The Shannonbridge Midsummer Music Festival posters handouts and tickets have arrived from the printers today. The festival takes place from Friday 20^th June to Sunday 22^ndJune 2008. There is a dedicated website set up for the festival and please visit it at

www.myspace.com/shannonbridgefest

Among the attractions at the festival are boat trips to Clonmacnois on the 50 seater River Queen. This service will be available every Saturday and Sunday from now until September departing from Shannonbridge @ 9.30, 12.30 and 15.05. The River Queen departs from Clonmacnois @ 10.50, 13.45 and 16.25. See full details at their website www.silverlinecruisers.com Cost per trip for adults is 7 Euros for one way and 10 Euros for a return trip. Children charge is 4 Euros for one way and 6 Euros for a return trip.

If you go on an early trip take lots of time to visit Clonmacnois and catch a later return sailing.

Belmont Mill Watermill and Studios in nearby Belmont is now open to visitors and judging by their flier it should be well worth a visit. The date stone ‘1769’ mentions it being erected by John Clifford Wright and the names of Gilbert Holmes and Thomas Lestrange are on the following line. Seems that Henry Robert Perry, a Quaker, purchased the mill in 1859. It produced flour, pollard, bran and pin head oatmeal. I am told that there is a wonderful display of invoices and bill heads on display. It was built beside the River Brosna. Visit their website www.belmontmill.com or better still enjoy a visit to the old mill.

Today has been a bit overcast with rain in the morning and wind strong enough to turn a Surrey umbrella inside out. The angler was happy as his six pals had done the donkeywork on the swims. Fishing excellent early morning and he caught an amount of fish from 9pm to 10pm last evening. See next week’s fish report.

Sun has now shone through for the evening.