Boora Parklands was featured on the Nationwide T.V. program on 22^nd October.

There is a webpage www.sculptureinthepark.com which might give you a glimpse of what you missed.

Tommy Darcy was here on 22^nd October. Tommy was eleven years old when the family moved from Crevagh to the Daingean area. Tommy is married and they have two children Martina and Martin. His brother Jimmy Darcy is married and they have six children and live in Daingean. His other brother Kieran is a single and lives in Ballinagar

Their father Jim Darcy died 13 years ago and their mother Mary Anne nee Greene from Blackwater died three years ago.

Tommy told me that he was a step brother of Louis and Oliver Darcy Shannonbridge.

Met a couple who were on a river cruising holiday on 28^th October who live in Dripsy in County Cork. They told us that Dripsy is located where the dam was built on the River Lee. There is a small tributary joining the Lee called The Dripsy. I mentioned that I knew a person named Terry from Ovens. They said that they were from the Parish of Ovens. And then I asked them if they knew Terry O Driscoll. They told me that Ovens was on the other side of the river and they did not know him.

On a recent Eggheads quiz show on BBC one of the questions asked was ‘With her head tucked under her arm’ was part of a song written about which English Queen.

The answer was Anne Boleyn. And that’s only one line so there’s more.

Watching a recent rugby match played in England between Munster and Sale the camera gave a close up mug shot of Tony Lyons from Kilcock. His uncle Oliver tells us that he is an ardent Munster follower and travels to away matches regularly.

Munster won that game on 19^th October.

On Friday 24^th three members of the Roper Family from Boston stopped off at Shannonbridge during a weekend cruise on the Shannon.

Their family left Ireland in 1850 and came from Mountrath.

Some years ago two of the family visited Ireland and got a list of all the Ropers living in Ireland. When they got home they wrote a letter to everyone on the list.

They were disappointed with the response which was zero.

My sister Pat is fond of doing the three crosswords on the daily papers and regularly seeks help when stuck for a word. Just the other day Patrick Kenny and John Hardiman were visiting. Pat asked Patrick what the answer to the clue given ‘Double-reed Instruments’ was.

Patrick replied immediately ‘That would be Mickey Joe’

Mickey Joe Reid was a renowned accordion player who lived in Shannonbridge and died about 40 years ago

Somebody told me recently about a website www.buildingsofireland.ie which might be worth a visit.

The first snow of the year arrived this week and fell in Antrim. Today’s paper has a photograph of a tractor in the Wicklow Mountains helping to rescue sightseers from a touring bus that got caught in the snow.