Dated 30^th March 2007

The Midland Tribune main headline ‘Anger over Tipp job losses’ concerns 280 people being let off by Proctor and Gamble at their plant in Nenagh.

Killoughey Foroige is doing a 11Kl. Sponsored bed-push from Tullamore to Blueball on Easter Saturday in aid of Alzheimer’s Association. Elsewhere on the same page the Tribune tells us that Killoughey Foroige is doing a 11Kl. Sponsored bed-push from …….

Tonight Paudge & Company are listed as providing the entertainment at Tullamore Court Hotel.

Last night at Shannonbridge Library someone was seeking Art Books and the stocks were low.

Yesterday Mike Keenan from Ferbane was in the area publicising his next appearance on television. Mike sings in the Glor Tire competition on TG4 at 10.30pm on 18^th April.

Mike tells us that Glor Tire is Voice of the country. Tire means country and the Glor has a slanted line over the o. He has chosen to sing Desperadoes by The Eagles.

Deirdre Higgins from Tubber was in the DDN Star Search Semi-Final on Tuesday 27^th March at 5 o’clock on RTE2 but I only heard about it last night.

Both are talent competitions with the phone in votes deciding the winner or who gets through. To vote for Deirdre text ‘Act A’ to 53539.

The Connemara Marathon and Half-marathon take place take place this weekend. Over 3,000 runners or walkers have entered and Doc tells us that Eley and Mikey are running. The third child got a doctors cert and opted out. Seems that the contestants and spectators are getting bussed out to their starting or viewing positions from Oughterard. Hope that they go easy with the water as there is a major problem with the drinking water in Galway with many people getting sick. Some politician during the week told that 21 Million had been allotted to improving the water in Galway County but had not been used.

Friday evening the late Father Tom Ryan was remembered on his birthday with a special Mass in Clonfad celebrated by Archbishop Joseph Cassidy.

The Munster rugby team lost to Llanelli in their European Cup Quarter Final match.

Of course everyone was watching Ireland and England in their World Cup Cricket match. England won by 48 runs.

Yesterday a man named Mc Aloon from Northern Ireland, who has lived in Illinois for twenty years called in. He had his two uncles from Glasgow with him. One a Kirkpatrick and the other a Mc Aloon. They were having a look around Ireland and hoping to find a Mc Aloon pub or shop. Nothing doing Mc Aloon. Friends think the spelling may have been changed and there are similar names around Donegal and presumably in N.Ireland.

In the village on Thursday was a lady conducting a poll. She told me she worked for Red Sea or Red C. She asked me if it would be all right to ask a few questions. Fire away.

~ Question 1 – Do you intend to vote in the forthcoming General Election?. Answer Yes.

~ Question 2 -- Would you mind indicating your 1, 2, 3, order of preference for the candidates on this sheet ? showing a list of candidates for Laois / Offaly with a box for your preference. Enough is enough and that finished the census questions for me.

The weather has continued good despite promises of rain and the forecast on the Irish Times shows lots of sunshine for next week. The flood level continues to ease back but still has some bank-sides flooded. The back river looks good from the village bridge and the cross shaped bed of daffodils planted for the Millennium is now in full bloom.

Doc tells us that the May fly has started to rise from the beginning of March on the Connemara lakes which is many weeks earlier than usual.

Glad to meet an English visitor from many years ago who has returned to the area. But he is on a different mission. A good friend of his named Kay is very sick over in England and he is visiting Emmanuel House of Prayer in Clonfert seeking prayers for his friend from Eddie Stones and members of the house. Please say a prayer for her as well.

Today two old pike angling friends arrived in Shannonbridge for the weekend. They caught one six pounder today and will fish again tomorrow. It is four years since they first fished this area and at that time they had caught a 20 Lbs plus pike on the River Suck near the mouth of the river and they were looking for weighing scales.
The Midland Tribune has an article and photographs about Baskets Galore in Belmont and shows a group a group that have been attnding basket weaving classes in Perrys Mills with Padraig Larkin Lusmagh as their instructor.