BRIDGE STRIKE OUT COUNTY KING "PINS"

SFL DIV 1

Shannonbridge 2-7
Rhode 1-9

Shannonbridge bounced back from last weekends defeat to Ballycumber to claim a scalp over County Champions Rhode in very competitive division one league clash played on the Bridge's home ground on Sunday Morning last.

The west Offaly Men opened their account with an excellent point from Karol Kelly and this score was quickly followed by a Jason Kelly goal to leave the Visitors rocked in the opening couple of minutes.

The Bridge proceeded to dominate the Midfield area with Mark Carty winning lots of possession in the centre. Other points from David Corbett and Anthony Kelly in the first half left the Shannonsiders leading by 1-5 to 0-2 at the interval.

Shannonbridge opened the second half scoring, as they did the first when Paul Deeley left his marker behind to rattle the Rhode net once again. However the Visitors fought back and With the Wind to assist them, Rhode came back into the game.

Despite the best efforts of Roy Malone and Mark Cole, Rhode could not turn the tide and just as they were coming close to leveling the game Donal Claffey stepped up to score an excellent point to seal a home victory for the blue and Gold.

Team and Scorers, Declan Kelly, Alan Gunning, Trevor Mahon, Niall Price, Darren Finn, Roger Ryan,Kieran Flannery, Mark Carty,Jason Kelly(1-0), David Corbett(0-2), Anthony Kelly(0-2), Willie Kenna, Karol Kelly(0-1),Donal Claffey(0-1), Paul Deeley(1-0), Subs Shane Flannery, Conor Killeen and Chris Duffy)0-1)

Tullamore next
Shannonbridge will travel to Tullamore on Sunday next to take on the Blues @ 3pm. The Bridge will hope for a good support for their away fixture.

New Selector appointed

Dennis Loonam has Joined Tom Moore on the side line as a Selector for 2006. The Former club Chairman has plenty of experience and is no stranger to the Position. The Club wish both Men the best of luck for the coming season.

Home Coming for You're a Star Finalist

Shannonbridge will welcome home Louise Killeen back to her home town Saturday evening next. No doubt all who Supported the singer will turn out to recognise her achievements to finish in the last five from a total of five thousand who auditioned for the competition.

Louise bowed out of the competition with grace, even tough she had received harsh reviews from Judge dread Linda Martin she courageously gave her best performance of her own song "no room for us".

The home coming will take place at approximately 9 pm.

The river level was 3.15 Metres on Monday morning. The forecast for the week is for dry weather with frost at night and winds from the north east. Temperatures 6 to 9 C.

Francey Devery from The Point, Clonlyon, died at the weekend. It is said that he was the oldest person in the parish and he will be buried in Clonmacnois after 11.00 am Mass.

May he rest in peace.

A postcard from India arrived Monday morning with a picture of a colourfully decorated Nandi Bull on a beach in India being led by its owner who is blowing into a clarinet type bugle. A message on the backside (of the postcard) says “on its way to play at Killeens on Friday night” Ben F.

Gerry Casey and his Tipperary friend John fished on the River Suck on Saturday and on the River Shannon on Sunday. They were a little disappointed with their catch on their first outing for the year but John told us that they were going back to the Suck next weekend. Got a welcome phone call from England on Saturday afternoon.. A familiar voice asked if they might book the self- catering house for the last weekend in June. A check showed that the week was vacant and when I asked who was calling he was surprised that I had not recognised him as he has been coming for twenty years. Anyhow it turned out to be Dave Ruffles and he said that they had not been over for the past two years so they will be more than welcome.

Oliver Hilliard is busy working away at his annual masterpiece “The golfer’s Guide to Open Fixtures” which presents in a neat diary form all the golf courses in Ireland that have open fixtures on that day. Golfers can save an amount on green fees if they use the guide.

Jim Wilson wrote an article “In the wild” in the newspaper at the weekend and he dealt with” The Bullfinch”. He had a photograph of the male bird which looked pretty and he said that they like to eat seeds and buds. Usually found in hedgerows and woods Jim Wilson tells that they like to feed on buddleia bushes and in his garden he avoids cutting their buddleia until the end of February. This way they enjoy the beauty of a bullfinch which visits them every year .Must get a few buddleia bushes going when Colin returns

Jim Wilson has a website www.irishwildlife.net.

Then on today’s paper another article tells that a number of colourful birds including the bullfinch are in danger due to people trapping them and selling them as caged birds.

John Waters mentioned the “O Donnell Abu” signature tune on the Ryan Tubridy radio- show the other morning and neither of them seemed to know much about it except the air which is used by RTE radio now and again. There is some information about the war song on this sight including the words. Of course it was written by a Shannonbridge man Michael Mc Cann.

Louise exited the “You’re a Star” competition on Sunday night and the presenter asked her to finish up the programme by singing her showstopper song. She made a great job of it and I felt if she had sang it as well in the competition earlier she might have progressed into the last four. But it was not to be.

Some more people have died. Gerry Lanigan who was known to us around Shannonbridge as Marie Donegan’s father died in Clonmel.

Frank Turley, Raghrabeg and California has passed away. Brother of Bill and Joe his funeral will take place in California next week and Ollie Daly tells us that Joe will be representing the Turley family at the funeral.

Two well known ESB men, Bob Magee late of Portarlington and Joe Moran the former CEO of ESB have gone and died.

Kieran Claffey, Belmont and Dublin and a brother of Stephen Claffey died and was buried in Lusmagh. He was aged 86 years.

May they all rest in peace.

The river has been dropping consistently for almost two weeks. On Tuesday the level was 2.64 Metres at the bridge and on Wednesday it rose to 2.75 Metres. This was as a result of some rain in the past few days after a dry fortnight. Today was up and down with sunshine wind and the occasional small shower thrown in.

Tuesday was Valentine’s Day and the celebrating is really catching on. The Fort Restaurant had to fit in people that had not booked into a special early bird sitting at 6.30.

The Star newspaper had an item telling that Father Charles of Mount Argus is to become Ireland’s fifth official saint. Born in 1861 his first recognised miracle was in 1988 when a Dutchwoman with a large inoperable stomach growth was cured.

Heard that Oliver Connolly Clononey and Banagher is providing a service of releasing white doves for weddings, christenings etc.

Good to hear that Gerry Green, Blackwater is to come home from hospital on Wednesday 15^th.

Great to see Patricia Carry home for a few days. She told us that the flight was only a few bob and she used a service search to find the best deal in car hire available. Perhaps she will tell you her method.

Was talking to an English family who were taking a break in Gullanes Hotel in Ballinasloe and they got flight tickets and a hire car for less than it would cost them on the regular ferry boat and bringing their own car.

Shannonbridge Active Retirement plan to hold a series of exercises for six weeks on Wednesday nights in the village hall from 7 to 8 pm starting on Wed 22^nd February

Members and others are welcome to come along. Wear comfortable slippers. Contact 090-9674169 for more details.

Some fifty people are travelling to the Helix Center in Dublin on Sunday evening in support of Louise on her You’re a Star journey. Last Sunday they had a full busload and on their return journey as they neared Ferbane the lights and power on the bus failed and it rolled down the hill into the Mc Cormack bus yard where Ollie Mc Cormack got out of bed and loaned them a bus to get them home. They will need two buses next Sunday.

The table quiz in Killeens last night was in aid of famine in Africa and some 170 Euros goes to the cause..

Check out Louise's website for a video of Louise's latest performance n "You're a Star" including introduction and judges comments.

The Shannonbridge Active Retirement Group meets on a Tuesday morning after Mass. At present they are planning various outings and events for the year. There is a three night stay being planned for the Galway Bay Hotel from 12^th March to 15^th March. All members plus others are invited to join the break. Telephone 090-9674169 for more information or come to their meeting on a Tuesday morning after Mass in the Health Center.

Today somebody was enquiring about the Scottish musical duo Frater & Gunn. Some minutes later the telephone rang and Jimmy Gunn was ringing to tell us that Watty Frater had died on January 23^rd. Watty had broken his second leg around Christmas time and had died aged 98 years. Some 500 people attended his funeral and Jimmy reckons that most of them were musicians. Their dog Doughall is still alive aged twelve years. Jimmy and Doughall are planning to visit Ireland in a few months time.

The funeral of Eoghan Turley, son of Mick and Eileen, Athlone and Garrymore, will take place after Mass at 12.00 Wednesday to Clonmacnois cemetery.

May they rest in peace.

Congratulations to Sinead Ryan and her family on the birth of a baby girl on Saturday morning. Sinead lives between Sligo and Boyle and is a daughter of Declan and Rose Ryan.

The papers today have photographs of Bishop Eamon Casey arriving home to Ireland after 14 years in exile. The 78 year old Bishop will take up residence in the Galway parish of Shanaish.

Good to see one of our regular readers Declan Green is home on a visit from Boston.

The local radio today has news of the closure of the girl’s secondary school at Kylemore Abbey in August 2010. A fall off in vocations is cited as the reason.

Louise reached the last six in the You’re a Star TV show last night when she sung one of her own songs titled Starstruck. Hope she tells you how she feels on her website www.loisekilleen.com and she will probably have the relevant clip of the show added by now.

Some deaths over the weekend. Jeremiah Lanigan, Clonmel, father of Marie Donegan, who taught with her husband Mike and Mary Kelly in Shannonbridge, died on Saturday.

Gerry was a regular visitor to Shannonbridge when Michael and Marie lived here.

A well known ESB manager ,Bob Magee, from Portarlington has passed away.

May they rest in peace.

The river level has eased back to 2.95 Metres this morning after a rain free week.

Last year the lowest summer level was 2.2 Metres.

Offaly footballers beat Cork yesterday in the NFL match in Tullamore.

In rugby Ireland beat Italy 26 – 16 in their first match of the Six Nations tournament.

England beat Wales and Scotland beat the French team who were fancied to win out the event.

Whether it is the rugby match or the tempting cheap flights by Ryan Air and others but there has been a good number of Italians visiting in Clonmacnois in recent days.

Good to hear that the pet food factory at Edgewordstown has partially reopened with some 147 workers starting this morning. The remainder of the factory that was damaged by fire is presently being examined.

Good to see our priest Father O’Hanlon is visiting the parish in Kenya where he worked for many years. A new church has been built and he plans to attend the opening ceremony.

Well done to Louise Killeen for progressing to the next round of You're a Star. The video of last nights performance is available at www.louisekilleen.com.

This week on the Offaly Independent there are two photographs of dogs seeking a new home. One is a young Labrador and the other is a friendly terrier and both are being cared for at present by the Offaly Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Their contact telephone number is 086 – 3785584 if you are interested.

Mrs Brigid Rigney, Clonboniff died on Tuesday 31^st January and her remains were removed to Clonfinlough Church on Wednesday evening with burial taking place Thursday in Clonmacnois after Mass. Mrs Rigney was a sister of the late Roddy Kilduff, Ferbane and she is survived by a son, four daughters and 13 grandchildren. After the burial the hymn" We will sing a song to Bridget" was sung and also the song" Let It Be".

She died at home as she wished and may she rest in peace.

At the Shannonbridge Active Retirement weekly meeting on Tuesday after Mass Declan Costelloe attended and reviewed how last years activities plan had worked out and work has started in preparing a new schedule for 2006.Every Tuesday those attending have been making a voluntary contribution towards helping the street children in Kenya and 400 Euro was collected. It is intended to continue this practise this year.

At the table quiz on Wednesday night four people attending were celebrating their birthdays. So belated birthday wishes to Bridie Carry, Dara Moran, Dorothy Devine and Nancy Ward.

Yesterday Stephen Mc Namee from Tullamore and originally from Cork telephoned about this webpage .He reads it often and he believes that the present Keena family living in Bel –Air house mentioned recently are related to the original Daly / Keena family. He promised to write the information to this site.

Stephen id a member of the Offaly Historical Society and he will be giving a lecture next Wednesday night , February 8^th at 8.30 pm in Cloghan Hall. His talk will be on how to go about finding information on local history. Later in the year he has been invited to New York to give a lecture on Ballinahowen Parish. He will give us more details of times and venue nearer the time.

Colin and Niamh set off for Boston this morning and they are planning to visit the relations in New Jersey and wherever the road leads after that. I hope he will find time to record some of the places they visit.

Weather has been mild today after some heavy nights of frost earlier in the week.

River level continues to drop slightly but at the funeral today the low lying part of the callow upstream of the cemetery had a good finger of floodwater.

River level at the bridge today is 3.15 Metres Brian tells us.

He also told what Brendan Behan said about the Irish people. “ They are illiterate in two languages – Litter and Bruscar “

Good turn out for the Blessing of the Throats this morning at Mass. The blessing will be available at Mass this evening at 7 pm.