Notes from Dermot.

Last Sunday it was good to meet Rip O’Dwanny in Shannonbridge with hisorganiser Carrie and his friend Father J.J. O Leary all from WisconsinUSA. Rip owns the Castledaly Manor Hotel in Ireland and has a smallchain of hotels based mostly around Wisconsin. For years now Rip andhis staff has been offering an attractive seven day holiday trip toIreland from America. Flying over on a Wednesday the holidaymakers aremet at the airport and travel by coach to Castledaly Manor. This istheir base for the week. Daily escorted trips by coach are offeredeach day branching out from the Manor which is located almost in thecenter of Ireland. Or you can have a game of golf, a walk or an easyday. Contact them at www.harpandeagle.comFather O Leary told us that he is a member of the Jesuits and onceworked in San Diego.

Midlands Radio 103 is running a series of one hour programmes onMonday evenings at 7.00 pm. Presenter is Claire O Brien. Last week theprogramme was centered on Moate.In the programme on Monday 2nd March Shannonbridge will be featured. Anumber of organisations and groups were interviewed for the programmeso have a listen in.

Last weekend it was good to listen to The Men of Aran play inShannonbridge after a lapse of some ten years. Rob Frank and Paul arenow based in Dublin, Derry and Manchester so they have some excuse.They must have kept in tune as they provided a great nightsentertainment. Hope it will not be another ten years until they returnto Shannonbridge.

Last Monday Mick and I went to see a very enjoyable production ofHello Dolly in the Town Hall Theatre in Ballinasloe. I was glad to seeso many young faces on stage. During the interval I met an old friendRoger who told me that the musical society had canvassed students ontheir Transition Year and got a great response.

Last night Mick went to High Street Hall to see the High StreetPlayers production of‘Say Cheese’. A ten member cast put on a top class performance to a packed hall.I asked a man that lives near the hall if he was going to see ‘Say Cheese’.‘Deed I’m not’ he said ‘sure I know every one of them. Anyhow they allcall in to Kelly’s Pub in Belmont afterwards and I’ll see them there’

The old flood has receded greatly in the past ten days and the riverbanks are to be seen.There are a few people looking for worms and dead bait for fishing forroach and pike and whatever they find.

Went over to Manchester last week to attend John Francis Killeen’sfuneral. We booked airline tickets with Ryan Air some days in advancewhich cost Ten Euro each way. Getting to Dublin Airport we used Go Buswhich operates from Galway to Dublin Airport direct ten trips eachday. Be careful if booking on line to use the 24 hour clock. Two ofour party put down their outward time as 6.00. When they went to checkin they found that the tickets were for the morning flight. Twotickets one way there and then cost 220 Euro each.

Birds are busy using the peanut feeders at present. Temperatures areabout 10C during the daytime but evenings get cold. Brendan Coughlanfrom Clonfert thinks that the Crows are breaking the start time of First of March as when he is walking his four dogs he has noticed the odd crow heading off with a bit of a branch.

Recently I have met a few groups of visitors to Clonmacnois who havereturned disappointed that it was closed. The new tourist officecloses for the winter months and have a notice displayed announcingthis. The Visitor Center operated by the Office of Public Works isopen every day except Christmas Day and Good Friday.

Last weekend Joe Hiney and his daughter Nuala Hiney and Nuala’s friendNora Farrell arrived in Shannonbridge. They had completed a two daystaggered walk to Clonmacnois. On the first day they walked fromTobarlochna. Tobar was a married monk with a son and he had a cure forwarts. The Well or Tobar is called after Lochna.From the well theywent via Ballyboy, Kilcormac, onto the Boora Wetlands and the TurraunWetlands and travelled alongside the Grand Canal until they reachedGillen Bridge. The time taken for the first day was 7.5 hours.The second day they went from Gillen Bridge along the canal line toBelmont Mill which they visited. Afterwards they walked via Belmontvillage, to Clonlyon, to Clonfinlough Church, visited ClonfinloughStone, and on to Clonmacnois. The walk on the second day took 4 hours.Joe Hiney of course operated Hiney’s Bar in Ferbane for many years.And they are not finished walking. They have plans to walk fromPullagh via Boher, via Doon and on to Clonmacnois. And another timethey plan to walk from Kilbeggan along The Sliamh Mhor to Clonmacnois.They were interested in a walk that would take in Clontuskert Abbey,Eyrecourt, Clonfert, Meelick, crossing the Shannon to visit Teamphailland along the Esker Riada to Clonmacnois. Hope they report on their future walks.

The radio this week had an interview with somebody that told of a Ballinasloe connection with Danny Boyle, the Director of SlumdogMillionaires. I think his mother once lived in Ballinasloe.

Percy Mc Knight from Lough Derg and Syd Shine visited Shannonbridge on13th February. They were remembering a Sailing Rally that they hadorganised many years ago that was based in Shannonbridge. Do not be surprised if they organise a repeat rally to Shannonbridge