At the end of July Ramon Alcalde from Catalonia was in Shannonbridge. When I enquired what part of Spain Catalonia was situated Ramon said that it was not in Spain. Catalonia is Catalonia according to him and they have been seeking independence since the 1400s.

Ken and Betty Smith forwarded an information pack from a Uganda couple that were successful in the USA and have organised help for Uganda. They were surprised that our Kate Thornhill was able to achieve so much during her stay in Uganda.

In recent weeks there has been much use of the waste collection wheelie bins at the riverside. For years a big industrial skip was a great help but this has now been replaced by wheelie bins. The last skip arrived on a Friday evening and on Saturday morning it contained a three piece suite and a heap of used carpet.

Michael and Mary Kate Horan from Connecticut are presently on holiday in this area. Michael is from Clonaderrig and Mary Kate is a Flannery from Crevagh.

Met a family of Mc Cauleys who were enjoying a cruise on the Shannon last week. Rita told that the family lived in Belfast until the Troubles started in the north, when the family of eleven moved to Dublin. Rita herself now lives in Orland Her friend Tenley Hibbard came along for the trip.

It was great to have Eamon and Tony Killeen and Corey from California stop by while on a mini European holiday last week. The first evening Colin took us on the boat for a late evening visit to Clonmacnois. Corey caught a good sized perch which was returned alive. Next day in beautiful sunshine we took the boat downstream to Banagher but caught no fish. Before departing Eamon visited his great-grandfathers resting place in Clonburren Abbey which was very well maintained.

On Friday Father Rory Deane from Wexford and Port Aransas Texas came along with my cousin John of Togher whom he knew as a priest in Texas. After Mass Father Rory had a good chat with Jim Rodgers with whom he once played with on the Wexford football team. He wished to see Father Sonnie Kinlough’s grave so off again to Clonmacnois. He noticed the tombstone of Father Patrick Lane and commented that a Father Pat Lane taught him Irish in school in Wexford. And it was our Father Pat Lane. There were so many priests in the diocese at the time that the Bishop farmed them out to other dioceses and Father Pat Lane was loaned to Wexford. Father Rory gave me a few little poems. One is in the Fishing Report this week. The other goes as follows –

Last night I held

A little hand

So tender and so sweet

I thought my heart

Would surely break

So wildly did it beat.

No other hand

I ere had held

Such joy to me did bring

As the hand I held last night

Four Aces and a King.