We Are West Limerick

Welcome to ‘We Are West Limerick’ a celebration of diversity throughout our region.
This series aims to capture the experiences and perspectives of individuals from throughout West Limerick and will also shine a spotlight on landscapes, landmarks, and cultural traditions.
By sharing the stories of our community and the beauty of our surroundings, we hope to inspire others to see West Limerick through a lens of positivity and appreciation.
Follow the series here, on West Limerick Resources Facebook page  or on Instagram
‘We Are West Limerick’ is an initiative provided through SICAP. The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) is co-funded by the Irish Government, through the Department of Rural and Community Development, and the European Social Fund Plus under the Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training (EIST) Programme 2021 -2027.
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 ALONE works with all older people, including those who are lonely, isolated, frail or ill, or are facing other difficulties.
Our aim is to give a voice to older people in the community and enable them to stay at home for as long as possible, safely, securely, and happily. We assist with anyone over the age of 60 whether they live alone or not. We are currently looking for volunteers to join our Support and Befriending Service in the West Limerick area to visit someone in their local community for just one hour a week. Volunteers provide a listening ear, information, and support for older people in a warm, friendly, and professional manner. That social interaction is invaluable to people these days and all training and support is given by ALONE.
Mage Collum, ALONE Support Coordinator, West Limerick
For more information see www.alone.ie          volunteer@alone.ie
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 Askeaton Friary
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Cór le Chéile Part 1 of 2
Cór le Chéile, which means choir together is a community choir based in Newcastle West. It started a year ago, and we have over 60 members, male and female, so it’s mixed voice choir. The focus of the choir is for singing, for fun, for relaxation, for social connectedness, just overall health and wellbeing. I am a music therapist, so I I’ve known for a long time the benefits of music and the positive impact it can have in people’s lives. Setting up a choir was something that I’ve always thought of doing but it wasn’t until after covid, when we were all so disconnected and there was such a lack of live music, or social gatherings of any sort that I decided I’d give it a go. It was my first time doing this, I advertised a ‘Sing into Spring’ 10-week project and I was inundated with people interested and enthusiastic to come along. So far, we’ve done a few performances, participated in local charity events such as the Big Busk for Focus Ireland, we’re taking part in Darkness Into Light and we’re excited about doing the Newcastle West Music Trail which is a great event in the town.
Oonagh McMahon, Choir Director     #wearewestlimerick
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Cór le Chéile Part 2 of 2
When I came in to Cór le Chéile, the first night was like, gosh did I do the right thing? Am I going to fit in? Because you know, I never really branched out to a group like this as it was always our own little parish at home with our own friends. The first night I came in and I said I don’t know will I like it and then sure once you get talking to one, you’re talking to all. It’s just great.
I joined the choir because my brother died very suddenly, and I felt that I needed something. I came in here, I knew nobody, and I love it now. It’s saved me actually because it’s just great to meet different people from different parts of the town and country and I get a lot out of it. Oonagh is amazing and I wouldn’t miss it now.
Sheila Collins, Killeedy, Cór le Chéile Member     #wearewestlimerick
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 View from Knights Walk, Glin
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When I lived in Sligo back in 2006, I said to my Irish friends, we’re moving to Limerick they say ‘Oh you’re going to stab city’. That was the perception outside of Limerick then and I was a bit afraid as well to come. But it’s completely different. I was in Roscommon, Leitrim, and Sligo, but I enjoyed more here than any other, and here is where we settled and made home.
I would say the Irish community is exceptionally welcoming. My first experience when I came here, I wanted to find an address so I asked some Irish people can you please tell me where is it? They literally asked me to sit down in their car and they dropped me to the address. We’ve all got the opportunity go to Australia and all, but I would never because this is my, and what most of the Indian communities think of, as their second home.
My son thinks he’s pure Irish. A pure Limerick man. West Limerick has provided a good future for us and our kids and everything is fantastic.
Jai Hiremath, NCW        #wearewestlimerick

 

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 Springtime in West Limerick
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Life has changed very much in my lifetime. I went to school in Athea and I’m living back there again. We’re very positive at the moment because we have a shop, just one shop, but it really does everything. We recently had the butcher retire but now we have a beautician. We have a doctor and surgery, a good chemist and the shop as I said so we’re delighted, you know, because like in past years we would have had 10 shops and 15 pubs and all that, life has changed but what we have makes life in the place. Athea always looks lively because there’s always things happening, We also have a community hall where I go to exercise classes myself, active drama group and an excellent GAA pitch with a walk that’s all lit up. One thing said about Athea is if you call a meeting, you’ll get a crowd no matter what so I think it will keep improving all the time. The village really is a very positive place to live.
Bridie Ahern, Athea      #wearewestlimerick
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Barnagh Tunnel,  Limerick Greenway
Celebrating the diversity of people and places in our region
#wearewestlimerick
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Park Run is a free timed event every Saturday morning in the Newcastle West Demesne. We are currently averaging about 60 participants every week. It’s completely voluntary in fact we won’t be able to do it without at least 6 volunteers every Saturday. There’s the setting up and taking down, two timekeepers, barcode scanner, person giving out finish tokens, marshal, tail walker and the run director on top of that.
There’s the healthy side of it – You’re up, you’re active. You don’t have to run it, you can walk or cycle. We have participants and volunteers of all ages and capabilities, but the primary benefit would be your sense of community and coming out and meeting people. People come and have the banter and we go for coffee after – there’s a real community around it.
Denis Fitzgerald. Event Director of Newcastle West Park Run (far right) with event volunteers.
For more information check out https://www.parkrun.ie/newcastlewest/
Remember you can also follow ‘We Are West Limerick’ on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wearewestlimerick/
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Good Morning from Maiden Street, Newcastle West
Celebrating the diversity of people and places in our region
Remember you can also follow ‘We Are West Limerick’ on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wearewestlimerick/
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West Limerick Migrant Network celebrating St Patricks Day with colourful exuberance in Newcastle West. The Migrant Network was established in 2023 by West Limerick Resources as a platform for the many diverse cultures that live in our region to share ideas, identify challenges and advocate for changes. Joining the NCW parade they demonstrated their goal to make West Limerick a more inclusive community that celebrates diversity and promotes migrant participation.

                      

    

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My name is Ada. I work as a Mathematics teacher in Colaiste na Trocaire in Rathkeale. I’ve been in West Limerick five months. I love Rathkeale, I love West Limerick. Now the reason being is I see them as a welcoming people, very welcoming in general Ireland is welcoming, but especially down here in West Limerick because I know what I went through before.  As a black teacher, I couldn’t  get a teaching job but eventually this school in West Limerick believed that a black teacher could do something, and it’s been a whole wonderful experience. And the good thing is, every single person makes me feel at home here in West Limerick. Sometimes I’m walking down the road and then they see me and they say ‘Hello our teacher, how are you?’ That makes me feel like I’m at home regardless of how long it took me to eventually get to where I had always wanted to be. So I must applaud Rathkeale and West Limerick particularly for that.
The next thing is I think I would personally want them to work out more accommodation so that people like me won’t have to travel so far, you know, to come down here to do my job. So if there is accessibility, ability to get accommodation, I think that would be a good one for us and I will be very glad to settle down here in West Limerick.
Ada Corlette Aguocha, Rathkeale       #wearewestlimerick

 

 

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Adare Castle
We Are West Limerick – Celebrating the diversity of people and places in our region
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Chief Superintendent Aileen Magner (left) & Traveller Access Officer Edel O’Donnell (right) gave a powerful and personal presentation at the recent International Womens Day celebration hosted by Rathkeale Together. Afterwards we asked what their hopes are for the women of West Limerick.
E: What I would like to see is Cohesion – everyone working together with tolerance, leadership and respect.
A: I think today was such an example of how people can come together and be so positive. Sit down together and get to know each other and again its all about finding our similarities not focusing on what’s different about us. Whether it be members of the travelling community in Rathkeale or members of the settled community its about finding those similarities as women and as mothers and when you find that we could talk forever cause its families isn’t it and we could talk forever about families and love.
E: Yes focus not on what’s different but on what’s similar, what brings people together.
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