GAA great and former Rose of Tralee to speak at Novena near Carlow Town

An All-Ireland winning Gaelic footballer who has overcome a gambling addiction and a former Rose of Tralee who is part of the LGBTQ community are among the speakers at a popular Laois Parish Novena near Carlow Town.

Armagh great Óisín McConville, Mayo Rose Maria Walsh will also be joined at the Graiguecullen Killeshin Parish Solemn Novena by Olive Foley who is the wife of the late Irish and Munster rugby star Anthony Foley.

Among the other speakers at St Clare's Parish Church are Bishop Fintan Monahan Bishop of Killaloe.

The Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help begins on Monday, April 29 and will run for nine consecutive Monday nights.  

The theme for this year’s Novena is: “The importance of faith in our daily lives”.

The full list of guest speakers for this year’s Novena is as follows:

29th April   Gerry O’Hanlon    Jesuit Center for Faith & Justice

6th May      Olive Foley    Wife of the late Anthony Foley, Munster & Irish Rugby Player

13th May    Maria Walsh    2014 Rose of Tralee

20th May    Bishop Fintan Monahan Bishop of Killaloe

27th May    Marian Curran Lecturer University College Belfast

3rd June      Oisín McConville former Armagh County GAA player

10th June    Julieann Moran World Missions Ireland

17th June    Fr Derek Ryan CSSR Redemptorist Priest

24th June    Deirdre Ní Chinneide Director of Sli Aonghusa retreat centre on Inis Mór.

During Lent, the parish invites people to place their petitions in the petition boxes in St Clare’s Parish Church.