Notes by Dermot, 5.4.09.

Con Lyons was here on 26th March 2009 and told us that his mother MaryTheresa Lyons, wife of the late John Lyons of Leharrow, Shannonbridge,died recently on 10th February 2009 in her family home in Ballinrobe,County Mayo. The late John Lyons was a brother of Geraldine Mc Manus,wife of the late Tommy Mc Manus of Leharrow.
The Irish Catholic dated 26th March www.irishcatholic.ie has aninteresting article on Paul’s first letters. Paul used collaborators to help in his response and a secretary to write down his words as Paul spoke. He had to be trained in shorthand. ‘’Quick as speech is, the hand is quicker’’ Before the tongue stops the hand has finished.The article describes how the short-hand copy was written with a pointed metal rod on a shallow wax filled wooden form roughly the size of a page. When the wax work was finished and the rough draft approvedby Paul, the scribe prepared two clean copies, one to be sent, the other to be retained for Paul’s archives. It describes the paper that was used and the pen and the ink and the cost. Words were notseparated, no punctuation or capital letters. Have a look at their web.
Stephen Brady is celebrating his 80th Birthday on Wednesday 8th April.On next Monday Alice Egan will be celebrating a special birthday.
Pat Joe Guinnessy was telling us that on the www.ballinasloe.comwebsite a camera shows shots of Main Street and Saint Michaels Square.Pat Joe makes use of it when his children are coming home by bus. Hecan see them getting off the bus outside of Kellers and then goes to collect them.
In a recent Under 20 All Ireland Rugby Quarter Final between Buccaneers and Lansdowne Conor Higgins Clerhane, Owen Doolin Shannonbridge, Joe Kenny Mullaghature, Rory Walsh and Lorcan Walsh Clonlyon were included on the Buccaneers panel and four of them played. Lansdowne had seven of the Irish Under 20 International team playing with them. Lansdowne won the match 30 points to 10 points.
Ciaran Flannery of Clerhane and Athlone was buried on Saturday 28thMarch in Clonmacnois. May he rest in peace.Coming out from the funeral the field opposite Cluain Chiarain hadmany daffodils in bloom. Kieran Darcy once lived there. The house is long gone but the flowers bloom on. The same day the funeral took place of Martin Ryan in Moore. Martin was a brother of the late Willie Ryan and of the late Mrs Pat Flannery of Crevagh. May he rest in peace.Yesterday the funeral took place of Alo Mc Namee, Delvin Park Ferbane and he was laid to rest in his native Tubberdaly near Rhode. Alo worked in the ESB and was involved in the organisation NITRO orNational Income Tax Relief Organisation. After hearing Father Declan Coyle telling on The Late Late Show, how in a typical week working in Manila he would attend to about six funerals of Manila children Alo was moved to action and with a few friends met Father Coyle and found a fund to help. They got colleagues in the ESB to make a small weekly contribution. Declan Coyle gave assurance that this money would be used to help the Manila Children.At the funeral Mass yesterday Declan Coyle was happy to tell that some 400.000 Euros have been collected to date. One of Alo’s hobbies was flying a small plane based in the Birr airfield. Remember when a friend took him for a flight some months ago during his illness Alo broke a wrist when trying to fly the plane May he rest in peace.
Good to see Michael Green home from Boston to attend the Memorial Massfor his late father, Gerry who died about one year ago.