary Nestor, CBJO, Jack O"Brien, Remi. The draw next Monday will be held in the Gap House. Irish Music Lessons Lessons are now available on keyboard/piano for beginners, intermediates or advanced students. Children and adults are welcome. Traditional Irish music taught on a one to one basis or as part of a group. Contact 090 6482228 or 087 2113079 for further details. Moate Minor Board Notes U.16 Footballers through to County Final Moate 3-10& nbsp;Caulry 3-5 Moate and Caulry served up another entertaining game of football in Caulry on Saturday evening last. Moate never went behind in this game and started their scoring with a fine point from David Minnock who put in a Captains performance in the middle of the pitch. The full forward lines of Jack Linnane and Cian Bradley were causing endless problems for the Caulry fullback line clocking up 1-7 between them. The ability of half forwards Robbie Marsh, Dylan Fitzpatrick and Jason Duignan to carry the ball at the Caulry defence was breath taking at times and their link up play with the full forwards brought the opening goal from Jason Duignan. Midfielders David Minnock and Joe Ward worked with great determination between them contributing three great points.& nbsp; David Minnock when soloing in full flight re-kindled memories of his uncle and former great Moate all Whites & nbsp;player Aidan O"Halloran. The Moate defence have stood firm all season and Saturday"s game was no exception. Philip Coyne at centre back was rock solid and was ably assisted by two tenacious wing half backs Michael Cooney and Gearoid Finneran. The full back line of Gareth Murray and Robert Duffy contributed to the excellent defensive display with Gareth Murray putting in a man of the match style performance at corner back. His blocking ability and fearless tackling was a major contributor to this win. Robert Duffy when moved to wing back held a potentially dangerous opponent scoreless for the remainder of the game. Ogie Hollywood again in goals had an excellent game, his kick outs finding our mid fielders with great accuracy. A goal just before the stroke of half time by Cian Bradley meant that Moate led 2-5 to 1-4 at half time. Moate produced their best period of play in the second half notching up four points without reply. These came from Cian Bradley, Jack Linnane, David Minnock and Joe Ward. This put Moate into an eight point lead and it looked like they were going to win comfortably. However, Caulry responded with two goals in quick succession. Moate introduced super-sub Sean Mc Cormack who got on the end of a fine cross ball and punched to the back of the net to restore Moate"s dominance. Robbie Gorman when introduced picked up and off-loaded some vital breaking ball with excellent speed and skill. Daniel Marsh and Stephen Kelly when introduced both contributed to this fine win. It was a brilliant all round performance from this U16 team with 3-09 out of their 3-10 total coming from play, which now means the team qualify for the county final. Well done to all concerned, keep up the good work for the final.& nbsp;& nbsp; Team: O. Hollywood, R. Duffy, G. Murray, G. Finneran, P. Coyne, M. Cooney, D. Minnock (0-2), J. Ward (0.1), R. Marsh, D. Fitzpatrick, J. Duignan (1-0), J. Linnane (0-3), C.Bradley (1-4) Subs: S.McCormack (1-0) for J. Duignan, R. Gorman for R. Marsh, S. Kelly for D. Fitzpatrick, D. Marsh for J.Ward, D. Claffey and J. Eagney. & nbsp; Ticket Winners The Minor Board held a raffle for two All-Ireland football tickets (kindly donated by Tom Duffy and Joe Whelan) in the clubhouse on Friday evening. Cissy and Johnny Coughlan were the winners of the tickets from Liamy Claffey"s card. Thanks to all who supported the raffle and special thanks to all of our ticket sellers. & nbsp; Joe Digan/Londis Street Leagues Continue Winning Formula The hugely successful Joe Digan/Londis annual Under 8/10 street league started in Hogan Park on Tuesday evening at 6.30 with a large attendance enjoying the 3 matches on view. A slight change of formant from previous years has been introduced with under 8 players scores counting as double and the introduction of three young whistlers to officiate the matches. These changes have worked out very well so far with our three referees Jamie Madden, Cian Bradley and Robbie Gorman proving more than capable officials. Tuesdays round of matches saw Roscommon beat Cavan; Longford beat Wexford while Donegal drew with Sligo. On Friday Cavan beat Sligo, Longford were victorious over Roscommon and Donegal came out on top against Wexford. With in excess of 70 children taking part in the leagues the coaching staff of the under 8"s and 10"s are delighted with the turnout of players and supporters so far this year. Lotto Bingo This week"s jackpot will be worth €4,350. Draw will be held tonight September 24th. Greyhound News A mixed week on the local greyhound front with Chuck Kelly continuing to make progress in both Galway and Harolds Cross. Honcho Freddie ran a great race to qualify for the next round of the puppy derby in Harolds Cross when finishing second to all the way leader Droopys Miller. The official distance was a neck and with the surging finish Honcho Freddie put in there is no reason why this placing would not be reversed. Honcho Freddie started as a 4/1 chance with Droopys Miller 4/6f. In the next round Honcho Freddie is drawn with the sensational Timor Blue who ran a time of 28.50 when leading from start to finish last Friday night, a follow up to 28.49 in the previous round. If Honcho Freddie gets away well from trap 1, his great finishing speed could see him progress. In Galway on Saturday night Cooldown Jasper was lucky to progress after a slow start. Despite having the best time in the previous rounds it took a great finish to secure third place and a place in the final. The time of 29.85 is almost a full second slower than the time ran in the previous round. A return to form on Saturday night is essential if the big prize is to be secured. Woodhill Emperor had a busy week finishing fourth in a rough race in Shelbourne Park on Saturday night before returning to Longford on Monday night last in the Longford Grade A2 550. The higher grade proved no problem with the Emperor coming home 1.5 lengths clear of Bornacurra Miley. Both dogs were returned at 2/1. Woodhill Emperor, owned by Benny Smyth and trained by Michael Gleeson is unbeaten in his five starts at the Longford track, even after moving from A6 to A2 grade races. I notice the winner of the first race in Galway last Saturday night was a dog called Glasson pride, owned by Teresa O"Rourke. Foroige to help Simon Community Castledaly Foroige Club are hosting a coffee morning in aid of the Midlands Simon Community on Sunday, September 28 at 10:30am (after Castledaly mass) in the Castledaly Community Hall (old schoolhouse).& nbsp; The club will be present to provide information on the organisation and the issue of homelessness in the Midlands.& nbsp; Contact Kate Molloy (group leader) on 087 7569405 for more details.& nbsp; Congratulations Birthday greetings to Chris Tuohy who will celebrate his 70th birthday on Friday next. Your family and friends wish you many more lively and healthy years ahead. Congratulations to Aoife Fitzgerald who celebrated her 21st with a party in the Auld Shebeen on Friday last. Congratulations to Aisling Duffy from Ballinahown who also celebrated her 21st in the Auld Shebeen on Saturday last. Moate Show Society The results of the draw held recently in the Grand Hotel, Moate were, first prize, Joanna Keogh, Hall who won the two night break in the Stand House Hotel, The Curragh, Co Kildare. Second prize, Joseph Jordan, Windmill Road, Moate who won the €150 voucher for Eillis McMannus Opticians, third prize, Kieran Claffey, Hall Road, Moate who won a voucher for a meal for two at the Hodson Bay Hotel Athlone Carmelite Notes "It Can"t be Done" We no sooner say, 'It can"t be done,' than someone goes ahead and does it. Or we say, 'It shouldn"t be done that way, it won"t work,' and someone does it exactly that way and it does work, we are embarrassed, of course, and well we should be for our own talents and ways are not measure of human capacity. Others have different abilities and different ways. More importantly, God"s powers and God"s ways are vastly different from our own. The Gospel on Sunday was the familiar parable of a land-owner who hires people at different hours of the day and yet at day"s end pays them all the same wages. This parable came as a shock to Jesus" listeners, as indeed it is for us. It was assumed that landowners should pay less to those who worked less. That makes good economic sense. But Jesus had a lesson to teach. He has the landowner say to the dissenters, 'Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous? So the last will be first, and the first will be last.' The landowner is God. We are the workers. We cannot put limits on God. We mustn"t think that God thinks and acts like we do; God doesn"t. Rather, like Paul, we are to seek out what God wants of us. If what God wants seems impossible, if it seems foolish, if it goes against our wishes, no matter. We should try to do it. And God being with us, it will be done. Sympathy Our sympathy is extended to Fr Brendan Reilly, O. Carm., on the death of his uncle Malachy Skelly, Limerick and formerly of Kells, Co Meath. Feast of St Therese Wednesday October 1 is the feast of St Therese which will be celebrated with a Triduum beginning on Monday September 29 at 7.15pm, continuing on Tuesday September 30 at 7.15pm with the final mass on the Feast of St Therese at 7.15pm on Wednesday October 1.