Louise Killeen has been busy visiting schools during the week drumming up support for her self in the You’re A Star competition which will be broadcast live on RTE 1 television at 6.30 pm. She was telling us that for some reason the bookmakers lowered her odds from 14 / 1 and 16 / 1 down to 3 / 1 on Thursday. One of the people working in Boylesports told her that he reckoned it would take about £20,000 to lower the odds by this amount.

Good to hear that Father Peter Kenny is staying with my brother Jim in Chicago while he carries out a number of Mission / Retreats. He then goes to Florida for some more Missions before returning to California. Think that Jim is going with him to Florida as Father Pete will be stationed near our cousin Annie Lawlor. Father Pete concentrates on people with a Philippine background so maybe he might do a day in Cherry Hill.

Heard from the brother in Cherry Hill that some other members of the family that were over in November tracing the Egan / Kenny family lines will be in Ireland soon. I was talking to Michael Egan, the monumental sculpture in Kilbeggan and he would like to meet them if they are over. Tel 0506 – 32167

Made a mistake about last weeks table quiz. In fact next Wednesday’s Table Quiz will be in aid of the Moate branch of Bothar to help them send animals to the missions. It is at 10.00 pm in Killeens.

Brendan Cauldwell the actor died on January 12^th aged 83 years. May he rest in peace.

The media were telling us during the week that a new Landsdowne Stadium is to be built.

It will cost 365 Million Euros and will have a seating capacity 0f 50,000. Government funding will be about 187 Million and it is hoped to have the stadium complete by 2009.

Some persistent rains mid week have brought the level of the river up to 3.9 Metres on Saturday morning and Brian of the Barge says that this is the highest it has been this winter. There are lots of Darcy’s Callow upstream flooded but it is nowhere near a high winter flood level.

Please note that a green fishing box , containing baits and fly line was left behind either at Clonmacnois or Shannonbridge before Christmas. Would the finder please contact the owner Peter Ryan, Killeigh Telephone 087 – 2723910 and make it a happy new year for him.

A number of robberies took place last week in the locality. Murrays in Shannonbridge was broken into on Tuesday night and on Thursday night Hineys in Ferbane and Daly’s the Butchers in Cloghan were robbed.

Only heard from my friend BC tonight that John and Michelle Mc Hugh, nee Brennan from Clonburren had a baby daughter Aoifa. John’s mother was Katie Curley from Crevagh and Michelle is a daughter of Geraldine and the late Michael Brennan from Shannonbridge. Congratulations.

Weather was wet mid week and there was frost at night. Some days were cold and miserably wet and the others had welcome sunshine.

Our Web Master Michael is home for the weekend to celebrate Cary, his father’s birthday on Saturday 14^th. He has promised to look into the possibility of adding an ongoing photo album to which people would be able to add photographs and ?.