Best wishes to Lisa Hendrick Shannonbridge and Alan Dolan from Aughrim who were married in Saint Ciaran’s Church Shannonbridge on Saturday 18th June with Father O’Hanlon assisted by Father Geraghty leading us through the ceremony and Mass.

The sun shone bright for Lisa and Alan and the photographer Padraig Kilduff used Clonmacnois as a background for the outdoor photographs. Afterwards the reception was held in Meadow Court Hotel near Loughrea. It was good to meet cousins of Ned Hendrick who travelled from Wexford and Cork for the wedding. The happy couple are having their honeymoon travelling around Ireland and intend to live in Aughrim..

While walking to the wedding a car pulled in and Tony Hughes and his wife got out. Tony was a well liked construction worker on the old power plant and they now live in Enniscorthy.

On Friday the niece Shannon and her husband John arrived over from Chicago and got to meet many people over the weekend. They have set off on a sightseeing trip around Ireland since Monday and intend to use the B+B’s for overnights as they wander. Shannon was called after the river Shannon and it has been 35 years since she was last in Ireland. We went for a boat trip up river to near Buntullagh Hill on Sunday and John and Shannon have taken Moby on a number of walks. Both are very interested in birds and in wildlife and helped to put a baby starling back into its nest which is in the signboard over Killeen’s Bar.

On Sunday evening Vinnie Fitzsimon and family arrived in Shannonbridge in their camper and told us that they had just attended a big motor cross event staged on Peter Mooney’s track in Doon. When asked for his verdict on the track facility he said it was absolutely fantastic. Well done Peter Mooney. About 169 bikes took part in the event. Vinnie and family are enjoying a few days in Shannonbridge and have great praise for the shower facility at the quayside cared for so very well by Des Finnerty.

Margaret Egan from Athlone phoned last evening with the sad news of the death of Michael Egan, son of the late Jimmy Egan and a brother of Padraic. May he rest in peace. Margaret is expecting a couple of American friends to call to her today and intends to take them to Clonmacnois and Shannonbridge. Looking forward to meeting her.