Abbeylara GAA Club: Hold their Annual Presentation Night on Sat 28th Jan in the Pikers Lodge, Gowna. At this function the Reserve League Div 1 and Div 3 winners will receive their medals. A great night’s entertainment with music & food in Buffet form is in store. Tickets available from any Club Officer. Your support would be appreciated. Meeting on Tuesday 17th Jan. in the Sports Centre at 9.30 pm to arrange the above function. All officers and committee members please attend. Membership of the Club is now due. Adult €25; Couple €40; Player €50 includes membership and insurance. Player student €35; Non player student & OAP €10. Please pay your membership fee to Pay McHugh, Patsy Lynch or any Club Officer before Thur 1st March.

Welcome: Abbeylara GAA Club welcomes the GAA President Christy Cooney who will visit our Club on Tue 17th Jan in the Sports Centre at 7pm.

Christian Unity Week: Takes place from Wed 18th Jan to Wed 25th Jan. Please pray for Unity among Christians.

Adorers of the Most Blessed Sacrament: Please consider giving some of your time to adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Come on Thursday morning to Carra or on Friday during the day to Abbeylara and let the Lord do the rest.

Appreciation: A donation of $500 for Abbeylara Church was donated by Ellen Robinson & John McNally, New York USA in loving memory of Bernadette Kiernan Conneally, Creevy and Kilgolia, Finea. Many thanks for this generous gift.

Parish Draw: Takes place on Friday 20th January after the 7.30 Mass. You are welcome to attend. Any monies due to the draw please hand in before the draw.

Abbeylara GAA Club Lotto Results 10/01/12 Numbers drawn: 8 15 20 22: €20 Winners: Colin Sheridan, Toneymore: David Murphy c/o Michael Gettings; Kathleen Reilly, Creevy; Gabriel Lynch, Abbeylara; Bernard Gilligan, Ballywillian; Ciara & Sheila Murphy, Carra. Next draw 17/1/12. Jackpot €4,800.

Abbeylara Rural Enhancement: A vast amount of topics up for discussion at the meeting on Thur night last and major lobbying will be called for in the next couple of months. Next meeting Thur 19th Jan in the Sports Centre at 8.30pm. All are welcome.

Abbeylara Community Alert: Text explanation hand out available in our Churches and Schools. Meeting Tuesday 24th Jan 2012 @ 8pm.

Granard Area Action Group;:The monthly meeting of Granard Area Action Group due to be held on Monday 9 January was postponed as a mark of respect to the late Brendan Brady RIP former C.E. supervisor with the group. The meeting has now been rescheduled for Monday 16 January at 8.00pm in the Information Office. All members are requested to attend.

COMMUNITY EMPLOYMENT SCHEMES. PUBLIC MEETING FOR ALL VOLUNTARY AND COMMUNITY GROUPS MON 23RD. JAN 2012 AT 8P.M.EDI CENTRE, MASTERTECH BUSINESS PARK, ATHLONE RD., LONGFORD. This meeting has been arranged to discuss the serious implications for Voluntary and Community Groups arising from cuts to Community Employment funding in the recent Budget. Over 300 participants and 17 Supervisors are engaged in Community Employment Schemes throughout county Longford. Childcare, social services, Tidy Towns, care of the elderly and disabled, information services, local enterprise, sport and recreation depend on CE. In the recent budget the grant to schemes was reduced from €1,500 per participant/per annum to €500. This money was necessary to cover Audit Fees, Insurance, Facilities for workers including heat, light, IT, phones, tools and materials. This is an immediate reduction of €300,000 to this county. Very few schemes can survive this cut in expenditure. This meeting will provide an opportunity to share information, document the implications these changes will have on communities and initiate appropriate responses. Please ensure all community and voluntary groups are represented at this meeting in order to develop a united strategy to protect our services at this most critical time.

Active Retirement: Details next week.