Last week a grandson of Bridget Coughlan was in the area trying to get information on the Coughlan Family. His name is Edward Browne and he lives in Manchester. Tel 0161 796 1228.

The family he was tracing came from Clonascra and were children of Peter Coughlan and Catherine Nally.

Their children were

Mary Coughlan born 1880,

Anne born 11-8-1882

John born 26-4-1884

Bridget baptized 24-9-1886

Patrick “ 18-3-1888

Helen “ 29-1-1889

Catherine “ 17-1-1892

Elisabeth “ 28-4-1894

Rose “ 24-7-1896

Sarah “ 27-6-1900

Someone thinks that three of the girls were Mrs Mc Guinness Cloniff, Mrs Srahan Cloniff,

And Mrs Treacey of Garryduff. Most of the baptismal data was in the Ballinahowen Church Records.

Contact Edward Browne if you have any information on the family.

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One day Michael Heenan from Christchurch, New Zealand came along. The Heenan family went from Birr to Dunedin between 1848 and 1850. Michael is a keen rugby follower and is President of St Albans Shirley Club in Christchurch. E-mail sasclub@xtra.co.nz I asked Michael if he ever heard of the late Father Tommy Daly who was working in Christchurch and he told me that he was in his parish. If you have any Heenan history you can e-mail at the St Albans Club.

Congratulations to Frank Kelly and his bride Clare who got married last Saturday in Galway.

Welcome home to Colm Kenny from Australia and congratulation on your engagement.

Best wishes to Vincent and Ger Darcy and family who moved into their new home which they built in the Old Street which is the roadway to the right at the bottom of Gunnings Hill past Ard Chiarain.

Look out for The Ard Chiarain Weblink soon on the Shannonbridge website and consider the facility for a private retreat or a few days reflection.

Patrick Kenny from America went into the chemist in Ballinasloe and left his bicycle lying against the lamppost and when he came out there was his bicycle lying against the lamppost and it gone.

Cormac Mac Connell and some friends were revisiting Shannonbridge last weekend. Cormac writes the few lines for www.emigrant.ie/article.asp and he has an account of his last visit to Shannonbridge on the issue of October 27^th 2006

Met Brian Kenny Clondelara and his daughter Carmel on Sunday. Brian greeted me with a prayer that went –

Dear Jesus,

In Whose life I see,

All that I long for

And failed to be

Let Your clear light

Forever shine

To save and guide

This life of mine.

Carmel had a prayer that the late May Rock gave her when the first Chipper was opened in Shannonbridge on the 1^st June 1984 by Ignatius Green. Carmel and her sister Pauline were helping Alec.

The prayer May Rock taught Carmel went –

O Precious Mother Mary,

Mother of Divine Grace,

You can always find a way

When there’s no way.

Please help me,

You can’t say you can’t

You won’t say you won’t

So you will

Won’t you.

I contacted the Offaly Independent about their notice that the paper was available on their website.

They tell me that only the front page is available. They will post out a weekly copy to anybody that is interested but there is a charge.

Someone told me that there is a lot of information for people who are tracing their families that emigrated to America USA under www.ellisisland.org If you find any of my granduncles or grandaunts let me know..

Ray Walsh tells me that there are some wonderful aerial pictures of places in Offaly to be found under Straid meaning street on the County Offaly Website. Try www.occ.ie or a variation.

Pictured on the papers last week was Pecker Dunne in hospital in Ennis. Pecker has kept the other patients amused playing on his guitar cum banjo.

Sad news this week of the death of Brendan Mc Williams Wexford who wrote a very entertaining Weather Eye column on The Irish Times for some twenty years. Many of the columns may be read on The Irish Times website, Ireland.com. You can also visit his own website brendanmcwilliams.com

Say a prayer for the people of California that the fire and winds may abate.