Clonmacnois Parish Newsletter
Sunday 27th July 2008 - 17thSun A
Tel (090) 9674125 Fax (090) 9674267
Mass times: Shannonbridge - Weekend, 8pm (Sat), & 12noon Sun;
Weekdays, 10am. Clonfanlough - Sunday, 10.30am


Shannonbridge
Masses: Each day @ 10am
Adoration all day on the First Friday until 6pm
Last Sunday's Offertory collection: €550. Many Thanks
Church Cleaners: A.Ryan, L.Turley, M.Mitchell
Eucharistic ministers: Group1
Readers for next Weekend: Group 1, D.Finnerty, P.Corbett
Altar Servers for this week: Megan, Michaela
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Clonfanlough
Mass on the First Fri @ 7pm; this will be an anniversary Mass for Brian Hunt
Last Sunday's Offertory collection: €365. Many Thanks
Church Cleaners: J.Egan, B.Dolan
Readers for next Sunday: H.Coughlan
Altar Servers for next Sunday: Group B Eucharistic minister for next Sunday: B.Coughlan

Blessing of Graves
We hope to have Mass with the Blessing of graves in the 'New Cemetery' in Clonmacnois on Fri 8th August @ 7.30pm.
In Glebe on Mon 4th Aug @ 7.30pm.
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Stroke Support Group
Meeting in the Health Centre Ballinasloe on 30th July @ 7pm.
Topic: 'Health Eating following Stroke'.
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Youth 2000 Summer Festival, Clonmacnois
Thurs 14th - Sun 17th August; for young people aged 16-35, an opportunity mot to be missed to experience the Catholic faith and meet many new friends. Donation only. Free buses available from around the country.
The weekend will include inspiring talks, dramas, a concert, prayer, Mass, games & times of sharing. For more info contact 01-6753690, or check our website as follows:
www.youth2000.ie, or xx-youth2000-xx.bebo.com
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Diocesan Youth Ministry Athlone
Summer camps for the 10-16 year olds.
Mon 18th Aug - 22nd Aug; Mon 25th Aug - 29th Aug. €80 per person.
Begins @ 9.30am; concludes @ 3.30pm.
Children to bring 2 packed lunches each day.
All activities will be supervised and will take place in St Mary's Hall, Northgate St Athlone. Call 090-6473358 for more information
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National Learning Network
A 'Fresh Start Training Programme' will begin in Sept, in Athlone for those who are unemployed or registered with a disability. This is a Fás approved Course with a weekly training allowance.
Call Martin on 090-6441260 or Maureen on 090-6479293.
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Offaly Sports Partnership
It is proposed to have, in the near future, an 'Older Men in Sport Consultation Day', to identify ways in which older men (50+) can be encouraged to take part in some kind of sport and/or physical activity. (No date received yet). For more info call 057-9357462.

Shannonbridge Footballs best team ever
1. Malcolm Cassidy
2. Mick Devine 3. Pat Corbett 4. Eamonn Mahon
5. Ger Corbett 6. Frank Coleman 7. Colm Kenny
8. John Ryan
9. Aidan Brazil
10. Niall Shea 11. Declan Mcevoy 12. Jason Kelly
13. Vinny Mooney 14. Packie Shea 15. Fergal Mcevoy

Subs:
16. Packie Brazil
17. Ciaran Connor
18. Pat Joe Kelly
19. Mark Carty
20. Peter Kelly
21. Joe Mahon
22. Vinny Darcy
23 Donie Claffey
24. Anthony Kelly

Management:
Dessie Dolan
Frankie Guinan
Jimmy Mooney
Denis Loonam
Jack Walsh

Clonmacnois Parish Newsletter
Sunday 20th July 2008 - 16th Sun A
Tel (090) 9674125 Fax (090) 9674267
Mass times: Shannonbridge - Weekend, 8pm (Sat), & 12noon Sun;
Weekdays, 10am. Clonfanlough - Sunday, 10.30am
Shannonbridge
Masses: Each day @ 10am
Last Sunday's Offertory collection: € Many Thanks
Church Cleaners: K.Price, C.Curley, P.Anderson
Eucharistic ministers: Group 2
Readers for next Weekend: Group 6, E.Casey, D.O'Carroll
Altar Servers for this week: Ciara, Dylan
Mass on next Sat eve for the late Winifred & Hubert Darcy
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Clonfanlough
Last Sunday's Offertory collection: €255. Many Thanks
Church Cleaners: K.Kenny, A.Kearms
Readers for next Sunday: D.Norton
Altar Servers for next Sunday: Group A Eucharistic minister for next Sunday: A.Rohan

Blessing of Graves
We hope to have Mass with the Blessing of graves in the 'New Cemetery' in Clonmacnois on Fri 8th August @ 7.30pm.
In Glebe on Mon 4th Aug @ 7.30pm.


Parish P.C. Meeting
Mon 21stJuly @ 8pm in Clonfanlough Hall
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Youth 2000 Summer Festival, Clonmacnois
Thurs 14th - Sun 17th August; for young people aged 16-35, an opportunity mot to be missed to experience the Catholic faith and meet many new friends. Donation only. Free buses available from around the country.
For more info contact 01-6753690, or check our website as follows:
www.youth2000.ie, or xx-youth2000-xx.bebo.com
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Pioneer T.A.A.
Church Gate Collection next weekend.
Anybody who may wish to receive the Silver, Gold, or the Fr Cullen medal please contact any member of the committee as soon as possible.
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Direction for our Times
Eucharistic Day of Renewal, at Kilnacrott Abbey, Co Cavan;
Sat 16th Aug, 9am - 4pm.
The day will include Mass, Talks, Rosary, Confession, and a Holy Hour with a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament @ 3pm.
For more info contact 042-9694947.
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National Learning Network
A 'Fresh Start Training Programme' will begin in Sept, in Athlone for those who are unemployed or registered with a disability. This is a Fás approved Course with a weekly training allowance.
Call Martin on 090-6441260, or Maureen on 090-6479293.
¨¨¨¨
Diocesan Youth Ministry Athlone
Summer camps for the 10-16 year olds.
Mon 18th Aug - 22nd Aug; Mon 25th Aug - 29th Aug. €80 per person.
Begins @ 9.30am; concludes @ 3.30pm.
Children to bring 2 packed lunches each day.
All activities will be supervised and will take place in St Mary's Hall, Northgate St Athlone. Call 090-6473358 for more information.

GAA.
Jason Kelly has been selected to play for Offaly against Down in the All Ireland Senior Football qualifiers in Tullamore on Saturday evening next at 7.00pm.
Well done Jason and best of luck on Saturday.

GAA News from PRO Jason Mahon

Division 1 football league, Shannonbridge 0-12 Ferbane 2-06, 08/7/08

On Tuesday evening last, Shannonbridge entertained a Ferbane team looking to exact revenge for their 6 point defeat at the hands of a very determined ‘Bridge side. The concession of 2 goals in the first 5 minutes did not help Shannonbridge’s cause but with David Corbett (0-4) at full-forward to the fore, they fought back to level the scores 0-9 to 2-3 at the interval.

The second half was a much more tense affair, over-all sloppy play from both sides and a lot of wides kicked ended up with county player Jason Kelly pointing from a ’45 with the last kick of the game to give Shannonbridge a deserved share of the spoils.

Team: D Kelly, W Keena, P Maloney, M Darcy, K Flannery (0-1), K Kearns, D Turley, J Kelly (0-3), J Ryan, J Egan, A Kelly, P Egan, S Flannery (0-1), D Corbett (0-4) & P Deeley (0-2).

Subs: C Duffy (0-1) for A Kelly, C Corbett for S Flannery, D Finn for P Egan and Cheesy Kelly.

Junior B championship Shannonbridge 1-07 Tullamore 0-7, 28/6/08

Shannonbridge put themselves in pole position in group 1 of the junior B football championship with a very impressive victory over Tullamore in Shannonbridge.

Team: M Deeley, B McManus, V Darcy, C Norton, R Walsh, C Kenny, M Thornhill, D Corbett, J Killeen, C Duffy (0-3), P Kelly (0-1), A Coughlan, D Claffey (0-1), J Walsh (E Egan) & S Coughlan (1-1).

Subs: M Kilduff, A Kelly, C Finn, N O’Shea, P Brazil, D Hogan & E Egan.

Club Website: The club is currently in the process of launching a new website to provide our supporters from near & far with up to date information of our activities as well as an opportunity to have a look down memory lane in our impressive photo gallery. The address will be as follows: www.shannonbridgegaa.com.

We hope to have this website up and running before the end of the summer.

Shannonbridge/Doon lotto.

Congratulations to Dennis Loonam from Clonfanlough, who recently won the GAA lotto. Dennis won a cool 6600Euro.

Today Jack and Helen Killeen from Sale, Victoria, Australia stopped by to visit Killeens of Shannonbridge. Jack’s mother was a Gargan, and he married Helen Bermingham.

When Jack showed me his business card and it read Bridge Solutions Australia I thought that this was a useful one to know. It turned out that he is in the bridge building business.

Jack told us that when the Killeens first settled in Australia they chose a place called Boisdale near Maffra in Victoria. Some of them are still in that area.

Mick gave them a present of one of Louise Killeen’s CD’s and Jack said that his cousin Tracey Killeen is a singer in Brisbane and writes her own songs.

There were showers around but the hell with it we went to have a look at the bridge at Shannonbridge and the old swing bridge. They have swing bridges in Australia also.

Then we made a quick visit to Clonmacnois for a look around and to see the video.

It was too wet to walk to the site of Saint Killeen’s Church as the video in English was about to start.

We talked about Killeen Castle and they were determined to find it. So off they went East.

We look forward to meeting his sister when she comes to visit Ireland later this year.

Recently Megan Donohoe has been in contact from America seeking information on the Belton Family as a Patrick Belton was her great great grandfather. At one time a Frank Belton wrote ‘Memories of Shannonbridge’ which can be found on the Shannonbridge webpage under Famous People. It was used on his memorial card when he died.

The Belton Family were in charge of the canal stores in Shannonbridge when the canal boats were operating.

I am told that there was a separate store to house Shackle ton’s Flour and Mr. Kinlough was in charge of this store.

Last night I met Larry Mc Grath from Allenwood who told me that his brother Paddy Mc Grath from Prosperous died on 4^th February 2008. For many years Paddy led family members and friends on a visit to the Shannonharbour Boat Rally weekend. Later they came upstream to call at Shannonbridge where he made many friends over the years. Last year on their way home Paddy got sick in Tullamore and he was sick for seven months before his death. He was aged 73 years.

Larry was in company of his brother Mark Mc Grath and Nancy Boland and Murt Cronley who are all now living in the Allenwood / Prosperous area in Kildare.

Nancy Boland had an Uncle John Boland who drowned on Lough Derg in 1946 on the 45M when it sank.

Also drowned on that barge were Ned Boland and a Mc Grath. The body of the Mc Grath man was never found.

Larry Mc Grath is married to a Theresa Killeen from Mayo Abbey. Larry told me that the skipper of the first canal boat to take a load from Shannonharbour to Dublin when the canal boats started up was a John Killeen. Howzabout that then. May Paddy rest in peace.

On Late Date during the week John Creedon told about a little girl who was busy digging a hole in her garden

The neighbour spotted her digging and enquired what she was doing.

‘My goldfish is dead and I am digging a hole to bury it in’ replied the young girl.

‘And isn’t that a big hole you are digging for your goldfish’? asked the neighbour.

‘Yes said the young girl because it is inside your cat’.

Colonel Mort Buckley Cloghan died during the week and was buried in Clonmacnois yesterday.

Mort Buckley served with the Irish Army in Costume Barracks Athlone and in 1960 he was leader of the first Irish peacekeeping force that was sent to the Congo He retired in 1975 and was involved with his little farm and doings around Cloghan. He was aged 93.

Yesterday the army gave him a full military funeral with military police on the roadway and soldiers carrying the coffin draped with the Tri- colour flag to the graveside. Then they folded the flag in a ceremony and presented the flag to a family member. A volley of shots was fired from the hillside and a trumpet and drum played The Last Post. I noticed that the trumpeter was Joe Byrne.

Jimmy Redmond was at the funeral and he told after the funeral that he was only 17 years when he joined the army in Athlone and was the youngest in Colonel Buckley’s brigade Soon afterwards he was off to the Congo.

Mort is survived by two sons and four daughters.

May he rest in peace.

The singer Maisie Mc Daniels died and was buried during the week. She was a very popular singer in the Showband Era and is buried in Sligo. May she rest in peace.

GAA.
Contrasting fortunes for our teams this week: -
In Div.1 of the league our Seniors were beaten by St. Brigid's (Croghan) by 2-14 to 1-6.
Our Juniors had a great three point win over Tullamore in the Junior B Championship on a scoreline of 1-7 to 0-7, to make it two wins from two outings.