At the 50^th birthday for Clonfad Church recently Archbishop Cassidy mentioned that the Irish for Clonfad was Cluain Fada which translates into English as The Long Meadow.

Heard that a busload of the Ballinasloe Active Retirement group set off for the airport last Monday bound for a ten day break in Malta. Well good for them. The flight better get back on time as I am told that they are taking part in this year's October Fair Week Parade staging their version of The Rose of Ballinasloe with contestants from all the streets and localities around the town taking part.

Good to see Mary and George Hogarty from Houston back in Shannonbridge for a few days. They visited Dingle and Listowel Races before coming to stay with Pat and Patti Corbett in Rachra House. The Hogarty’s first came to Ireland a few years ago on a family tree search. George’s family were originally from South Roscommon and there were seven boys in the family. The six eldest went to America and the youngest stayed at home. George has a cousin living in Newtown.

Mary’s grandfather was Eddie Murray who had an undertaking business in Boston and who often visited these parts as he was a cousin of mothers. On their first search Mary took along some photographs that Eddie had taken maybe fifty years ago or more. When they showed them to the Hogarty connection they recognized my mother, auntie and Mrs Mike Murray from Currawinna.

Good news about our local golfers. In the competition for the President’s Prize in Ballinasloe recently Shane Kelly 20, son of Sean and Mary Kelly Shannonbridge playing of a handicap of four, took 64 shots to set up a new coarse record. For the round Shane had 9 birdies and 1 bogie and was on the green in regulation for seventeen of the eighteen holes. Congratulations and well done Shane. Jim Killeen and Tom Mc Tiernan were his playing partners on the day and some of it must have rubbed off as Jim finished second.

Some bad news tonight for Shannonbridge footballers who are involved in a play off for relegation with Edenderry and Doon Clubs. In their match against Doon on Pattern Sunday the result was even scores. Later Shannonbridge were deemed to have made two substitutes with three minutes to play but only one player was taken off. At a meeting on Wednesday 20^th Sept Doon were awarded the match.

For the All Ireland Football Finals Karl Rock and a friend flew over from London to watch the game but were unable to get any match tickets and ended up watching the games in Barry’s Hotel in Dublin. The drawn minor game between Kerry and Roscommon is scheduled to be played in Ennis on this coming Saturday.

Plenty of rain and wind about with the tail of some hurricane due to pass by on Saturday. Talk is how the Ryder Cup will be effected if at all.

Pat Watson the writer was delivering some more of his books here today. He told us that he was asked to write a history of Summerhill Convent near Athlone. Pat had worked for some years on the farm with about fourteen and he thought that he would start gathering the thoughts of the other workers on the farm. When he started enquiring he was surprised to find that all the other workers were dead.