The Irish Messenger monthly magazine can now be ordered at www.messenger.ie

The annual subscription (inclusive of postage) for EU countries and Ireland is 20.40 Euros. Cost for England is £16.80. Other countries cost $30 or 24 Euros. If you order through a local agent it costs less. Mary Killeen takes orders for the Messenger in Shannonbridge and locality.

Alec Mooney from Doon celebrated his 21^st birthday recently.

Yesterday Heleni Loman from Germany / England was in Shannonbridge to celebrate her 70^th birthday. Heleni is connected to the family that recently moved in to Jack Kenny’s old home in Cappaleitra village.

Today is 1^st April and is associated with Fools Day. In this area it is also Paddy Kenny’s birthday and today he celebrates his 80^th. Happy birthday Patrick. John and Shane Hardiman took him for a trip today from America to Shannonbridge and hopefully they will take him home again. For John Hardiman he produced a bit of magic and wrote down his exact age for him. Brad Crawford as Paddy calls him will be glad to know there were funds left in his Christmas pool to buy the trio a drink for Paddy’s birthday.

Theresa Daly phoned from San Diego on Sunday to let us know that a good friend of ours Warren Wendt had died last Friday. I have fond memories of Kay and Warren. Back in the 80’s after an operation Pat and I used to meet Kay out walking her dog called Duffie.

Coming up to Christmas we were preparing to move into an apartment as four of the Daly family where we were staying were coming home for Christmas. Talking to Kay one day we mentioned that we were moving into an apartment for Christmas. She immediately said that Warren and she and Duffie were heading out to the mid-west for the Christmas and that we were welcome to use their house. An offer we took up but an offer that remains of their kindness. Warren and Kay had planned to visit Ireland a few years ago but it was not to be. May he rest in peace.

Yesterday Tom Coonan from Geashill called in. Tom told us that he had taught school with my sister Doc in a town near Carlow many moons ago. He plans to call to see her when he is next in Connemara.

Tonight on RTE radio 1 at 10pm there is a 30 minute programme featuring the late John O Donohue, author of Ainm Cara, Blessings and other books.

Yesterday Captain Seamus Garrahy from Gettysburg and party stopped at Shannonbridge on their cruiser. Seamus told us that he met the nephew Sean Killeen in Louisiana I think and Sean told him to call. Seamus seems to be involved with Gung Ho Sauce.com in Gettysburg. Two of the ladies brought Moby for a walk and later Seamus brought him some chicken. There was no Gung Ho on the chicken and anyway Moby is a ham dog.

One of their party was very interested in battles and fortifications and had a good look around the Shannonbridge Martello fortifications and found the prison.

Seamus Garrahy left a present for Sean and one for the pub. The box contains a used gun shell containing sand from Iwo Jima which was collected by Cpl Seamus Garrahy on 14Mar07, from Invasion Beach “Green”. Boxed in a United States Marine Corps box with a picture of a group of soldiers raising the American flag on the inside.

A number of Shannonbridge Active Retirement people are heading off to the Galway Bay Hotel in Salthill on Sunday for three days. Galway has also been chosen for a one day trip on 16^th April.

John Price and Louise were surprised to hear that Creagh Church was once an army church attached to Costume Barracks Athlone.

Noticed that the five day weather forecast has sunshine for every day this week. It has a bit of wind going with it yesterday and today. Rain last week has caused the river level to rise. Lapping over the old jetty downstream.