Tuesday's Irish Times tells us that The Royal Canal will be reopening on September 30th 2010.First opened in 1817,some 27 years after work began.It was used as a waterway in 1961 but the last commercial boat or barge was in 1955.The canal is 145.6 km. long,stretching from the River Liffey in Dublin via Croke Park,Mountjoy Jail,Mullingar and reaches the River Shannon at Richmond Harbour.Since closure a number of* unfriendly to boat-traffic bridges* have been built on the canal.After many years of effort by a number of organisations these have been attended to and boats will be free to travel once more.See irishtimes.com Page 3.

And on a Living the Wildlife on RTE1 on Tuesday 4th May there was a close-up of the freshwater fish that inhabit our canals.They also showed the cleaning and maintenance on sections of the canals when the fish are removed by stunning them using eltro-fishing.They are returned to a cleaned section.They mentioned that the record number of fish removed from a 200 metre section is around 28,000 pike tench bream roach rudd perch eels and a variety of hybrids where two different species of fish mate and produce a now recognised hybrid species.

Paudge Bennett celebrates 30 years playing music in Killeens Bar Shannonbridge on Wednesday 5th May. Mick Killeen heard him first back then playing at a wedding and thought that he would suit the pub.

Well done to Shane Lowry on his performance in the Spanish Open Golf Tournament last week.Shane shot a score of 281.The winner Alvaro Quiros score was 271. Watch out Rory McIlroy Shanes a coming.

Our village Butcher Nicky Nugent phoned today to tell us that Moby had just passed by his shop dragging his lead and heading for the river. Mick found himfollowing a Darcy dog and brought him home.

This Tuesday morning Vinney Fennell went for a cycle along the Grand Canal.Between Belmont Lock and Shannonharbour or 'along the line' as
they call it Vinney saw three Herons.Each of them took him away from their fishing or nesting place landing some 60 yards ahead.After a few sessions of this they took to the air and returned to their place.
Vinney has heard two Cuckoos.One is on the Callows near Shannonharbour and the second is between High Street and Belmont.

Meanwhile Aidan Kelly is keeping an eye on the Robin's nest in Killeen's shed and today he told me that three chicks have been hatched out and things are going well.
Meanwhile Mick Killeen found a Swallow trying to built a nest in the beer shed and called a halt.
Mick likes sorting bottles in the yard with the Robin but not cleaning bottles in the shed as a result of swallows you know what.

Weather has been overcast all day.Dublin Airport was closed for some hours as a threat of more Icelandic Dust was feared.