Joe and Mary Coleman from Leeds have been on holiday for the past two weeks using the attractive packages offered by the sister hotels The Galway Bay in Galway and The Hodson Bay in Athlone. They completed their break by spending the weekend in Shannonbridge.

In Shannonbridge for an overnight at the weekend were Harold Holding and his good lady. Harold was born in Cloniff and now lives near Mullingar where he helps his daughter Suzanne run her popular bar and roadhouse known as ‘The Roadhouse’ which is located on the Dublin Road , Mullingar.

On Saturday Colm and Anne O’Brien stopped off in Shannonbridge on their way from Cork to Clifden where Colm was presetting a piano concert yesterday. The concert was organised by Brendan Flynn Clifden / Taughmaconnell. They stayed in Shannonbridge overnight and Colm played the piano.

Congratulations to Josephine Egan from Woodbank who celebrated her 21^st birthday on Saturday night.

Clonfad Church celebrated 50 years in service at the weekend and at Mass there last evening it looked that there was about five weddings taking place judging by all the beautiful arrangements of flowers on display.

At that Mass it was announced that the mother in law of Michael Kelly from Cloneish had died and that her funeral takes place today in Kilkenny. May she rest in peace.

Rudolf and Gertrude Steiger and Stefan and Ingrid Jagschitz from Vienna are visiting Ireland for the first time and are on a cruising holiday on the River Shannon using an Emerald Starline hire boat. They have a preference for single malt whiskey and do not fish – just cruise.

Weather this morning has turned to a light rain with some wind after a glorious week.

The All Ireland Football Finals were played yesterday in Croke Park. Our neighbours Roscommon and Kerry ended with 0 – 15 each in the Minor Final and face a replay. The Kerry Senior Team were much to good for Mayo, God help us, and scored 4 -15 to 3 – 5.

On Saturday evening I met a couple from Indiana who were on a family tree search .for an Egan from Seven Churches (Clonmacnois ). They go back to an Egan who sailed on a boat named Napoleon, from England to America in 1840. There was also a Coleman connection on the tree. They planned to meet Father O’Hanlon and Gus Claffey yesterday hoping to find some more information in the parish records or in the Clonmacnois grave allotment books.

By co-incidence Joe and Mary Coleman appeared later in the evening. Joe told me that the Coleman family came from North Roscommon and settled here because some landlord at the time was trying to get them to change their religion. Joe’s great grand father was in the British Army. Later he operated a Pub in Sheffield and he was murdered.

Mick and Mary are taking a break for a few days in Killarney to celebrate their 40^th wedding anniversary. Listowel Races take place this week and of course the Sam Maguire Cup will be reaching Killarney sometime later tonight.