Good Friday turns out to be sunny and dry after a variety of weather that has brought a second flood.On Monday a dry drain north of Shannonbridge was full of water and the callow looking towards the mouth of the Suck showed its damp patch.On Wednesday morning there was a grand piano of water on the northern callow and a swan was swimming on the enlarged damp patch of Reddy /Darcy callow.Thursday evening the water was lapping the top of the extended part of the old quay wall and the swan play area now had a defined outlet to the river opposite Moran's Island.It was windy and cold at times and birds were hungry.

Last Friday Mr and Mrs Lister from New Mexico visited Clonmacnois and Shannonbridge while on holiday.

Good to see Dave and Paulien Kemp Bradford and Steve and Liz Nell from Sheffield over on holiday.Dave caught a medium sized bream of 3lbs while fishing the Suck before the rise. The four combined to win the table quiz on Wednesday night and kindly donated their winning to the Shannonbridge Tidy Town Fund for which the quiz was being run.

Seamus Grennan told us that the late Dennis O Grady lived in the last house in the Ballinahown Parish adjoining Clonmacnois.
Also about a visitor seeking relations years ago.Seamus was going to Banagher and brought the visitor with him.They contacted a namesake in Cloghan who passed them on to another namesake between Cloghan and Banagher. This man was preparing a new flower bed in front of his house and when the visitor mentioned his name and where he was from in America the man left down the spade. He said that a grand-uncle of his had gone to America and settled in the same city.He had written back once and the letter was in a biscuit tin in the house.He found the letter and the address was the same as where the enquirer used to go visit his Grandma.The houseowner pointed out where they emigrated from which was in nearby 'Thonamoin'which is the Irish for'The arse of the bog'

Two pidgeons appeared on the shed roof last Saturday morning.

Colm Conlon tells of a town in California named 'Downey' at Long Beach.
The town was called after a Downey from Taughmaconnell.

In Shannonbridge last Monday was Stefan Kupner. Stefan told us that he first visited Shannonbridge in 1990 and reminded me that I asked a friend to do some translation at the time.The finished translation is
'Irish Mist ist keine kubscheisse' and it still hangs in the pub.
Stefan now has his own Travel Agency which he named Shannon-Travel and they have a webpage www.shannon-travel.de Stefan will be back again on the River Shannon on 10th April

Tom Turley told us 'that March borrows 3 days from April to kill the old cow' and it was very fitting this year.

Tom McEvoy and Mick Killeen went out on the boat this Good Friday to have a closer look at the recent flooding.

News yesterday of the death of Thomas Coleman Navan who is a native of Shannonbridge, and one of a large family.The funeral of Thomas will take place in Navan after Mass on Monday morning. May he rest in peace.