Regular angling visitor Colin Wollaston arrived fit and well in Shannonbridge on Thursday night and on Friday he fished on the Shannon and had a 40 lbs plus bag of roach and hybrids.

This week has been great weather-wise with temperatures of 21C /70F. Wish we had the heat for the winter as today it was announced that the electricity is to get a 19.7% rise in January. The gas price is being increased by 34 % at year end. Now I feel sorry about the two chaps who called in yesterday asking if we bought gas bottles. When I asked him how many he had he said he had a van load of them. It will cost him a fortune to refill them.

Oliver Darcy was reminding us this evening that in 1951 Mayo won the senior football All Ireland and Roscommon won the minor title. Both western counties appear in this years All Ireland football finals in a couple of weeks time. Tickets are like gold dust.

Oliver had a pocketful of freshly picked hazel nuts from Currahill which he kindly broke and ate.

Norman and Lily Gray from Nottingham have been on fishing reading and sightseeing trip for the past week and return home tomorrow. It is their first trip to this area and hopefully they will return again soon Wish we had Lily more local as she read four books in the week and would be very welcome in the local library.

Good news late on Friday evening with the birth of a baby girl to Shane and Sinead and a 9 lbs 9 oz baby sister for Eabah. Congratulations and enjoy. The name Ciara Mary is being considered as the baby was born on the feastday of Our Lady and less than two hours before Saint Ciaran's Feastday.