Dated 28^th November 2006

Some sport results from the weekend for overseas friends.

Ireland beat Pacific Islanders 61 – 17 in their last match in Landsdowne Road.

Manchester United and Chelsea played a 1 – 1 draw. Some eight people travelled from Shannonbridge for the match. Four flew and four went by boat.

In Gaelic football St.Brigid's from Roscommon beat Corofin from Galway 1 -10 to 0 – 10 in the clubs championship.

Paidi O Se is to manage the Clare football team in 2007.

The Ferbane Ladies footballers defeated Doon / Shannonbridge.

Lots of windy weather for the weekend and Monday with showers. More showers are promised for the week. The river level has gone up and there is water over the callows.

Today the first goldfinches used the feeders which are a sign that the natural berries have gone scarce.

The barman at Dooley’s Hotel in Birr lives in Creagh and he was telling us last evening that they have four weddings booked between Christmas Day and New Years Day.

The Mill Hill magazine in Freshford Kilkenny has two photographs of Father Paddy Kenny celebrating his Diamond Jubilee. It is a well turned out magazine and they ask anyone wishing to get the magazine to send a subscription to them. No price was mentioned. Sunday and Monday were two funeral days for me. My cousin Bernadette Grenham, Kilgorve, Ballinasloe died on Thursday and was buried in Creagh cemetery after Mass on Sunday. Bernie had suffered with cancer in the past year. She was married to Joe Grenham and for some years they operated the pub in Main Street which is now Declan Egans. A bit of family history there as her father Patrick and my father James J. at one time bought that pub and later my father bought the pub shop in Shannonbridge.

Bernie and Joe had five children – Joan, Oliver, Niall, Brian and John.

Bernie has one sister Frances who lives in the Isle of Man.

On Monday Harold Johnson, Kilclooney and formerly Lissduff was buried after a service in St.Johns Ballinasloe. Harold was married to the late Annie Coughlan, Annaghmore.

They had two children Joseph and Martha. Harold was well known for his involvement with agricultural machinery and wore a hat and glasses. His sister was married to the late Tom O’Neill, Blackwater. May they rest in peace.

The graveyard where Harold Johnston is buried is called Kilclooney. One of the locals told me that the ruined church in the graveyard is Saint Grellan’s Church. Apparently Ballinasloe lies in the parish of Kilclooney and Creagh and the old Creagh church is part of the cemetery at Creagh. Kilclooney is to the left of the Ballinasloe – Ahascragh road and is signposted.

Today I contacted the Enterprise Board in Tullamore regarding this website. For some time it has become obvious that a picture gallery would be very useful on this web. Our webmaster told us some time ago that to buy the required picture space would require a substantial sum alone. Friendly means of putting the photographs on the web would also be required and an amount of work no doubt in setting up the system.

Some of the categories covered might include !. Sport both present and historical relating to the area. 2 – Views of Shannonbridge and the area. 3 – Photographs of people from the area. 4 – An obituary section. 5 – Historical photographs. And others.

Hopefully something will develop and then we can start adding your photographs to share with others.