On Easter Sunday Mick Doherty from Kidlawn had an 11 lbs pike while trolling from his cruiser using a Flying ‘C’ as a lure. Fish was returned alive.

Good to see Brendan Carty, Mary Bermingham and her friend Noreen home for Easter.

Enjoyed watching an hour long special on Showband singer Joe Dolan of The Drifters Showband on Easter Monday night on RTE. Joe died on Saint Stephen’s Day 2007.

Heard on Mastermind on Monday that The Corncrake is a landrail bird.

On Monday The Irish Grand National was won by Hear The Echo. The horse was priced at 33 / 1 and won by twelve lengths. Trained by Mouse Morris and owned by the Ryan Air boss Michael O Leary. The trophy was presented by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and as the commentator Bertie has been used in many Ryan Air adverts. But everything went well. Hear the Echo reminded me of the recent fun night in Moore Hall and I was sure Patrick Kenny would have a wager on The Echo as he played that role in Moore.

Sad to say Patrick does not back horses on Easter Mondays.

Some recent deaths include –

- Mrs Tumulty from Gorth, Moore, who was buried just before Easter.

Mrs Tumulty’s daughter Mary works in Joe Murray’s Hardware in River Street, Ballinasloe.

- On Easter Sunday Tommy Derrane the Ballinasloe plumber was playing bridge at the Galway Bridge Congress. Tommy and his partner had defeated two slam hands and while playing the third hand Tommy got a turn and died.

- Mrs Kenny of Kenny Bookshop and Art Gallery has died this week. Funeral tomorrow.

- Anne Kearns sister of Seamie and Kieran has died. Viewing this evening in her sister’s house near High Street. Removal tomorrow morning for Mass in High Street Church with burial afterwards.

May they rest in peace.

This afternoon a lady came in looking for hot water bottles. She and five family members are on a cruiser on the river and the temperature went to – 4 last night. We found one bottle after a search.

Shannonbridge GAA club are in the process of setting up their own website .Located under www.shannonbridgegaa.ie it will have up to date news, a memory lane and a photo gallery. Contact Jason Mahon or Roger Ryan if you have any photo’s or stories or whatever.

Yesterday there was rain, sleet and hailstones and dry patches. Today there was sunshine for most of the day. Flood level has eased back but the river is level with the top of the old jetty downstream of the quay. Glad to see the Millennium Cross of Daffodils in bloom on the Lamb Island just upstream from the bridge.

Birds continue to be hungry and the peanuts are being gobbled up.

Great to hear that the Fas people are cleaning up some of the walls in the village.

Today they cleaned the wall leading into the Parish Hall. There is a Tidy Town’s meeting tonight in the hall.