CHRISTMAS TREE's LIGHTING:

Winner of the Best Dressed at the Disco -

Ms Amelia Tierney with her friend Donagh Carroll.

CHURCH NOTES:

Last Sunday, we remembered the anniversaries of Paula, Sean & David Shine, Canon Liam Houlihan and Joe Scanlon. I gComhluadar Dé go raibh a nAnamacha.

Thought for the Week: Don't give from the Top of the purse but from the Bottom of the Heart.

VINCENT DePAUL:

Fri 6th Dec: O'Gradys Spar; Here, the local branch of St. Vincent DePaul are holding their annual collection, followed by a Church-gate collection in Granagh Sun 8th Dec. All funds collected will be used to support families locally. The branch would greatly appreciate your support during these challenging times. Please give a little - it helps a lot.

VARIETY SHOW:

Sat 7th Dec: In the Hall: 8pm. **Christmas Variety Show**. Granagh Development are looking forward to next Saturday night's event. The children will be showcasing their talents - in Speech & Drama, Irish Dancing and Singing. We will have some of the fabulous 'Strictly' couples, still fresh from their debut in Charleville Park. Comedy, Music & Song will be the order of the night, so don't miss it. Bring your own nibbles, as we won't have a Shop. Adults €10, Children Free. Raffle on the Night.

THANKS:

Our 'Lighting up the Tree' Event was held on a beautiful crisp starry night, last Sunday. A fine crowd turned up and lots of children came dressed up, ready for the disco.! The parents looked grand too, of course.! The choir, along with Rob Sherin accompanying, began proceedings. Jack Burke switched on the lights with great aplomb followed by a few more Christmassy songs. Then everyone headed into the disco where the face painters had queues. Aileen Lehane, assisted by Janet O'Neill drew beautiful designs for the children, it was a pity to wash them off. The children got plenty of exercise between running & dancing. Then Santa arrived, with goodies and he was almost backed into a corner !! Security had to rescue him. He took time to chat and stand in for photos, so fair play for taking the time to visit Granagh - we asked him to come again next year, fingers crossed !!! Don't know how bedtime went, hopefully they all conked it. Winner, with the Best Dress Costume - Ms. Amelia Tierney, Knockfierna.

Thanks to everyone who helped get it all ready and we are delighted to say that €1,040 was raised for Liskennett.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS:

The local lights have been switched on, so take the children to visit. Caoimhe's Christmas lights is a charity lights display that runs nightly from 5.00 to 9.30 pm in aid of the Limerick Neo-Natal unit. Their postcode is V35 X688.

Coolruss Christmas Lights, also a charity display, runs nightly from 5.30pm to 9pm every evening now until January 6th, in aid of Pieta House Limerick and St Joseph’s Foundation Charleville. V35EK66.

Monday 30th Dec, Greybridge Christmas Lights Run, leaving the Racecourse at 5.30pm, passing through Granagh to Chawkes Cross. In aid of - 'Make the Moove', Irish Red Cross - Limerick & Clionas Foundation.

GRANAGH PLAYERS:

Send 'em Home Sweatin' is a toe tapping comedy you won’t want to miss.

The play was first staged in Cavan in 2007 and has been staged around the Longford area over a number of years. Don't think it has ever made it down south, until now.

A poignant love story mixed with music from the big band era, is a guarantee of a good night of theatre and music and as they said about the dance halls - guaranteed to "send you home sweating." The action is framed around the carnival dance in Glenaduff. The marquee has to be set up. The boss Man, Packie McGovern is chief organiser and the proceeds are going to the local Catholic Church. Fr Flynn, the parish priest, is there to keep an eye on the proceedings.

The Players ask people to note, there is strong language in this playscript. Performance weekend dates - Jan 24th, 25th, 26th, Jan 31st, Feb 1st & Feb 2nd at 8pm. Shop & raffle nightly.

TRÓCAIRE GIFTS:

Sat 14th Dec: The annual sale of the Trócaire Gift Cards will take place on Sat 14th. 10am-1pm in O'Gradys car park and 1.30pm - 4pm in O'Gormans car park. These gifts come in the form of a Card which supports all of Trócaire's different programmes. For example - providing clean safe water; supporting farming & food; supporting education; supporting families & providing comfort in a crisis. Prices range from € 5 to €50 and 92c of every euro spent goes directly to these life-changing activities.

You can also purchase these cards on-line at www.trocaire.org; by phone 1800-408-408

No matter which gift you choose, you can be sure that it has the extraordinary power to change a life for good.

I will also have some Olive wood Christmas ornaments that have been sourced from a workshop in Bethlehem, only €3 each.

FRAUDSMART:

Top tips for shopping safely online this Christmas:

Look for a padlock symbol beside the website address, which indicates the site is secure.

Ensure the website address begins with 'https'.

Avoid using public Wi-Fi when making online payments; always switch to a personal network like 3G or 4G.

Avoid clicking on links from social media or pop-up ads; instead, type the website address directly into your browser.

Beware of deals that seem too good to be true - they usually are.

Stick to well known websites or retailers that you are familiar with.

Use Scamchecker.ie to verify the legitimacy of a website before making a purchase.