Papers tell us that the High Crosses at Monasterboice in Louth
may be moved to a visitor center for protection.Ther is a foot long
crack in Muiredach's Cross and others are being effected by weather.
The site dates back to around 500 AD and was founded by Saint Buite.
At present about 100,000 visit Monasterboice each year and are shown
around the site by volunteers.

A new £80 Million Grand Canal Theatre has been built
in Dublin's docklands. It has 2,111 seats and opened on
Thursday 18th March with the Russian State Ballet presenting
Swan Lake.

A new gas-fired 350MW power plant is to be built at Lumcloon
on the site of the old Ferbane Power Plant.

Daithi Ban,better known as David Butler from Kilkenny has been
travelling around Ireland in recent weeks promoting the Irish Language.
He was in Galway for the Saint Patrick's Day Parade as the mascotfor
rith.ie,the 1,600 Kl run which began in Belfast ten days ago.
Rith is the Irish word for run and Ban is the Irish for white.
Shannonbridge has its own Daithi Rua withRua the Irish word for red.
Have you visited Daithi Rua's website or heard his new CD called
Black Fox.

It was good to see two hire cruisers arriving in Shannonbridge on
Thursday evening.

Today while trying to contact the fishery man Brian Mc Manus in Birr
I must have used an incorrect carrier as Brian Mc Manus from
Lansing,Michigan USA answered and said 'you have the
wrong e-mail address.

The National Library of Ireland have an amount of information
on their webpage www.nli.ie including about 1000 photographs
from all around the island as they put it.Found lots of pictures
of Clonmacnois,Birr Castle and Tullamore.

Some birthdays. The cousin Tessie Donnelly had her birthday recently
and the family took her to see County Clare for a few days.
She was in awe as she thought that Shannon Airport was the highlight
in County Clare and she learned differently.
Alo Moran celebrates his birthday on Saturday 20th March.
Over in San Diego Brendan Daly will be celebrating his birthday on
Sunday 21st March.He will have good weather for it as his wife Theresa
told us that it was a pleasant 80 F there today.
And on Monday Pauric Henry will be having his 54th Birthday.
Best wishes to you all.

Mick Killeen went to the opening night of 'Tom,Dick and Harry'
in High Street Hall on Thursday 18th and enjoyed the performance
with the local players playing to a full house.
It runs until Sunday night and starts at 8.00pm.
Get there early and get your tickets at the door.

Portiuncula Hospital Action Committee have a circular going around
to say they are organising a march to ensure that the present services
and jobs that are currently provided by the hospital will remain
in place.They appeal for families friends and neighbours to march on
Sunday 28th March at 1pm in St.Michael's Square,Ballinasloe.

Bit of an easterly wind blowing on Thursday morning but the rain
and higher temperatures hopefully will produce some green grass.
One of the old tractors in the Saint Patrick's Day parade had a small
trailer in tow and on it was a cock of hay.

Noel Flannery has in interesting letter in Thursday's Irish Times
regarding the pay cut backs.