One of the workers who are repairing the Power Plant at Shannonbridge told us that his work will be completed on Tuesday and he expects the plant to be running shortly after.

Best of luck to Kathleen Egan and family who have moved into the house once occupied by the late Michael John Colman. The house has had extensive renovations.

Sorry that Mick and myself missed meeting Pat (Kieran) Devery and his brother Sean when they stopped off in Shannonbridge on Friday last. Both once lived in Leharrow and they were on their way to Pat Devery’s house in Castlerea. They promised to call back again.

The bad news on the papers last Friday was the announcement that the radio programme ‘Late Date@ with Val Joyce, 4 nights, and Lilian Smith 3 nights is to have a new presenter in the autumn. For what it was worth I wrote a letter of protest to Director of Programmes, RTE, Dublin 4.

On that Same Friday Mick and I took the train to Dublin to visit Pat who is recovering from an operation to improve circulation in her leg. Doing well. On the train we met Ray Collins the singer from Athlone. Ray told us that he was singing at a Requiem Mass in Saint Peter’s Church, Athlone recently and after the Mass a woman from Clonown came up to talk to him. Ray was expecting the lady to praise his singing but was taken aback when she said “Ray Collins, you’re like a wet cowshite on a road, you are all over the place”.

Best wishes to Bridie Carry who is over visiting her mother and family members for a month. She has started on the e-mail road so look out.

In the Where’s That section in the Irish Times 29^th May Slieve Bloom Flann O Riain has a number of interesting items on our local mountain. It has one of the oldest surviving Irish placenames, it was the place where Fionn Mac Cumhall was reared and fostered. In 1287 a fine of 100 cows was imposed on the Irish of Slieve Bloom for their lawlessness and since they showed no sign of paying, the cows had to be taken by force and driven to Kilkenny where they fetched £14/3s/4d informs John Feehan in his book The Landscape of Slieve Bloom (1979).

Two boats ran aground on Monday. One at Devenish was rescued by Brian and his Barge. Another cruiser went well up into the flood in Kenny’s Callow, Raghrabeg but has got back on the river.

A slight drop in the river level on Monday morning to 3.79 Metres and a good drying wind and some sunshine will hopefully continue the trend.

On Sunday one of the English papers carried a photograph of David Mc Dermott, Clondelara and London, joint managing director of Kilnbridge Construction Services who won the Fire Protection Specialist of the Year in the UK. Congratulations David and well done.

Some recent deaths. Dr. Kevin O Flanagan, aged 86, who played international soccer and rugby for Ireland has died.

Laurence Green, aged 42, Kinnity, son of Aloious Green, Garrymore and England died on Friday and leaves a wife and three children.

Mary Joe Leonard, aged 95, nee Flynn from Taughmaconnell, died in her home in Ahascragh. She had 11 children and all are alive. Six of the children at the funeral were drawing the old age pension. She was a sister of the late Father Hugh Flynn. She went to Ahascragh in 1931 as a young bride but always claimed to be a Roscommon woman.

May they rest in peace.

Heard that 13 different Scottish Stag Parties travelled to Poland last weekend for their parties and no doubt they must have been a wee bit disappointed to find that all the pubs in Poland were closed on account of the Papal Visit.

Is this a coincident? On Wednesday a touring bus stopped of for a break. The driver told me he was from Cavan Town. I know two people in Cavan town Hugh Gough and Brendan Coulter. I asked about Hugh Gough and he said he looks well as he walks to the paper shop with his hands behind his back as is his style. I told him about his failing eye sight and how he told me that he would like to visit Killykeen Lake. The driver told me that when he was next back home he would look him up and take him out to the lake. Today I telephoned Hugh to expect the driver to visit and take him to Killykeen.

Hugh said that on Sunday Brendan Coulter had called in and taken him out for a drive to KILLYKEEN LAKE. Howzabout that. He is in good form apart from the failing eyesight and a recent tumour operation. Hugh was largely responsible for drawing the CFB fishery maps for rivers lakes and duck ponds all over Ireland and writing the notes. The maps are still available on the CFB.ie website or is that net or com.

The Irish Times on Monday tell us that the Ordnance Survey Ireland has produced a digital archive of its early map series – much of which pre-dates the Great Famine. Using 40,000 maps from its archive the series. Search the article Maps show emigration patterns before Famine. A pre-release of the digital series is available on the web at irishhistoricmaps.ie. Eugene and Michael might note that the series will be officially launched at a national genealogy conference in Boston from August 30^th to September 3^rd. Find out where my grand-uncles and grand-aunts went If you have the time.