Tag Archives: Fr Gerry Kenny

A West Clare father-of-two was lauded for bringing “joy, hope and laughter” into the lives of countless people during tributes read out at his Funeral Mass on Friday, writes Dan Danaher. Paul Dillon (42) Knocknagore, Kilkee, and formerly of Tullycrine, Kilrush died tragically after he was swept out to sea near Farrihy Bay a few miles from Kilkee on Sunday afternoon. Addressing the congregation at Our Lady Assumed into Heaven Church, Doonbeg, co-parish priest, Gerry Kenny said everyone was gathered at this Funeral Mass to remember and pray for Paul Dillon. At this time, Fr Kenny offered deep felt support, prayers and sympathy to his wife, Roisín, son, Thomas, daughter, Aoife, parents, Paddy and Kitty Dillon, family, relatives and friends. Fr Kenny recalled Paul walked with his council colleagues as they formed a guard of honour for former local authority employee Michael Ryan, Bansha, when his funeral left Kilkee Church the previous Friday. “Little did anyone think that we would …

DISTURBING new figures have revealed that the projected number of enrolments in seven West Clare schools, in just three years’ time, will just be sufficient to fill a single classroom. Additional statistics also found that there is significant decline in full time residents living in Doonbeg village, with only 41% of houses occupied permanently. According to information obtained by the Clare Champion, the combined influx of Junior Infants in the three most westerly parishes on the Loop Head Peninsula, Kilkee, Carrigaholt and Cross, will be just above 30 pupils in 2021. Co-parish priest of Kilkee, Cross, Carrigaholt and Doonbeg, Fr Gerry Kenny warns that more national school amalgamations will have to be considered in the peninsula, unless there is a dramatic increase in population. Fr Kenny expressed grave concern about the generation gap, pointing to the lack of young people in their 20s and 30s, settling down to live in West Clare. “While urbanisation will always be a factor, current …

A COMMUNITY in grief came together at St Senan’s Church in Kilkee to remember the late Karl Haugh, the 25-year-old father-of-one, who died in tragic circumstances at the weekend. “It is a time of great pain, deep anguish, confusion, anger and darkness,” Fr Gerry Kenny said at his funeral mass on Wednesday afternoon, as he recalled the life of this “loveable soul”, whose time was cut so short. In a letter read to the congregation by a relative, Karl’s mother, Bridget, said, “He was our boy, whom we loved so much. For our son to be taken away the way he was taken is the hardest part of all. Our Karl did not deserve this; what child does? When you took our son away from us that terrible night, you took me and his father’s souls with him. “Today was the most horrific day of my and your father’s life, to say our farewell to you, our beloved son Karl. …

THE ongoing depopulation of West Clare is illustrated this week by the fact that three of the most westerly schools in the county are likely to become one-teacher schools, due to dwindling pupil numbers. Doonaha is already a one-teacher school and it is expected that Querrin and Cross will have to operate with one teacher from the start of the new term in the coming days. Cross NS is not expected to take in any new pupil, while Carrigaholt and Kilkee NS are also reported to be taking in very few junior infants. However, both Moveen and Kilbaha are taking in relatively significant numbers of junior infants. Seven are due to start in Kilbaha, which brings the pupil number to 48 in Clare’s most westerly school. Moveen will have eight junior infants, bringing its total school population to an impressive 70. To illustrate the decline in numbers in Cross NS, 33 pupils attended the school in 2009 but that number …