Today we are enjoying the third day of a promised six days of sunshine. Barry Crawford has arrived and he told us
that the temperature reached 26C yesterday.
Brad has just gone to the riverside below the Fort hoping to catch the bridge floodlit by the setting sun.

River levels are topics of conversation locally and with visiting anglers.On May 21st the level was 3.6 metres.
On Saturday 23rd May level was 3.53 metres.On Monday 25th May level was 3.45 metres.On 27th May it was 3.33 metres.
On 28th May level was 3.27 metres. On Monday June 1st the level was 2.9 metres.
Local angler Ray Walshe fished for trout on Lough Ree twice. On 24th May using a spent gnat Ray caught three brown
trout that weighed 2.6 lbs, 2.79 lbs and 3.02lbs. On his second visit he used a Cardinal Wolf fly and caught a trout
weighing 3 lbs 10 ozs. Ray caught all his fish between 8.00 and 10.00 at night.
- Chris Compton Cheltenham fished the Grand Canal on 22nd May in the rain using a bunch of maggots for a 33 lbs catch
that included 11 tench. Good fun and bites.
-His brother Mike Compton fished the Grand Canal on the same day and caught 4 tench and two bream on the feeder.
- Steve Nell from Sheffield fished the Grand Canal on two days.On a sunny 22nd May he caught 12.5 lbs of hybrids
and one tench weighing 2 lbs 12 ozs. Steve fished on a sunny and windy 25th May and used maggot and corn to catch
14.5 lbs of 5 tench and hybrids fishing late in the evening.
- An Athlone angler Dons fished at the Hot Water on 30th May and used double white maggot to catch a 2 lbs perch
-Bernard Hook of the Cullingworth Eight arrived in Shannonbridge today after fishing Killeshandra.
He had two good catches of bream and tench there while night fishing weighing 110 lbs and 79 lbs. Bernard told
us that the fish did not start feeding until after 3.00 AM in the night / morning.

Yesterday Ted Tuke arrived on his barge named Heron after travelling from Dublin.
The Heron was once one of the Celtic Cruisers narrowboats that operated out of Tullamore.
Ted reckons that the lockgates out as far as the 13th lock are in poor condition and require maintenance.
He is looking forward to when the Royal Canal becomes fully navigable. Ted reckons that many British people will come
to Ireland to do what is known as The Triangle. Using one canal to reach the Shannon and to return by the other canal.
Where they start from is not important. Ted found that The Heron performs better on the river than the canal due to
deeper water levels.

On Monday 25th May there was a good photograph of Peter Grenham, publican and undertaker, Ballinasloe talking to canvassers
outside Peter's Pub in Main Street,
Ballinasloe.

The death has occured of Paddy Wynne, Drumshanbo and late of Arigna. Paddy is survived by his wife, son and daugher.
His sisters were Mrs Eileen Keena, Aughnacabe and Maureen in Arigna. His brother Este lives in England.
May he rest in peace.

Wexford defeated Offaly in championship hurling at the weekend scoring 2 - 17 to 0 - 16.

Here a week ago was Don Murray from Greystones and originally from River Street Ballinasloe. Don had travelled up from Portumna on a cruiser and was met
by his brother Joe. About 1992 Don took part in a canoe trip from Lough O'Flynn, the source of The River Suck,travelling
down to the mouth of the river where it meets The Shannon at Shannonbridge.

James Taylor was telling us that a nest of Blue Tits have set up home on John Powers boat in Shannonharbour.
John had plans to name his boat Goldcrest after Irelands smallest bird. The boat is at a standstill at present and
name plans may also be altered. Wonder what will be the new name ?

'Its safe to sow spuds while you can see out through the ash tree' they say.
Today I met a man who had just reaped a crop of silage. Nowadays it is packed into a bag and makes for easy transport.
Met John Mc Manus this morning and he has an old song which hopefully he will share with us soon.

On Saturday I went to feed the robins and was surprised when two young robins came a picking. The parents seem to have
lost interest in carrying the food.
On Yesterday after Mass a chaffinch came to pick up some bread crumbs and went away. An older robin came and went for
a drink in the boat parked in the garden. No sign of the younger robins.
Today an older robin and one younger robin came along. We had run out of maggots over the weekend and they were only
mildly interested in a bread and cheese meal specially prepared. They picked at some older pickings and the older robin went
for another drink in the boat. Barry Crawford has taken over feeding duties and he has a cute camera so I hope to see
some good photos of birds in the garden.

Ken and Betty Smith have sent an e-mail on their bird life in their garden in California.
Hopefully I will be able to post it on this page soon