Mrs Phyllis Carroll from Mount Temple died in Portiuncula Hospital on 21^st September.

She was a daughter of Steve Coakley from Curramore and is regretted by her five children, her sister Bridget Ann Clements and many relatives and friends. May she rest in peace.

Heard that there was a vintage rally in the Taughmaconnell and Dysart area recently and one of the old cars a 1933 Talbot was among a dozen that passed through Shannonbridge after the rally.

Padraig and Paula Turley are having a few days in Shannonbridge at present. Padraig is renewing old friendships as he attended Shannonbridge School in his youth. He is a nephew of the late Joe Claffey from Clerhane. We are hoping that they will bring his aunt Sister Monica to visit for a few days. Paula is from Abbeyleix and she has taken her parents along for a visit.

The Irish Lad Michael Green is home at present from America for a visit and Michael Burke has popped over from England for a flying visit. Patricia Carry returned her father Charles to Shannonbridge after his holiday in England and brought along her baby on the trip.

Fergal and Linda Moran’s new baby boy was christened in Shannonbridge Church on last Sunday 25^th by Father Tom Ryan who is the new assistant priest in Moore. Katey has a new brother now named Conor.

Last Sunday was also All Ireland Football Final day and Tyrone defeated Kerry by scoring 1 - 16 to 2 - 10.

Retired priest Father Pat O Connell from Dingle has been visiting his friend Father John Killeen, Toher and for three days this week the two of them con-celebrated Mass in Shannonbridge. They went to visit Clonmacnois on Tuesday and yesterday morning I went along with them to visit Clononey Castle, Shannonharbour, Banagher, Meelick Church (1414), Our Lady of Clonfert Church, Saint Brendan’s Church in Clonfert, the ruins of the Bishop’s Palace and Emmanuel House in Clonfert. In Saint Brendan’s there were two men at work restoring the barrel organ and the mermaid on the pillar looks great and shines out with the rub no doubt. There were a few hundred people at prayer in Emmanuel House. We were short of time as Danny and Bridie Costelloe had invited the two Padres to lunch in Gullanes Hotel at 1.30pm and I got a chance to visit Joe Keogh the barber in the Square.

While in Clonfert John Killeen was telling us about a picture of The Blessed Virgin and Child which was once in Clonfert but was removed for safety about 350 years ago by the then Bishop of Clonfert Bishop Walter Lynch as he fled the Cromwellian army going first to the Galway area and then to the island of Inisbofin and then in 1653 Bishop Lynch went to Flandia and he was in Vienna in 1655. The Picture finally arrived in Gyor and after Bishop Lynch’s death it was hung upon a pillar within the Cathedral in Gyor. On March 17^th, the devotional picture of the Holy Virgin Mother Mary shed tears of blood throughout a three hour period.

The Post Office in Shannonbridge is changing location and there is an amount of work being carried out in Moran’s Shop this week preparing for the Post Office which will be located inside the main door to the shop on the right. Shannonbridge will welcome the return of this amenity after some nine months.

The All Ireland Ploughing Championships take place this week in Cork and as usual attract large crowds. Shannonbridge is well represented by attractive exhibitions from Shannonbridge Pottery and Bridgway the manufacturers of a wide range of helpful farmyard equipment. I heard that its owner Liam Fallon was featured on Sky News last evening. Noticed on the front page of the paper on Tuesday a photograph of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern being escorted around the site by Michael Mahon, Mount Bolus who is chairman of the committee and is known as an international judge in ploughing competitions and is also Mary Killeen’ brother in law.

The past few days have seen a mixture of wind and light rain with temperatures around 63F. It gets that little bit colder at night and today the wind and rain have gone away.