Local Notes: A Papal honour and a hurling match for charity
Passage East. Picture by Joe Evans
Wednesday, March 25, Faithlegg at 11:30 am, Thursday 26, Crooke at 10am, Saturday 28, Faithlegg at 6:30pm (Vigil Mass), and Sunday 29, Crooke at 11:30am.
The death took place on March 18 of Mr Thomas Connors, The Gap, Passage East, and next week we will have a full obituary for him, as his funeral Mass was on Saturday last.
As a mark of respect to the late Thomas, a fine hurler with the Passage Club in his day, all Passage Hurling Club events being held in the club over the weekend were postponed and flags flew at half-mast in the clubhouse.
Another death was that of Mrs Bridget (Biddy) Elliott (née Kennedy), Cheekpoint, who died on St Patrick's Day and whose funeral was in Faithlegg Church on Monday, March 23.
We will cover that also next week.
John Furlong has been an active member of Crooke Church Choir since 1975 and was presented with the Benemerenti Medal from Pope Leo last Sunday in Crooke Church.
John has been a fine singer all his life, and his party piece was always his rendition of "Bonny Mary of Argyle," as it was with his late father Tommy in his day also, both as good as the other.
By all accounts, the Crooke Church Choir were outstanding at the Mass and Paudie Creedon on organ was joined by Moya Glynn on the violin.
Mass was concelebrated by Bishop Cullinan and by Rev. Fr. P. J. Breen, P.P.
John Furlong’s two daughters, Ann and Clodagh, brought the water and wine to the altar. During Communion, the choir did a stunning instrumental of "Be Thou My Vision".
The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, joined by Fr Breen P.P., presented John with the Benemerenti Medal and certificate after Mass, with the congregation applauding and taking turns to congratulate him.
John himself was as proud as punch and humbled to receive the award.
His long contribution to Crooke Church deserved it, thanks to the efforts of Helen Millea, who could not be present on the day due to illness, herself a long-time member of the Crooke Choir, who contacted Rev. Fr. Breen in September 2025 and he put the wheels in motion, enabling John to get this very special Papal Award for him and indeed for the whole parish.
John has two sons, Paul and Seán, who run the "New Geneva" Bar in Passage, and two daughters, Ann and Clodagh, so it was a great day all round for the Furlong family.
On St Patrick's morning in the Passage Hurling Club grounds in Crooke, on a fine morning, a fundraiser for Passage Hurling Club's Marguerite Casey took place from 10 am until before noon, as she is doing an abseil event in Croke Park in aid of the Solas Centre on Friday, March 27.
A great crowd turned up for the event with a charge of €5 admission, with a game between young hurlers from Passage lining out as Cork and Kerry at 10:15 am, starting with a parade around the ground accompanied by a march over the PA system.
They came from U14 to U16 players within the club, and the referee for the game was Eddie Fitzgerald, a fine hurler with Passage in his time and father of Passage hurler and present-time inter-county senior star Mark Fitzgerald.
Their mentors were on hand also.
The game ended with a win for Cork by 2–14 to 3–8 after a very exciting game.
At half-time, the Well Kids U7 players in the club played their own exciting game.
After the games, Marguerite Casey, who has three sons playing with the club — Paul, Mark and James — in various age groups, thanked all involved with the club, as well as Callum O'Neill from the club and his partner, who had started a coffee business recently and had included the day’s takings at the event for the Solas Centre also.
Marguerite described the Solas Centre as a great local charity, very dear to her heart, as they cared for her late husband Kevin in his final days; he died some years ago at a young age.
A total of €2,105 was raised on the day for Solas between the coffee shop and match, thanks to all who responded.
