Last evening there was an added interest in a television show billed “You’re a Star” from lots of family and friends. This turned out to be an insight of how three judges auditioned thousands of contestants from around the country displaying their musical talents and aiming to win a recording contract and 25,000 Euros for the winner. This introduction gave us a glimpse of many competitors and the judges’ reactions – “Get out” and girls and boys and groups waiting or dejected or joyous. It was good to see Louise Killeen in rapture at the Galway Audition. On next Sunday evening the Galway audition will be a feature of the hour long program from 6.30 pm on RTE television. It seems that the public will be invited to vote and the successful ones will be announced after the 9.00 pm News. Those chosen by the public go on to the next stage. Wishing Louise all the best on the night and hope she gets a few votes. Have a look in.

The river level has dropped to 3.5 metres today and after fairly heavy frost last night the sun is shining again today as it has for the past week. Temperatures are 9C / 48F.

The drop in the river level has removed the area of water that the two swans were using last week.

The priest announced at Mass yesterday that the church will be heated for an hour each evening between 6.30 and 7.30pm for those wishing to visit and pray.

The sad news was broken on Saturday of the death of Paddy and Nicola Kelly and Edward Bealin a cousin from New York who were killed when their car collided with a lorry at Stradbally. Paddy and Nicola and their son Gabriel once lived in Saint Ciaran’s Park Shannonbridge before moving to their new home at Summerhill near Athlone. Paddy worked in the old Shannonbridge Power Plant and was very proud of his Kilkenny roots.

The death occurred last week of John Maher from Kilrush / Rahan. John was a brother of Celine Grennan, Shannonbridge and his brother worked in Shannonbridge Power Plant.

The death occurred of Bernadette Doolan, Brackagh, mother of Paudge Frank and Agnes Doolan and Gabrielle Kelly Banagher.

May they all rest in peace.

Personally last week I went to Nantes in France from Tuesday to Saturday with an old friend and Ryan Air. We had star accommodation in the Admiral Hotel which is in the heart of the Old City. The hotel cost 120Euro for four nights, travel and airport charges 66.96 Euros, Airport car park 17.50 Euros, and travel insurance 8 Euros. Ear plugs were extra as one of the party snored a bit but I did not have to buy these. So 218.46 Euros total without food. We bought a three day public transport ticket for 32 Euros that covered bus, tram, river bus and access to a number of events.

The city is located on the mouth of the River Loire and at one time Nantes was the third largest port with about 300,000 slaves being shipped from there. The mouth of the river was in many parts like a delta? But later many of these were closed in and became roads and squares. It is a remarkable clean city with no litter or chewing gum on the paths as in Ireland. The inner city has a great range of shops and eating places. Shoes and leather goods, clothes and drapery, jewellers and opticians and quality souvenir shops abound.

Language is a problem especially with menus. I remember one evening we went to a fish restaurant that was recommended by a guide book. There were two ladies in the place having soup and they were the staff. I said I would try the soup and I was lucky that they had only one bowl left. For fish we went for salmon. This turned out to be slivers of smoked salmon in a lettuce salad with olive oil and HEATED. When they asked if we required dessert or coffee we said no, paid up and ran. The worst experience sticks.

We enjoyed the river and used the river bus a few times. There are pathways all along the river and in one open style house nearby there was a marvellous display of coarse fish in a range of tanks. One tank had what looked like dark bog oak and one branch was hollow with two openings about twenty inches apart. An eel tail stuck out of the bottom and an eel head rested on the top opening.

A friend asked me to buy a 50 ml bottle of Poem perfume. We priced it in a huge store for 61 Euro. On Friday we met a friend from Dublin who brought us to a smaller shop where his wife buys perfume. Their price 59 Euro. When I got off the bus in Ballinasloe the chemist shop there had it priced 56 Euro and had an offer of perfume and body cream for 58 Euro. When I got home and told her the prices she told me that a friend had got a bottle for her in Spain at just under 40 Euro.
Good to see Colin and Niamh back in the old sod. Judging from a postcard last week I thought that they were about halfway across Spain on a walk. They finished the walk and are home. Will they phone in a vote or text or whatever on Sunday evening. Louise got five tickets for guests and Mick and Mary, Fergal Louise and Leah have been chosen to carry the flag.
It is 2.30 pm and Pat Mick and myself are going for a trip on the river. We might even catch a glimpse of a solitary fisherman from Castlebar who arrived in the village this morning.