The river level on last Wednesday was 4.33 metres at Shannonbridge and today Monday it was 4.52 metres. In the past week some towns in the South had some heavy rainfall and the papers showed aerial pictures of a flooded racecourse at Mallow?

Lots of frost and cold around and the birds were hungry. Last Tuesday Mary did a head count of birds using the nut feeders and food on the shed roof in the backyard.

- 15 Goldfinches

- 4 Greenfinches

- 10 Chaffinches

- 6 Sparrows

- 2 Blue-tits

- 2 Great-tits

- 1 Robin

- 1 Dunnock

- 10 Starlings

Plus an assortment of crows and rooks and jackdaws that swoop in regularly.

I noticed that the flock of Seagulls that had been on the flooded callow lands have gone away. I read on the papers that a tremor in England had sent a lot of birds scurrying for a safe place. Did the seagulls notice the warning?.

On Saturday 5^th Jan the christening ceremony of Daragh Fox, son of Louie and Valerie Fox took place in Kilcock. The God-parents were Cara Fox and Wayne Clarke.

Sad news on Friday of the death of a sister of Margaret Clarke, a sister of Valerie Farrelly who was buried in Arklow.

May she rest in peace.

Someone was telling us that there are some 360 students attending Creagh National School, which is beside Creagh Church and the point where the Shannonbridge road links up with the Athlone- Ballinasloe road.

Congratulations to Packie Joe Mc Manus and Maura Dolan who got engaged over the Christmas period.

Had a game of bridge with Joe Melia last Thursday. Joe told us that he had not played bridge for 13 years. His last partner was the late Tom Gleeson. Joe is very involved in the plumbing and gas maintenance business and you might have seen his van in the area last week with his trade-name The Gas Man. He still plays a mean hand of cards.

Padraic Turley tells us that Mary De La Torre died in Los Angeles on 8^th December last. She was a niece of Mary Bermingham and the daughter of Eileen Fabian (nee Duffy)

She is also related to the Claffey Family, Crevagh. Mary is survived by her husband Roger and two sons Ryan and Jesse.

May she rest in peace.

The Athlone branch of Inland Waterways has a website titled www.iwai.ie/athlone

While looking for an address last week, I came across the e-mail address for Jim and Lorraine Mc Kenna from Pottstown, Philadelphia who came on holiday to Shannonbridge for a number of years so I tried to send them a New Years greeting. Not sure if it travelled.

By pure co-incidence on Saturday night Bridie Carry asked me out of the blue if I ever hear from the family from Philadelphia. Bridie has mastered the art of the computer and no doubt will be contacting the Mc Kenna’s.

Today the Evans family stopped off in Shannonbridge .The parents live outside Sydney and are over on a holiday to visit their son in Newcastle. The three of them flew into Dublin with Ryan-air, hired a car and were making their way to Galway and district for a few days. This was their first time in Ireland and they were enquiring about where they might find a good fish-restaurant and music in Galway. I mentioned Mc Donagh’s and told them to try the area on the Quayside for music. Hope they enjoy their visit and get to see Connemara and The Ceide Fields.

Good to see Dermot and Michael Burke home for a few days. They were here for the months mind Mass for their late mother Mary.