Welcome to the Church of St. Columba

Archbishop Farrell’s new Pastoral Letter Building Hope with Open Hearts.
This Pastoral Letter can be found at https://dublindiocese.ie/building-hope-with-open-hearts/.

Iona Funday Festival 2024 – A Day to Remember!

Iona Funday Festival took place on Sunday 8th September, and yet again it turned out to be a
wonderful community day full of music, laughter and good craic. The day was the culmination
of a lot of work by many members of the community and was a glorious celebration of
community.

Fundamental to the long running success of Iona Funday is the hard work of the organising
committee. They had their first of many meetings in March, intending to have the day in June as
usual, but this had to be postponed for various reasons. It is much appreciated that the
members of the committee selflessly give of their personal time, and their many talents, for the
benefit of the whole community. As the Funday is not for profit and self-financing the committee
always faces a challenge to maintain the high standards they set themselves, in this regard the
support of Dublin City Council has been vital.

We began the day half an hour earlier this year to welcome children and adults to our sensory
friendly and quiet area. We were delighted to work with Drumcondra Autism Friendly Village to
further develop this space which we first introduced last year. This year we added a sensory van
and a quiet play area for the enjoyment of neurodivergent children. We are delighted to say that
the area was very busy throughout the day, and we hope to develop it further for next year.

At one o’clock we had, full lift off! John Quinn encouraged the gathering audience to get stuck
in. Orla Donnelly and Eoin Sweeney, and their many assistants, began lashing out teas, salads,
buns and burgers from Cafe Columba. Róisín Kelly and Michael Hatton began taking names for
the dog show and our featured band The Crush (generously sponsored by Kennedy’s of
Drumcondra) began to play.

As usual the wide range of games and activities were very popular. We had duck plucking,
sponge throwing, hang toughing (is that a word?) to name but a few. It was great to see that
some of the most popular games were the simple ones that were produced by Tom Nolan, such
as bottle knocking and whack-a-mole. Unsurprisingly raffle tickets sold at a great rate, our local
sponsors had provided some great prizes. We were particularly delighted to see that Betty
O’Brien (a founding member of Iona Funday) was in the thick of the ticket sales as usual.
One of the busiest locations on the day was the tent where Maggie Biggs and her team were
busy creating wonderful face- painting designs and twisting balloons into some extraordinary
shapes. Nearby other members of Maggie’s team presented wonderful clown and magic shows
for the younger children. We also had two wandering entertainers, Con the amazing
mentalist/magician and Jonnie the wandering clown

After four fun-filled, hectic hours the Funday began to wind down. The winning tickets for the
raffle were pulled by Father Paddy Jones, the last of the food was sold, and the last bungee run
was completed. All that was left was the clean-up and the packing away of the gazebos and
equipment for next year. Again, some tired committee members and volunteers got stuck in and
this big job was completed with a huge amount of effort and very little fuss – special mention to
Larry O’Connell who single handedly (and bare handedly) emptied a large bin which had been
mistakenly filled with rubbish.

It was very gratifying at the end of the day to hear that people of all ages had a good time, that
there was something on the day for everyone. The most encouraging piece of feedback was
from a mother who took the time to email in her thanks and to quote her four-year-old daughter
saying, ‘That was the best day of my life’ – could we ask for more?

So, everything is packed away for another year. We look forward to next year, which a little bird
told me is the thirtieth anniversary of Iona Funday.
The committee wishes to give special thanks to all the local volunteers who generously gave of
their time, the Parish of St Columba, Saint Columba’s Primary School, the local businesses who
provided sponsorship and Dublin City Council who provided vital practical and financial support.
A parting plea: if you are new to the community, we are particularly anxious to recruit new
members to the committee who can carry on this valuable and enriching community event into
the future

John O’Connor (Chairman of Iona Funday Festival Committee)

*If you wish to give us feedback in relation to this year’s event, or if you wish to make suggestions, offer your services, sponsorship or support for next year’s event we can be reached at ionafunday@gmail.com

**Main Sponsors

Kennedy’s Public House, Anicare Vets, The Bald Eagle, Bill’s Barbers, Botanic House, Brady’s Butchers, Entra, Public House, Frank Fleming Estate Agents, Hedigans,
Kelly Bradshaw Dalton Auctioneers, McGowan’s Public House, Musgrave Cash and Carry,
Neville Keville Transport, Pinto Wines, San Sab Restaurant, Tony Byrne Hair

***Supporters

St Columba’s Parish, Dublin City Council , St Columba’s Primary School,
Drumcondra Autism Friendly Village, the Garda Community Engagement Unit

Thank you for your contribution to the parish FAMILY OFFERING collection,
which is received in weekly envelopes.
An average weekly total of €503.00 is also contributed by Standing Orders.
A Tap and Go machine at the back of the church facilitates parishioners and visitors who wish to contribute to the First and Second collections.
Contributions to the parish can also be made through the ‘Donate’ button on the parish website: www.ionaroadparish.ie

Pathways

Have you ever wanted to know more about your faith? Are you looking for a course that can help you grow in your ministry?
Pathways is an Adult Faith formation programme run by the Archdiocese aimed at all adults, members of PPCs and those in parish ministry.
It is a 2 year course running on Thursday evenings from September to May (excluding holidays) from 7pm-9.30pm in DCU, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.
The course is has a number of modules including input on Images of God, Discipleship, Scripture, Liturgy, Church, Vatican II, Sacraments and Parish.
The Second Year has a more intentional focus on Ministry.
Each evening includes a presentation on the topic as well as small group sharing and discussion and there is no written work or assessments.
The cost is €400 per year (Some parishes may help to cover some of the cost or you can contact us to discuss the possibility of a bursary)
For more details, and to complete the online application form, please visit www.missionministry.ie/pathways or email peter.siney@dublindiocese.ie.

BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT —

The Irish Hospice Foundation provides a free Bereavement Support Line. This National Freephone Service is available from 10am to 1pm, Monday to Friday, by calling 1800 807077. Visit www.hospicefoundation.ie for more information.

AWARE – SUPPORT & SELF CARE GROUPS

If you or those with whom you work wish to connect with people in relation to your mental wellbeing, consider using Aware’s phone-in and Zoom support and self-care groups, support line or support mail. For more information, visit www.aware.ie.

Church Shop Open
The Church card and gift shop is open every Sunday morning.  It is a cash-based system.   Lots of lovely cards and small gifts available.

DIOCESAN OFFICES – NEW ADDRESSES

Please note that the Dublin Diocesan Offices are no longer located at Holy Cross College, Clonliffe. Below are the new addresses of the various offices. There may be some delays in the receipt of postal items due to the changes of address. Email and telephone contact information can be found at https://dublindiocese.ie/archdiocese-overview/diocesan-offices/.

Education Secretariat and Lourdes Pilgrimage Office
51 Home Farm Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9, D09 W5W4

Chancellery, Office for Clergy and Office for Religious & Extern Priests
Archbishop’s House, Drumcondra Road Lower, Drumcondra, Dublin 9, D09 H4C2

Dublin Diocesan Archives
204-206 Clonliffe Road, Dublin 3, D03 PD86

Dublin Metropolitan Tribunal
14A Berkeley Street, Phibsboro, Dublin 7

Mission & Ministry and Liturgical Resource Centre
St Paul’s Church, 19 Arran Quay, Dublin 7, D07 KX66

Moderator, Finance, Child Safeguarding and all other offices
Dublin Diocesan Offices, 20-23 Arran Quay, Dublin 7, D07 XK85

Please click on image to view Webcam for this service. Mass times may vary.