Those of you living out of the country won’t be aware of this, but there are extensive road works being carried out around the town at present. These have been ongoing for several weeks now and seem set to continue for a while longer. They are digging trenches, filling them in and then digging them out again. It is all very mysterious and they say that it has something to do with the laying of fibre optic wires for broadband and various other services and utilities.

Presumably there is a master plan and somebody somewhere has a good idea of what is actually going on. But, for us ordinary mortals, it is all a tad confusing – and bloody inconvenient!

Anyway, there was a group of workmen replacing the paving stones at Joy’s Corner just before Christmas and they seemed very engrossed in the their work. They measured and calculated and did intricate mathematical sums on the backs of envelopes with pencil stubs.. They used measuring tapes and spirit levels and plumb bobs and straight edges, and held detailed discussions as they added and subtracted feet and inches and cubic metres while trying to formulate the correct blueprint for the laying of the new footpath.

An American, heading for a game of golf in Ballybunion, had stopped in The Square to take a picture of Fr Casey’s Monument, and seeing all the commotion he went to investigate. He stood quietly by for a while, and then approached the foreman.

“Excuse me, Sir” he said. “I have been watching with great interest your efforts to lay those stones evenly, and I may be able to help. I own a small instrument manufacturing business in The States and we have designed a precision measuring tool that is accurate to within 200ths of an inch.”

“Is that a fact,” replied the foreman removing his cap and scratching his head while all the time keeping an eye on operations. “Well, I’m afraid that it wouldn’t be much good to us in this job,” he went on, “because, you see, over here we have to be spot on!”

AUSTRALIA BOUND!

We wish Bon Voyage to Angela O’Rourke who is bound for Australia this week. Angela is heading for Sydney to visit Tiernan and Lauren, and also new arrival, Marley Jack, who is the latest addition to the O’Rourke Clan.

We congratulate Tiernan and Lauren, and hope that they have applied for duel citizenship for Marley Jack. Australia can have him for the cricket, but Abbeyfeale, Munster and Ireland might need him for the bit of rugby!

Best wishes from everyone here and we hope to see you all in Abbeyfeale sometime soon.

HOME FROM U.S.

And a big welcome home for John Quirke, formerly of St Ita’s Road, who is on a visit from Boston. John was a more than useful rugby player in his day and rumour has is that he has been in discussion with the Abbeyfeale club with a few to recruiting a few American football players for the Munster Junior Cup campaign once the Superbowl is over. (Watch this space for further sensational revelations)

Meanwhile, John is on the lookout for a ticket for the Heineken Cup match in Thomond Park on Saturday.

HEINEKEN CUP

And speaking of rugby, all roads do indeed lead to Thomond Park on Saturday for the winner-takes-all clash between Munster and Wasps.

And wasn’t that some game against Clermont in France on Sunday! Trailing 20-6 at half time, Munster dug deep and, helped my Mafi’s try midway through the second half and some great kicking from Ronan O‘Gara, they clawed their way back and eventually lost by 26 pts to 19. But crucially they gained the vital bonus point while all but eliminating Clermont from the competition

Munster are now 8/15 to win pool 5 with Wasps at 11/8. The outright betting is far more revealing with both Munster and Wasps priced at 11/2. Toulouse are favourites at 9/2, but the competition still looks wide open.

Some pundits are quietly confident that if Munster can get past Wasps they are in with a serious chance of winning their second Heineken Cup. However, Wasps will be no pushover, and we can expect another epic afternoon of fiercely competitive rugby on Saturday. COME ON MUNSTER!

BOOK LAUNCH

The recently launched book on the life and times of Fr William Casey, entitled “Galtee Come West”, and written by Marian Collins continues to sell well, and can now be purchased from Ann Lyons in The Square and from other local outlets.

PITCH;

A new floodlit mini soccer pitch is to be constructed in Pairc Cois Feile. Funding is being provided by Limerick County Council with support from the FAI and the Department of Sport. Tenders will be sought shortly and the timescale for the actual work will be about six weeks.

SOCIAL;

The Abbeyfeale Coursing Social was held in the GAA Clubhouse on Saturday night. The event was very well supported and a most enjoyable time was had by all.

FLOODS;

The recent heavy rains have caused some local flooding in low-lying areas. The River Feale burst its banks in several places but no serious damage has been reported.

FUNDRAISER:

The “Welcome To Spring” concert, a celebration with Finbar Wright goes ahead at the Church of the Assumption on Friday 1^st February and some tickets are still available.

GAA;

Fr Casey’s were defeated by Nemo Rangers by 0-9 to 0-7 in the final of the Munster League which was played in Feenagh.

Meanwhile Limerick senior footballers advanced to the semi-final of the McGrath Cup with a 2-11 to 1-7 win over Tralee IT.