This morning in different centres around Ireland groups gathered to wait for The Dawn Chorus. Birr Castle grounds was the local site chosen and they were asked to come along at 4.00am. Derek Mooney had a special Mooney Goes Wild programme on radio.

Last Tuesday Mick Luker was telling how he opened the back door of Mc Donagh’s house where he is staying and was greeted by a swan on the doorstep who began hissing at him and flapping its wings. He closed the door and contacted Rose and Declan Ryan who came along and with the aid of a sheet directed the swan back to the river.

That night Ray Walsh was telling about a street near the Spanish Arch in Galway where every morning a Heron flies down the street and lands. It then goes over to the hall door of a house and pecks on the door. The door is opened and three or four sausages are handed out to the heron. It eats them and flies away.

When Brian from the Barge heard this he came out with a verse that went –

Faith is the bird

Who feels the light

And sings while the dawn

Is bright.

I went to hear The Three Tenors in a concert in Saint Michael’s Church in Ballinasloe last week. Their names were John Scott, David Martin and P.J.Hurley and they also had Collette Byrne singing with them. Aisling Shaw was on piano and Roisin X was on the violin. During the interval a fifty member school choir from Garbally and the convent sang a lovely selection. It was all in aid of the rebuilding funds to pay for the fire in the church some years ago. A most enjoyable night wWhile waiting for the concert to start the lady beside me pointed out that the marble steps and floor of the altar had been replaced by limestone. I was glad to see that the altar table remained intact. The brass light stands around the church have been removed. Alongside the altar was a simple but impressive empty tomb. Bishop Kirby in thanking everyone for their attendance noted that it was good to see so many full seats near the altar.

Before the concert there was a month mind Mass for the late Terry Birch in Clonfad Church.

Golfers will be glad to know that Oliver Hilliard’s annual diary “The Irish golfer’s guide to open fixtures” has hit the fairways last week and will be on sale in most golf clubs around. If you plan to play some golf in Ireland this diary tells you in calendar layout which golf courses have open fixtures and of course green fees are very much reduced.

Patrick Kenny asks the question “how did the Offaly man become a millionaire”? And the answer is that he saved up for an All Ireland ticket.

His brother in law asked Patrick today “what was the first thing that Mandela said when he got out of jail”?

The answer “did Roscommon get out of Connacht yet”.

Glad to see Kerrill Thornhill last night after arriving home from Sydney. Also glad to see his brother Michael who created this website and will use the 190 Euro from the recent table quiz to buy extra space. He reckons that the web can be bettered if more money became available such as a series of picture sections covering scenery, people, sport etc.

Pat Watson’s book has a lot to answer for. Recently Una Lyons got a copy of the book. Now Una often bakes a rhubarb tart for her son Joseph and his family. When Joseph called last week to collect the tart Una was immersed in Watson’s book and there was no tart baked.

Met a fifty member parish outing from Germany last Thursday who were planning on celebrating Mass in Clonmacnois. They had cleared permission with the OPW in Clonmacnois but they were in search of a chalice and stole and communion bread which Father O Hanlon supplied. I was wondering if they were from Wartzburg with the Clonmacnois / Saint Killeen connection but their priest told us that they were from a small town near where Saint Matthew is buried.

An attractive poster advertising a service to provide wall art cartoons for children’s bedrooms has a contact number 0509 51450.

Good to meet Harry and Mary Pearson from England who are on a visit to Ballinasloe. Mary was a Murphy from Jubilee Street and Harry first came to Ballinasloe as her boyfriend 48 years ago.

On Saturday 6^th May an Evening of Prayer on the eve of vocations Sunday was held in Clonmacnois. Martin Lyons gave me a lift to Clonmacnois where about 60 religious had a ceremony of prayer and a walkabout that involved a blessing and cleansing with water and stops at the Mass shelter, the Cross of the Scriptures and Saint Kieran’s Church with a number of hymns.

Some recent deaths in the area –

Kathleen Stallwood nee Kenny, a sister of Jimmy and Frank Clonfad has died in England.

Peg Hayes, nee Quinn relic of Jim Hayes and daughter of Michael John Quinn died in Banagher.

Kieran Ryan, Derrylahan who once worked in Bord na Mona and in more recent years provided a taxi service has died.

Babs Drumm, nee Egan from Clerhane and Longford has died and was buried in Longford. Babs was a sister to Jimmy, John and Martin Egan.

Peter Kenny, Cappaghleitra has died. He was a brother of the late Johnny Kenny.

Mrs Olive O’Neill, nee Johnson, Clonever, relic of the late Tom O’Neill and sister of Harold Johnson died and was buried today.

John Egan, Ferbane who ran a bicycle shop and TV dealer has died.

May they rest in peace.

The daily devotions to Our Lady of Clonfert continue each evening for the month of May.

Brian tells us that the river level on Saturday was 2.7 Metres. The weather was very good all the week with sunshine. Some thunder showers on Friday brought some heavy rain. There was rain today which was a bit of a spoil sport for Confirmation ceremony which took place in Shannonbridge.

On Saturday Mick took Pat, Phyllis Macklin and I on a pleasant boat trip in the sunshine

About five miles up the River Suck. Everywhere looked lovely and fresh with a variety of greens on the Callows, fields and trees. New rushes were about a foot over the water. Around Correen Ford there was a flock of swans numbering about twenty five. We saw several pairs of swans but no sign of a nest. Lovely to see the swallows swooping and feeding as they moved along.