Issue
97
CSNL NEWS November/December, 2026
Parish
Of Celbridge & Straffan with Newcastle-Lyons
Church
of Ireland United Dioceses of Dublin & Glendalough
By the
parishioners - for the parishioners.
From
Our Rector - Dear Friends ..
Christmas is rapidly approaching and this year it is against the
backdrop of great unrest and increasing disruption in our World. We are conscious of so many people and
families who are forced from their homes, have lost loved ones in various
international conflicts and who face huge economic pressures due to ongoing
wars and political instability. Indeed
those economic challenges are not confined to far off places as we find ourselves
in a country where huge numbers of children are living below the poverty line
and many families finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet.
And yet thus it ever was and certainly that first Christmas was hugely
traumatic for Joseph & Mary and their newborn son Jesus. And yet the light that came into the world in
Jesus Christ overcame the darkness and we as people of hope believe it
will again. These are challenging times
but as Christians we do not believe that our tomorrows are determined by our
yesterdays. We will soon enter the
season of Advent and traditionally that has been a time characterised by Hope
and expectation. Let us dare to hope and
expect that God can do extraordinary things and that our World can once again
be transformed as we celebrate God with us - Emmanuel.
Yours Stephen
Church
Services
Sunday Newcastle
9 a.m* Straffan
10.15 a.m. Celbridge 11.30 a.m.
1st Holy
Communion Service of Word Holy
Communion
2nd Service of Word Holy
Communion Service of Word
3rd Holy
Communion Morning Prayer Holy
Communion
4th Morning
Prayer
Holy Communion Morning Prayer
5th
28/11/26 Holy Communion Morning
Prayer Holy Communion.
*Services will continue in Newcastle at 10 a.m., on
the 1st Sunday as a permanent change in the Sunday timetable.
On Going Events
Craft
& Chat: The group continue to meet in the Slip
Hall at 2.30 p.m., on Tuesdays for crafting, chat, tea/coffee. They will be taking a break over the
Christmas/New Year. All welcome.
Wednesday Night Prayers: These continue in the home of Dee Huddleston. If anybody would like details they can
contact Rev. Stephen or Dee Huddleston. Everyone is very welcome to come along. The emphasis is on prayers for healing and
support for those facing particular challenges.
Let them know if there is something you would like them to pray about.
Whist Drives: Thanks to those who supported the drives on
25th September & 30th October, organised them and
provided refreshments. The final one for
2026 will be on Friday, 28th November at the new earlier time of
7.30 p.m., in the Slip Hall. Lots of
prizes, a raffle and as always a scrumptious supper! New players always welcome.
Christ
Church. Celbridge Concerts & Straffan Concert
Culture Night (18th September) in what is
becoming a tradition we once again hosted CCE Leixlip musicians for an evening
of traditional Irish music and dance -
jigs and reels a plenty made for a great night. The Andrea Bocelli Experience
on 3rd October was a lovely night with two excellent soloists, tenor
Alan Fitzsimons & soprano Rachel Goode wowing the audience
with a beautiful selection of classical and pop from the repertoire of Andrea
Bocelli. On 24th October,
despite fighting a heavy cold, Ronan Collins a consummate performer
provided a very enjoyable night’s entertainment to a sold out crowd. This was his second concert in the
church. We look forward to future
concerts in Christ Church including ‘The Drifters’ on the 27th November, ‘The Island of
Ireland Peace Choir’ on 5th
December and Conor McKeown’s Christmas concert
on 20th December.
Straffan Church was the setting for the beautiful
choral work - Faure’s
Requiem, with organ accompaniment on 1st November. The choir were the Naas based Nas na Ri
Singers with special guests soprano Caoimhe Fitzpatrick, baritone Simon
Morgan, conductor Anthony Norton with accompanist Nigel Barrett. It was a lovely concert and a full church
enjoyed a most enjoyable evening.
First Friday
Socials Report By Judith Gleeson
October’s meeting was fun
filled with a Halloween theme and a table quiz.
Some of our members came dressed up, some dressed up there with thanks
to Naomi for supplying a great stock of costumes and some just came as
themselves. We had photo opportunities
and presented Lorna Murphy for the best costume. She turned up as a green scary witch. Our November meeting is a ‘Beetle Drive’ suggested by Cynthia. So I’m really looking forward to this on 6th November from 7.30 -
9.30 p.m. I remember these from years
ago and how much fun they were. We will
also have the usual chatting with tea./coffee and biscuits.
Our Christmas meeting will be on 4th December at the earlier
time of 7 - 9 p.m, (so everyone can get home to see the Late Late Toy
Show). We will have mulled wine and
mince pies, some Christmas music and hoping everyone will make a decoration to
hang on their tree. It’s been a great year so far but more to
come. Anyone over 20 years old is more
than welcome to come and join us. We
will confirm next year’s dates in
December.
Dublin &
Glendalough Diocesan Vision To Action Evening
This will be held on Sunday, 15th November at 7 p.m., at The
Gathering Grounds, Kilternan Parish. If
you have attended previous discussions or joining for the first time, your
voice is valuable to translate the core diocesan priorities into real, impact
actions.
Al Ahli Arab
Hospital In Gaza City Update
The money received from the people of Dublin & Glendalough to buy
solar panels for the hospital over a decade ago have saved thousands of lives
and are still working. The hospital is
the only Christian Hospital in Gaza and owned and run by the Diocese of
Jerusalem and serves all people, no matter what their background is.
Parish Sale - 21st
November - Slip Hall - 10 a.m., - 2 p.m.
The Christmas Sale comes early this year - but all the usual stalls, a
great raffle (tickets on sale in the churches) and Santa too! Boxes in the churches for donations to
hampers, bottle stall, crafts etc., and any help on the day would be greatly
appreciated.
Sympathy
We extend our sympathy to the family of the late Canon
Ruth Gill of Kilcormac, Co. Offaly, especially her husband George,
son John and daughter June (Lanigan) of Straffan parish, her
daughter-in-law Edel and son-in-law Aidan and her grandchildren, Sean,
Luke, Roise, Olivia, Maeve & Kate and the extended family. Canon Ruth and Rev. Stephen were
former colleagues and he remembers her as a wonderfully caring and
compassionate cleric who brought great solace and comfort to so many in
challenging times. May she rest in peace
and rise in glory.
Primrose
Hill National School
Welcome to our new part time learning support teacher Jean
Donnelly to replace Fiona Sneyd.
We wish Fiona well in her future career. Thanks to the Principal, staff and children
of the school for their substantial contribution to the Celbridge Harvest
Thanksgiving Service.
WhatsApp
Groups
WhatsApp group continues to be very active. There are also groups specifically for
Newcastle and another for Straffan notices – together they provide a very
effective means of contact in the parish.
If you are not already on a Group WhatsApp, let our Rector know.
Slip Hall
There is now some availability for morning hires in the hall. Please send enquiries to email:csnparishhall@gmail.com.
Advent &
Christmas Services
As Advent Sunday falls on the 5th Sunday, there will be
services in all three churches.
Straffan: Lessons & Carols.
Sunday, 20th December.
10.15 a.m.
Newcastle: Lessons & Carols. Sunday, 20th December. 4 p.m.
Celbridge: Lessons & Carols around the Christmas
tree with seasonal refreshments. Christmas Eve. 4 p.m.
Christmas
Eve Eucharist. 9 p.m.
Christmas Day Holy Communion
Services in all 3 churches at the usual times.
27th
December United Service. Straffan.
11 a.m.
Straffan Market & Car Boot Season
2026 - Report by Jos Evertsen
It
has been several years since we enjoyed a car boot season without having to
cancel an event due to rain and wind.
This year, we successfully hosted all 12 events without a single
cancellation. We had a few light showers
along the way, but thankfully, the weather held up.
Throughout
the 2026 season, a total of 809 booter cars passed through the gates and parked
on the church grounds.
We
are fortunate to remain a much sought-after event, but this is no
accident. Over the years, we have
developed a reputation for being safe, friendly, well-run and
well-managed. On the odd occasion when
something unexpected does happen, our very experienced team of volunteers has
always been able to deal with it very well.
The success of our event depends entirely on our team of 46 volunteers,
who generously give their time to cover two-hour sessions on a Saturday
morning. This may involve working at the
Tea Stall or keeping an eye on things around the site.
The
Tea Stall thrives on donations of home baking.
In this day and age, when confectionery is largely mass-produced, home
baking remains the most sought-after treat.
We are very fortunate to have a great cross-section of home bakers who
are willing to donate their fabulous home bakes at every event. With the never-ending increases in the cost
of electricity and ingredients, we owe our bakers a very big THANK YOU! Without their efforts and generosity, we
simply would not enjoy the same level of success.
Our
success as a Volunteer Team stems largely from the fact that so many of us take
ownership and responsibility for the various tasks involved. We do not have a formal structure within our
Team, yet everything falls into place each week and ticks over like clockwork.
Many things happen behind the scenes, often unseen and unspoken, all
contributing to the successful opening and closing of another Saturday morning
Community Event, raising funds for our parish church and the Straffan Community
Hall.
Bookings
begin on the Saturday before each event, with up to 120+ requests and queries
to handle. Advertising signs appear
along the roadsides, volunteers sign up for the following Saturday’s roster, and our bakers get busy preparing their home
baking. On Friday mornings, the 74
stalls are marked out on site, while preparations are made for the Tea Stall,
including its setup and consumables.
Then, on Saturday morning, volunteers arrive on site before 7:00 a.m. to
begin setting up for the day’s event. ‘No-Parking’ cones are placed along the main roadways, and
everything is put in place for the day ahead.
Booters
start parking up at 7:45 and buyers start arriving at 8:00. Once the day’s event is over, there is still plenty to do: taking down equipment and
road signs, tidying up the site and, most importantly, sorting out all the
finances for the day. And then,
everything is ready to start all over again a week later! It all works like clockwork because everyone
on the day’s team takes ownership and
responsibility, helping to make each event another success. On behalf of the wider Straffan Community, a
very big THANK YOU to all our volunteers! The team constantly receives compliments from
both the public and our booters for their efforts, friendliness and
cooperation. One of the most recent comments
we received from a longstanding booter says it all:
“… Thank you to all the amazing
volunteers. You made this market so
lovely. From greeting sellers going in,
helping people set up, chatting to sellers.
An absolutely fabulous car boot/market.
I have met and had the best craic with lovely sellers. But the regular buyers that came in, wow. The chats and banter make it all worthwhile ….”
Our
twice-monthly event has evolved into a true Community Event, attracting not
only the local Straffan Community but also people from much further
afield. Each week, we welcome a number
of older residents who can park on site and enjoy their Saturday morning
outing. At our last event, one couple
from Tullow asked: …“Is this the last one for this
year?” “Yes, it
is. Our next event will be on 8th May
next year.” Their response said it all: .. AHHHHH, and what are we going to do in the meantime?”……..
This
year’s season has set a new record,
with 12 events hosting a total of 806 booters and generating a turnover of €16,600 from the gate and the Tea Stall. This is the highest figure achieved since we
started in 2011. Over the years, we have
welcomed a total of 6,599 booters and raised just short of €150,000 for our causes.
The
Volunteer Team brought this season to a close with our annual Team Get-Together
in Friel’s. It is always a great occasion, giving us the
opportunity to catch up, share stories and recall the many happenings
throughout the season. As always, there
was no shortage of refreshments! We
would like to thank Friel’s and its staff for their
continued support and hospitality. The
Volunteer Team will meet again next March to prepare for the coming season’s events in 2027.
If you would like to become involved in this great group, just let me
know. Everyone is welcome, and
everyone has something to contribute! “And thank you Jos from us all”.
Calendar
Of Events
November
Sun 8 Remembrance Sunday.
Sun 15 Diocesan Vision.
Kilternan. 7 p.m.
Sat 21 Parish Sale. Slip
Hall. 10 a.m., to 2 p.m.
Thu 27 Drifters Concert.
Christ Church, Celbridge.
Fri 28 Whist Drive. Slip Hall. 7.30 p.m.
Note time change.
Sun 29 Advent Sunday.
Services in all 3 churches.
December
Fri 4 First Friday. Slip Hall.
7 p.m., to 9 p.m.
Sat 5 The Island of Ireland Peace Choir. Christ Church, Celbridge.
Sun 20 Lessons & Carols.
Straffan. 10.15 a.m.
Lessons
& Carols. Newcastle-Lyons. 4 p.m.
Conor
McKeown Concert. Christ Church,
Celbridge.
Thu 24 Lessons & Carols around the Christmas tree with seasonal
refreshments. 4 p.m. Christ
Church, Celbridge.
Christmas
Eve Eucharist. 9 p.m. Christ Church, Celbridge.
Fri 25 Christmas Day. Holy Communion Services in all 3 churches at usual times.
Sun 27 United
Service. Straffan. 11 a.m.
January
Fri 1 Happy New Year!
Subscriptions
for The Church Review due.
Tue 5 Closing date for next issue of CSNL NEWS.
Newcastle Community Week
Sunday, 13th September was the day that St. Finian’s Church in cooperation with the neighbouring
Glebe Gardens were open to the public.
Thanks to Frank Kerins for his hospitality as always and thanks
to our catering team who provided lots of tasty bites and refreshments for the
visitors. A big thank you to Geoffrey
& Angela McMaster who looked after the church throughout the day
welcoming visitors who were able to enjoy Geoffrey’s presenation on church
history. All in all a very enjoyable
day.
Heritage Week -
Christ Church, Celbridge
A big thank you to the team of parishioners who staffed Christ Church
for the two weekends of Heritage Week.
Also thanks to John Lougheed whose information displays were set
up throughout the church to highlight the historical and architectural features
of the church. Refreshments were on
offer and a large footfall was seen every day the church was open. It would be wonderful if we could open the
church more regularly on an ongoing basis and this is something that we will
look into as it was clear that people really value being able to access the
building outside the hour on Sundays.
Remembrance
Sunday - 8th November
Poppies were available in all churches prior to this
day and an Act of Remembrance was part of the service in each of the churches.
Team
Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal
Thanks to all who contributed in any way to the above
- either by way of goods, shoe boxes or cash and in advance to those who will
now start the mammoth task of filling and checking the boxes before they are
transported to the children, who may have no other Christmas present.
Chuckle Time!
An old lady was sending a Christmas present of a Bible
in the post to her friend. In the post
office the man weighed the parcel and asked her if there was anything breakable
in it. “Not
really,” she
replied “only
the Ten Commandments.”
Harvest
Thanksgivings & Pet Blessing Service
The first of the harvest festivals took place on Sunday, 27th
September in St. Finian’s Church,
Newcastle-Lyons, which was beautifully decorated. Thanks to Geoffrey McMaster organising
the readers and the intercessors and to James Pasley on the organ and
those who provided the teas and delicious brack! Our thanks to the special preacher, Rev’d David Bowles, Rector of
Whitechurch, who had just completed part of the Camino in Spain and spoke about
his experiences and showed what he carried in his rucksack and talked about the
time he had to reflect on his spiritual journey.
Straffan Church celebrated the harvest on Sunday, 11th
October at 3 p.m. The church was
beautifully decorated. Thanks to our Rector
for conducting the Holy Communion Service and preaching surrounded by the
fruits of the harvest. There were
refreshments afterwards and some parishioners went home with a “goodie bag” of fruit!
Thanks to Jenny Shaw on the organ. The collection was in aid Of Bishops’ Appeal.
There was a lovely harvest service in Christ Church,
Celbridge on Sunday, 18th October with the children from Primrose
Hill School taking a leading role in the worship They created a display on the Harvest theme
which was complimented by the spectacular floral decorations with thanks to June,
Lucy, Naomi, Esther, Maggie and Straffan & Newcastle-Lyons parishes for
their contribution. Special thanks to Shane
O’Dwyer who
donated most of the flowers. Also thanks
to the Principal, Mrs. Flood and staff of Primrose Hill many of whom
were in attendance at the service.
Thanks to Ms. Shaw who coordinated the children’s displays and Ms.
Woolmington who played the keyboard to accompany the children in a lovely
rendition of “Autumn
Days”. Also thanks to our catering team
who provided refreshments for everyone after the service. Thanks as always to our organist James
Pasley and to our Churchwardens Trish & Paula. The offering at the service was for the work
of Bishops’ Appeal
and almost €300 was
raised.
It was the biggest
turnout yet for the Ecumenical Pet Blessing in Christ Church Celbridge on
Saturday, 10th October. Over
200 in the congregation and in addition almost 100 four legged friends! The singing/howling/barking was very
enthusiastic from the first hymn (All things Bright and Beautiful)
onwards. Our Rector was assisted
by Fr. Peter from St Patrick's Church in this the 11th year that we have
held this service. All pets were given a
certificate of blessing and there were souvenir pet blessing keyrings for the
humans. After the service there were
refreshments for the congregation and doggy treats. Thanks to the team who looked after all the
logistics on the day our churchwardens Paula & Trish, organist James,
Lucy, Simon, Naomi, Susie, Dee, Judith, Vivien, Gabi and others who
assisted. And as always it was great to
have the team from KWWSPCA with their rescue dogs in attendance. €780 was
raised for their work.
Church Review
Subscriptions
For those who would like to continue on with receiving the above,
subscriptions are due on 1st January. There is a note in the October issue that
there will have to be an increase due to cost of living increases - postage and
courier service have increased. The Editor
of The Church Review is also appealing for more people to subscribe
to keep up the news of the Dioceses and the wider church. Thanks to our distributors Ken Denner
& Debbie Kelly. Please contact
them if you would like to be added to the list for 2027.
CIYD Launches Major
Confirmation Survey
The Church of Ireland Youth Department is launching a major survey for
all those confirmed since 2017 to hear as many experiences as possible: what
was the preparation like, how did you feel about the service, what difference
did confirmation make to your faith?
This is completely anonymous.
They need at least 500 responses!
https://forms.gle/wK7NkwhRf9yBXaZU9.
Friends Of Christ
Church Welcome New Members
They are seeking new members to join and celebrate some milestones over
the next few years. In two years time,
the diocese of Dublin and its cathedral will mark1,000 years of continuous
Christian worship. The year of the
Normans will be marked in 2027 and in 2028 the 150th anniversary of
the completion of the restoration of Christchurch among others. The Friends will celebrate their own
centenary in 2029. Annual membership is €25.
Regular outings are organised and lecture series and a bi-annual journal
is published.. cccdubfriends@gmail.com or Erica
Britnell on 087-7906062,
Thanks
Thanks to Dee Huddleston for taking the services on Sunday, 20th
September in Straffan & Christ Church, Celbridge, 4th October in
Straffan and 1st November in Straffan and to Geoffrey McMaster for
taking the service in St. Finian’s Church,
Newcastle-Lyons when our Rector was recovering from surgery. The Editor
thanks all who contributed to the parish newsletter during the year and
wishes all a peaceful and happy Christmas and New Year.
Stir Up Sunday -
The Sunday Before Advent
Do you know why? In Agatha
Christie’s ‘The Adventure of the Christmas
Pudding’, Stir Up Sunday is
mentioned, and the cook in the Lacey household tells all about it to Hercule
Poirot, who of course solves the problem of the story. It is so called because of the collect of the
day beginning “Stir up, O Lord,
the wills of your faithful people ..”. According to
the Lacey cook, the following week is the time when traditionally the
Christmas pudding was stirred up. Poirot
is spending an old-fashioned Christmas at Lacey Manor. Agatha Christie was no doubt a
practising Anglican for there are references in many of her novels to other
church matters - evensong, the vicar and vicarage, choir boys, Mothers’ Union, vestry and churchwardens!
“Stir up O Lord the
wills of your faithful people: that richly bearing the fruit of good works,
they may by you be richly rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” Thanks to another
church magazine Editor for this.
Organisation Focus
- Protestant Aid
Despite what its name might suggest, Protestant Aid operates to support everyone experiencing financial
difficulties regardless of religious, ethnic or social background. Grants are provided through a network of
social workers and clergy with one simple idea - everyone deserves to be
treated with fairness and compassion and without judgement. One of those helped wrote “I would also like to express
my thanks to Protestant Aid for assisting my client at a time when she was very
much in need. I am very grateful you
were able to assist her.” For further information contact Protestant Aid,
202A Merrion Road, Dublin 4. D04 R9W8 or
www.protestantaid.org.
Who’s Who
In The Parish
www.cs-nl.org celbridgestraffannewcastlelyns@gmail.com
Rector: Rev.
Stephen Neill 01-6288231 087-2328172
www.paddyanglican.com stephen.neill@gmail.com
Keep up to date on www.cs-nl.org
&
https://www.facebook.com/CSNLParish & www.Dublin.anglican.org
Straffan Sunday
Services Live Streamed
https://www.churchmedia.tv/straffon-church-of-ireland and www.facebook.com/CSNLParish.
Ask, and you will receive, that
your joy may be full. John 16:24.
