The Bainisteoir football match on RTE on Sunday c6.30 should show lots of interesting views of the area as the cameras visited Clonmacnois etc some days before the match.

Michael Kelly from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne England, son of Peter Kelly, who was a butcher in Shannonbridge is over for the Ballinasloe Fair.Michael went to school in Shannonbridge and is a brother of Katherine and Rita.Michael has some good memories of life in Shannonbridge and tells us that he plans to write them down and send them to this website.

Also around tor the opening of the Fair last weekend was Eamon Lyons and family from County Down.Eamon is a brother of Tony and Noel who live in Kilcock and of Gerry Lyons who lives in Boston USA.

Saturday 2nd October the well known German visitor known around Shannonbridge as Rheinhart arrived on his Silverline Cruiser with his sisters Uschib and Gerlinde for a week on the river.Rheinhart has been visiting this area for well over thirty years.This year as usual he took some of his closest friends for trips on the river.His sister Gerlinde is fond of walking and was enquiring from John in the tourist office today about walking the Grand Canal from Dublin to Shannonharbour and any other walkways.
Friend of Rheinhart Martin Rosster was also on the river this week with some friends and met up with Rheinhart.Martin is well known locally as he was one of the group of friends that bought The Walsh Home in Clonfinlough many years ago and visits regularly by land.

The Irish Catholic newspaper www.irishcatholic.ie recently featured Parishes in County Offaly.Their next edition had a number of photographs taken at the blessing and opening of the new playground in Shannonbridge locatated on the field next the church and on the mouth of the road to the Power Station.

Recently I noticed a lorry driver park his lorry alongside the new playground and visit the Church for a few minutes.One morning I met him coming out from the Church and enquired who he was.He told me that his name was Daithi Healy and he had delivered a load of sand to the Power Station.Daithi works for Paddy Murphy Trucks in Macroom and he has got into the practise of saying a prayer and lighting a candle before commencing the homeward journey of some 130 miles.Well done Daithi.