It was good to see Sean Fitzsimons visiting Shannonbridge yesterday in his own automatic car. Sean was accompanied by his friend Jim and Sean was telling us that he sold The Iron Lung barge to his nephew Andy and still has a boat of his own which is on the one level and suits him fine.

Michael Green from Peterborough and son of Aloysius from Clondelara arrived home today for a five day visit and is in great form.

Two French pike anglers arrived in the village today wondering where they might catch some of the big pike that have been caught and released in recent weeks by fishermen on the River Suck and River Shannon. Got the impression that they wanted to catch one and have it mounted as a trophy fish. Hope they have no success.

The first angling visitor from England in search of Tench arrived today and is staying in Ely House.

Some other English visitors staying at Ely House are on a family tree search. The leader is looking for a Daly family who originated in Stonestown near Cloghan.

She had also taken on the task for some friends of finding information on Carroll and Connaughton families.

Confirmation for a number of surrounding parishes is scheduled to take place in Ferbane this Thursday and will include our parish of Clonmacnois. Was wondering if Pope Benedict XV1 has a direct connection with Clonmacnois through Saint Killen of Wartburg who converted part of Germany after the Dark Ages, similar to other Clonmacnois Missionaries converting Poland for the connection with the late Pope John Paul 11. Went for a walk to the Bridge just now and stopped to see the work progressing on the new apartments beside Nugents. The builder laid a reinforced bed of concrete for a base and has started to build. Already some of the walls are six feet high and the workers told me that there will be four X two-bedroom apartments. Two up and two down with a common front door access.

Met Tommie Corbett at the Bridge looking into the river and no doubt reliving the many happy hours that he spent salmon and pike fishing and shooting over the years. While we were talking a small cruiser approached and berthed on the old jetty. They told us that they were from Ballina and had bought the little cruiser from Carrick Craft in Banagher.They were making their way up river and sensibly enough they were staying in B+B each night on their way to Carrick on Shannon where they plan to keep the boat.

Brian was telling us that the First Aid kit and Fire Extinguisher have been replaced in their housing on the new jetty. Hopefully this time they will be untouched. The stone missing from the peer under the bridge has not been replaced as yet.

Noticed that the river level has risen and there is water to be seen on part of the callow downstream on the west bank, as well as an overflow from the drain on the callow at the new jetty.

One of the seats outside the Tourist Office has a number of timbers missing.

The Bluebells at Reid’s cottage are in full bloom just now. Have not got to Ragherabeg to check out the Primroses but Pat and Colin had a drive in there a few days ago and said that the blooms were scarce as yet.

Temperature today is 10C / 50F with a steady Northerly breeze blowing.