Meath community to hold country music festival as part of €600k fundraising efforts for local church renovations
The Steam Threshing Committee has teamed up with the the Moynalty Parish Development Committee for the music event being held on Sunday, June, 1 in the Threshing Field.
Fundraising and reparations for the church are ongoing since 2023 in a community effort, after the church fell into what the committee described as a 'state of despair'.
The Church of the Assumption, Moynalty, was built in 1820 on land and with a grant from the local Catholic landlord at the time.
It was then a simple 'T' shape structure, that was renovated throughout the years, with the last major work carried out was in 1976, when the long aisle of the church was extended.
The elected committee began to put in work from 2023 on behalf of the community to restore what it could.
Temporary fixes were put in place straight away to prevent further flooding, the church exterior was power washed, internal plaster was stripped and walls were cleaned of grime and mould.
The committee since formed a renovation plan involving permanent repairs for flooding, sewerage works, stained-glass windows refurbishments, wheelchair access, lighting, and further internal work.
The music festival is supported by numerous volunteers, as is the Steam Threshing each year, which attracts over 35,000 visitors.
The entrance fee is €35 and campers are welcome for the festival in the field at €20 per night, starting Saturday.
Moynalty Steam Threshing Festival will follow on Sunday, August, 9 and 10, celebrating its 50th year in existence. The event started as a small community festival in 1976 to help raise funds for the church extension that was underway at the time.
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Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
'She was a lady' - Ray D'Arcy battles back tears at his beloved mum's funeral
Radio and TV host Ray D'Arcy has revealed his mother Mary was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer six weeks ago. Speaking at her Funeral Mass on Wednesday, an emotional Ray fought back tears as he told mourners at St Brigid's Parish Church in Kildare Town that his mother was given 'weeks to live'. Addressing mourners, the RTE star said: 'She had some trouble over the last 18 months with her health, nothing life threatening, we thought. 'And then about six weeks ago, we got the diagnosis of an aggressive form of cancer. The doctor said, weeks then last Wednesday, they said it was going to be short days, and she didn't suffer much. 'It was funny, the staff in Naas had the measure of mammy. One of the ward nurses, Mary was her name too, actually, she said to me, 'your mother strikes me as someone who wouldn't complain.' 'She wouldn't be asking for pain relief, she said. And then Linda, another nurse, she was a palliative care nurse. She had the official name for our mother. She said, 'Your mother is an under reporter, an under reporter'. That was ma. A slight woman with a huge heart.' Ray described his mother as a 'lady' who would put every Minister for Finance to shame as she raised nine children in a house with 'very little money'. Ray D'Arcy and his wife Jenny pictured this morning at the funeral of his mother, Mary D'Arcy. (Image: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin) Mourners follow the hearse from the funeral home. (Image: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin) 'Nine children in 16 years, a lot of children, but not a lot of money. It could have broken her, you know, and probably nearly did at times, but our mother was made of strong, strong stuff. 'Her ability to manage a household budget on a meagre income would put many a Minister for Finance to shame. 'We never wanted for anything. Actually, I really don't know how she did it. I'm in awe of how she got through it. Imagine at one stage, nine of us in that little council cottage, Joan, a baby, Joe doing his Leaving Cert. 'I remember actually when mammy was pregnant with Joan, our father arrived home from the pub one night. When he went into the kitchen, mam was in tears over the sink, doing the washing up, and she complained to him that none of us were pulling our weight. 'So he returned to the sitting room. We were all in there, maybe watching The Old Grey Whistle Test or something, and he proceeded to read us the riot act. 'Your mother needs your help,' he said, 'It's not my fault your mother's pregnant,' he said. 'And if you didn't laugh, you'd cry. We all turned out reasonably okay.' Ray told how his mother was 'kind, tolerant and forgiving' who was a devout Catholic that was 'unsettled' when the church scandals emerged in recent years. 'Our mother flourished as we became independent of her…our mother was a calming presence everywhere she went. She was active all over the place. I don't know how she did it. Mary D'Arcy's remains arrive at the church. (Image: Ray D'Arcy and other family members carry his mother's remains. (Image: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin) 'She was a member of the Community Council. She was on school management boards. She was an integral part of the local history group. She led the choir here in St Brigid's church for years. 'She was a devout Catholic. The scandals really unsettled my mother, but she had a great relationship with her God. We joked, actually, over the last few days, that she's been fast tracked to heaven, the full VIP treatment, complimentary chocolates on arrival. 'Our mother, slight of stature, but big of heart was a truly good person. She was kind, she was tolerant, she was forgiving, she was a great listener, and she gave sage advice. 'She had a great memory. She never forgot a birthday of her nine children, 16 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. 'The arrival in the post of the package or card with her beautifully neat handwriting was a constant in all our lives, as was her beautiful, warm smile…a smile that was full of mother's love.' Ray also recalled the time his mother interviewed Pogues singer Shane MacGowan at her kitchen table live on the radio. 'The pioneer in conversation with the Pogues lead singer, very much not a pioneer, that shouldn't have worked at all. 'And for the first five minutes or so, it was awkward and stopped, starting. I'm sure the listeners probably felt uncomfortable. 'But then our mother, she was a huge fan of Shane McGowan. She appreciated his genius, and she'd read his biography, and then she said to him, after about five minutes, and of course, Shane, you were in the Nipple Erectors. Shane laughed that raspy laugh, and that was that they got on famously a mutual admiration society of sorts.' He said Mary 'travelled a lot in later life, she loved a good sitcom, always a good musical as well. She loved the movies, and up until a couple of years ago, she went up to Dublin every Wednesday to meet Angela or Alison to go to the cinema.' 'She was vibrant, very much young at heart. She had a beautiful energy. She was a lady. She was intelligent and insightful. She was a wonderful mother, and we were very lucky to have her. He added that just before she died last Friday morning, his sister Anne told her how much her family loved her. 'And I imagine if my mother could have talked on Friday morning, she would have said, I love you all too, equally and unconditionally. 'Our mother, Mary Darcy, was a truly amazing person, and we missed her terribly.' Symbols to the altar included hymnal 'representing mammy's devotion to and love of hymns in general', a copy of the Jesuit magazine 'The Messenger'. 'Our mother literally spread the word of God for 36 years, as she delivered The Messenger every month for 36 years.' A book of crosswords was also brought to the altar. Father Adrian Carbery told the congregation Mary was a 'lady'. He said: 'We have to say that Mary was a remarkable woman. She had a huge impact on the whole community. She lived a long life, and she lived it to the full. 'She really made a profound impact on Kildare through her involvement in so many activities around the place and her commitment to the Historical Society, her love for the drama, her weekly distributing newsletters from the parish, The Messenger magazine for years and years and years, which I think was a legacy from Sister Annunziata, she continued it on right to the very end. 'She had a great love for people,' he added. Mary was buried after her Funeral Mass in St. Conleth's Cemetery in Kildare Town. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Extra.ie
17-07-2025
- Extra.ie
That 'harmless' thing you do could be ruining your marriage
Ireland has one of the lowest divorce rates in Europe and in fact, the world, with just 0.6 divorces per 1,000 people in the country, but even though divorce was legalised in Ireland in 1996, the cultural and religious legacy of the Catholic church seems to continue to shape our attitudes when it comes to marriage. How many people, when served with divorce papers, say they ' never saw it coming ' – well, read on if you want to avoid those papers, and keep the other half happy. An interesting survey caught my eye, and its source is a relationship and lifestyle website called ' A Conscious Rethink' . They say that husbands are doing a number of things that are putting their marriages at risk. I have subbed that list down to five and while the following might seem harmless, divorced couples might say otherwise. Pic: Getty Images And before we get to the list, yes, wives have a part to play too, but today it's all about the husbands. I CAN'T FIND IT ! Expecting their wives to keep track of all their things, appointments, keys, shoes, phone, these are all things a grown-ass man should be able to do himself. Believe me, your wife does not need a fully grown absent minded man-child; she has enough stuff to remember in her own life. A relative of mine, whenever her husband moaned that he couldn't find something, would say ' Call it ' – She knew that if she indulged his laziness and went to help him, she would put her hand on said item in a nano-second. Pic: Getty Images Take responsibility for your own stuff, know your own appointment dates, keep track of where you threw your keys, phone, wallet, quite simply, get your sh*t together. NOW, ISN'T IT MUCH BETTER LIKE THAT ! Pic: Shutterstock Rearranging things to ' be helpful' around the house. Ah yes, that old chestnut. 'A CONSCIOUS RETHINK had a cautionary tale as an example. 'A friend of mine once came back from a three-day business trip to discover that her (now ex) husband had rearranged everything in the kitchen as a ' helpful surprise ' for her. She's an avid cook, whereas he could barely throw a sandwich together, but he had decided to prepare a simple recipe while she was away. He had never cooked anything in that kitchen before and couldn't find the things he was looking for, so he decided to rearrange all the utensils, cookware, and ingredients so they would be more ' efficient' , according to his own logic. When she saw what he had done, she broke down crying and went to her mother's place for a couple of days. Her then-husband had no idea what he had done wrong, in his mind, he had made everything 'better' and couldn't understand why she was so devastated. After all, he had even gone ahead and thrown out ingredients that he thought 'smelled weird' or might have gone bad. While this wasn't the catalyst that ended their marriage, repeated behaviours like this over the years certainly contributed to its downfall. Pic: Getty Images ' WEAPONISED INCOMPETENCE ' Many husbands joke about how they can never remember dates or anniversaries, birthdays or other important days, and just ' leave all of that to the wife ' – they never think of the extra work this entails when your partner has to keep track of every single birthday for every member of both families, sending cards, buying presents or organising parties. The problem is this behaviour has become so normalised, that men don't even see a problem with it, and using that phrase ' You're so much better at this stuff than me ' is just a way to justify this lazy carry on, and gets him out of having to worry about even his own parents important anniversaries or birthdays. Lads, its called Weaponised Incompetence ' – using perceived inability to do something as a weapon while giving a backwards compliment in saying, ' But you're better at this stuff '. Pic: Getty Images ' MAKING A MOVE AT THE WRONG TIME ' Many movies and TV Shows, most likely created and/or produced by men, have given guys the wrong impression of when its ok to approach their partners in a 'smoochy' type of fashion, looking for a 'bitta lovin'. How many times have you seen a movie where men sidle up behind their spouses, while said partner is up to her elbows in suds washing dishes, or sorting dirty washing, but drops everything in grateful fashion for a 'passionate romp'. Lads, get real for goodness sake, try this in real life and see how you get on. Most women don't find this 'cute or endearing' but more than likely annoying. Naturally we women appreciate when husbands make us feel wanted and loved, and affection is very much appreciated and enjoyed, but there's a time and place, and its usually not when she's in the middle of housework that has probably been piling up while she was doing her 'day job' and for God's sake lads, if she's not feeling it in that moment, its NOT a big issue, and she is NOT the problem. Pic: Getty Images ' SPENDING MONEY ON STUFF HE WANTS ' – (Without mentioning it) It's perfectly normal and reasonable to be able to spend our hard-earned money on stuff that makes us happy, but what is NOT ok, is when people in a committed relationship, with perhaps a joint bank account, spend willy-nilly on stuff they want, without checking that all bills and household expenses are covered first. How embarrassing it would be to have a debit or credit card declined at the supermarket, or getting a notification that the electricity is being cut off because your husband has depleted the joint account to buy himself new golf equipment, car stuff, gaming stuff, whatever floats his boat, without having a chat about it first, just to make sure the budget allows for it. Once is annoying, but can perhaps be forgiven, but multiple times is 'danger zone' for a marriage, because nobody wants to be in a precarious financial position, especially in today's world where the cost of almost everything has risen exponentially and a high percentage of people are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. Pic: Getty Images Lets face it, marriage isn't easy, especially a long lasting relationship that has seen its fair share of trials and tribulations, but this list of seemingly simple things is a concern, because rather than it being huge issues that tear couples apart, it seems to be more like the 'death of a thousand cuts' – a whole lot of tiny seemingly insignificant factors that can ruin what was once a happy union. The website 'A Conscious Rethink' mentions constant communication, negotiation, and checking in with one another to make sure that both partners are on the same page. The things listed here are very easy to change with minimal effort, and can be kept in check with a bit of self-awareness and conscious decision-making. And lads, one final point, if you are told that you do these things by your significant other, please believe it, and stop finding excuses to justify these and other behaviours. And remember, Happy Wife = Happy Life
Sunday World
14-07-2025
- Sunday World
Major excavation of unmarked grave of babies and young children under way
The excavation of the site of St Mary's mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway, will try to identify the remains of infants who died at the home between 1925 and 1961. Archaeologists and other specialists have started working at the site as part of its attempt to exhume and identify human remains. In 2014, research led by local historian Catherine Corless indicated that 796 babies and young children were buried in a sewage system at the Co Galway institution across that time period. St Mary's home for unmarried mothers and their children was run by the Bon Secours Sisters, a religious order of Catholic nuns. In 2021, Taoiseach Micheal Martin apologised on behalf of the state for the treatment of women and children who were housed in mother and baby homes across Ireland. The Bon Secours Sisters also offered a 'profound apology' after acknowledging the order had 'failed to protect the inherent dignity' of women and children in the Tuam home. The Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention Tuam (ODAIT), which is undertaking the work, confirmed that ground was broken at 10.38am on Monday. The process, which started on Monday, is expected to last two years. The work at the burial site will involve exhumation, analysis, identification if possible and re-interment of the remains at the site. The site, surrounded by a 2.4 metre-high hoarding, is security monitored on a 24-hour basis to ensure the forensic integrity of the site during the excavation. Daniel MacSweeney, who leads the ODAIT, said: 'These measures are necessary to ensure the site's forensic integrity and to enable us to carry out the works to the highest international standards that govern the excavation and recovery programme.' A visit for families and survivors to view the site ahead of the commencement of the full excavation took place last Tuesday. Dr Niamh McCullagh, ODAIT's senior forensic consultant, is leading the forensic excavation alongside other Irish specialists and international experts from Colombia, Spain, UK, Canada, Australia and the US. ODAIT's multidisciplinary forensic approach to the complex challenge of the excavation is grounded in the expertise of forensic archaeologists, osteoarchaeologists, forensic anthropologists together with experts in crime scene management including evidence management and forensic photography. Anna Corrigan, who discovered that she had two older brothers who were born while her mother was a resident at the Tuam home, said Monday was a welcome but difficult day. Ms Corrigan has instructed KRW Law to launch High Court civil proceedings against a number of agencies and institutions including the Order of The Sisters of Bon Secours over the circumstances surrounding the death and disappearance of her brothers. 'Whilst it's a relief to see work started on the site it's really only the latest stage in what is still a long road for all of us,' she said. 'I accept there are technical issues arising from the exhumation which may impact on decision-making by the attorney general, the coroner in Galway and the gardai and others, but the least we can expect now is expressions of support plus a commitment to reviewing all previous decision-making. 'I won't rest until I see justice for my two brothers who not only need a proper Christian burial but also the full rigours of the law both domestic and international applied. 'What happened at Tuam was criminal, so there needs to be both church and state accountability. The Government can't just do a Pontius Pilate and wash their hands of this and blame the nuns and the Catholic Church. 'They have a complicity in all of this as well. Any solutions which exclude the state won't be tolerated by me or anyone else. 'We've fought far too hard to get to here and we certainly don't want to see this important excavation work carried out in vain. 'There are so many people I want to thank, including Jim McVeigh from Belfast and our lawyers, including KRW Law led by Chris Stanley, together with Carl Buckley of Guernica Chambers, whose guidance and direction has helped to chart a path through many of the legal complexities. 'We have much more work to be done before we can feel anywhere near satisfied.' Speaking on the opening day of excavations, Irish human rights lawyer Kevin Winters said: 'Annie (Anna) Corrigan, like so many others, has waited a long time for this moment. It's intensely emotional for her but also frustrating given the gnawing sense of unfinished business. 'She welcomes the excavation work, which is likely to take anything up to two years to complete, and sees today as an opportunity to again call upon the Irish Government to engage on unresolved legal issues connected to the recovery process. 'Over 18 months ago we wrote to gardai, including local gardai, at Tuam urging them to treat the scandal as a criminal investigation. 'Despite repeated requests from both Annie and ourselves they failed to assign gardai Pulse investigation numbers until last month when she received confirmation they would issue. 'We have written to gardai in Galway urging the immediate release of the numbers. The industrial volumes of buried infants and the manner in which they met their fate clearly points to criminality. 'It will be momentous to see the assignment of Pulse record numbers as that crystallises formal criminal investigation status upon this historical human rights debacle. 'Equally important is the requirement that the coroner in Galway upscales intervention after opening up the case as far back as 2017. 'There needs to be an inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of Annie's siblings and all the other unexplained deaths. 'We are also instructed by Annie to launch High Court civil proceedings against a number of agencies and institutions including the Order of The Sisters of Bon Secours over the circumstances surrounding the death and disappearance of Annie's brothers. 'There was a suffocating toxicity about the historic Irish state-Catholic Church relationship which helped foment the horrors of Tuam. 'However this almost mediaeval barbarity occurred within living memory. 'Tuam is in danger of becoming a byword for cruelty unless both state agencies and the church respond promptly and transparently to the latest legal agitation touching upon criminal investigation; inquests and compensation.'
