Where East Meets West
During a day of relentless rain last week, I set off on a walk around Kilmanihan with two local and charismatic guides.
Shelagh O’Connor and Fr Tim Galvin brought me along on a walk where we adhered to the belief that there’s no such thing as the wrong weather but simply the wrong clothes.
Bundled up in inadequate layers, we embarked from Galvin’s Cross and headed up the steep hill on foot.
What impressed me most was the detailed knowledge Fr Tim had for every dwelling – habited or inhabited – that we passed. This was knowledge his mother had relayed to him during their many strolls around their locality.
As is the case in all walks around our parish, we met with friends.
A fresh looking Joe Mulcahy was out and about and stopped to chat with us. Later, Liam and Margaret Curtin pulled up in their car wondering what we were doing out in such inclement weather.
I mentioned that Fr Tim was hearing our confessions as we walked and Margaret said we’d end up in Tralee before he got to the end of that conversation. To which Tim added wittily ‘….and we will probably have to take a route via Farranfore too.’
In the course of our ramble, Fr. Tim told us of his life in South Sudan, a mere four degrees from the equator, and his long years of ministry in Africa.
It seemed a very long way from the rural beauty of North Kerry. As the rain increased in strength, we took a minute to stop at an old iron gate. Shelagh and Fr Tim were convinced it was the very spot where east and West Kilmanihan meet.
“A bit like Constantinople,! said Fr Tim. “East meeting West.” “And with the Bosphorus streaming from the heavens,” I added.
Fr Tim told us that he felt renewed and replenished after his visit home. A healthy combination of GAA matches, home cooking and his sister, Catherine, putting him through his paces on the highways and byways of Kerry.
South Sudan will be welcoming this positive, good humoured and enlightened man back into its fold next week. A light in our parish will be dimmed. Safe travels, Fr Tim and come back soon.
Paving the Way
Thank you to Bobby O’Connell, Councilor, who got the necessary funds released from the council purse to have pavements put into the new cemetery. It’s much appreciated.
GAA Club Lotto
No jackpot winner last week. Lucky dip winners: Lynsey Downey, Fr. Martin Spillane, Bobby Woods Snr, Aisling Mooney, Maria, Mary and Kathleen. Congrats to all. New jackpot is €8,250.
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