The great good weather for the past two weeks has meant for me a change of shirt. The summer shirts lack pockets and so there is no place to store my stationery provided by the Shannonbridge and Moore Lotto slips.

Anyhow this morning Mass was celebrated for the late Sister Agnes Kenny, Clondelara and Fiji Islands. Sister Agnes died in the Fiji Islands in the past two weeks and was buried there. As a youngster she was known as Patricia and had a pet name Trish.

She became a Sister of Cluney nun some 60 years ago. Her niece Carmel visited her in Fiji and she took her to the graveyard and showed her where she wished to be buried.

May she rest in peace.

At 3.55 today a Clergyman stopped outside and enquired of a visiting angler where the Confirmation was taking place. I told him it was scheduled for Clonfinlough Church at 4.00pm. Hope the Bishop made it on time.

Yesterday two men from Crank House called with posters for The Dawn Chorus Walk on Sunday 18^th May at 4.30 am. This year the walk is scheduled for the Boora Heritage area.

Plan to meet in the car park, which can be found by turning right at Boora Church as you travel from Cloghan towards Tullamore.

On 1^st May Aisling Corbett daughter of Noel and Marie Corbett, Shannonbridge married Paul Mc Kay from Clontuskert. The ceremony took place in High Street Church with Father Frank Murray and Father Michael Finneran officiating. The reception was held in The Shamrock Lodge. Congratulations to them both.

On 10^th May David Carty was married in Naas. Wishing them all the very best.

Number of enquiries about accommodation in the area recently.

Here are the Bed and Breakfast houses in operation –

-Vera Carty at Ashbrook Telephone 090 96 74166

- Brian and Dymphna Carroll at Ely House Telephone 090 96 74205

- Patti Corbett at Rachra House Telephone 090 96 74249

- Eamon and Marie Mc Manus at Laurel Lodge Telephone 090 96 74189

- John and Kay Brennan at Kajon House Telephone 090 96 74191

Self catering available at Killeens Telephone 090 96 74112

“ “ “ at Laurel Lodge.

Ard Chiarain self catering units operated by Ursuline Sisters for personal retreat etc

Contact Sisters at 090 96 74305

Pat Joe Claffey, aged 92 years, brother of Stephen and Seamus has died and was buried in High Street on Wed 30^th April. May he rest in peace

Jane Galtress, nee Mooney, Doon, has died in England. Burial will take place of her ashes in Clonmacnois on 31^st May. May she rest in peace.

Congratulations to Gerry and Lucy Quirke Shannonbridge on the birth of their baby daughter Ruth.

Congratulations to Mikey and Clare Cunney on the birth of their son Brendan.

Maeve Craughwell 93 told us that she and her sister Eileen Meaney 90 share the same birthday.

How many years have Kieran Coakley and Mary Kelly acted as quiz masters for the weekly winter series of table quizzes in Killeens.? This was the final question at this year’s final quiz. The answer is 15 years.

At the May Bank Holiday past I went along to Ballyvaughan in County Clare with Dick and Doc to attend the weekend law school.

This year the theme was titled East meets West – A Clash of Cultures Find out more about it at www.burrenlawschool.org

The variety of lectures and approaches was interesting. John Hume sang a few songs.

He sang Danny Boy and explained that it was a mother’s song for her son who had emigrated during the Great Famine.

On the Monday we went to visit John O Donohue’s grave at nearby Fanore.

Paddy Kavanagh the tour guide called in recently with a group of Hungarians.

Paddy told us that all they were interested in was Clonmacnois. Apparently some of the monks from Clonmacnois brought their message to Hungary.

On 22^nd April I wrote to Sinead O Reilly at the Offaly Arts Office asking her to have a look at this web and wondered if it would be possible to provide funding so that photographs might be included. No funding available.

In the last few days John Kinlough has visited the area. John is a son of the late Frank Kinlough who died 24 years ago this week. John has set up a website for the Kinlough Family and the address is johnkinlough@hotmail.com

He gave me an old Shannonbridge School photograph showing a line up of the two teachers and 88 students dated about 1930 to 1932.

Alice Egan identified about ten of the children and the teachers John Lane and Miss Mc Dermott so far. Pity that it cannot be shown here but have a look at the Kinlough web.

On 8^th May met two couples from the Czeck Republic who were on a cruiser holiday on the Shannon. Pavel and Jane Dupal and Milan and Alena Pisa were really enjoying their holiday. They had bicycles on their boat and so were able to visit places a little away from the river such as The Bog Rail Tour, Clonfert, and Meelick etc.

They were also fishing and had caught a few medium sized pike.

Colin Killeen and Niamh Houlihan are getting married on Saturday in Abbey Duniry near Portumna. It is great to see the cousins getting together. Brendan and Eileen and sons Colin and Kevin are over from New Jersey. Jim and Maureen are here from Chicago and John arrived on Monday. Eamon arrives tomorrow and Siobhan and three companions plan to arrive on Friday.

By coincidence Tom Mc Donnell from Dublin rang yesterday looking for Jim and Maureen’s phone number as Tom and his wife Dympna fly to Chicago today.

John got little rest after his flight as Mick and Jim and Maureen and himself headed down to Oughterard on Monday night. On Tuesday they visited Innismore and saw the church dedicated to Saint Ciaran of Clonmacnois. Today was golf in Ballinasloe.