Some notes from a shirt pocket that were meant for sharing with this website.
# Swallows on the Beer.At end of May swallows were flying in and out of Killeen's beer-store.On 27th May Mick Killeen found a swallow sitting on its nest in the store with that 'Do Not Disturb Look'in her eye.Wish granted.

#In Clonmacnois Visitor Center a number of dates and informative lines are written.For example in 1070 the head of Conchubar Ua Maeil-Scheechlainn was forcibly carried from Clonmacnois by Toirdelblack,who was compelled to return it,for he was smitten with a miraculous disease, imparted to him by a mouse that issued from the head and ran under his garment.
I wondered about the man earlier in the year that called in for a coffee and told us that he was taking a head back to Clonmacnois.On enquiry he told us that a friend of his had found the head years ago in the field where Saint Ciaran's Well is located.It was a stone head belonging to what they say was a statue of Saint Ciaran.He was going to leave it back where it was found.He agreed to speak with the manager at the visitor center.The head is now in possession of the OPW who are in charge of the site.The man had no peace while he had the head and after thirteen years he decided to return it home.

#Some months ago Bruce Crooks and David Crooks from Rockhampton in Queensland Australia visited Shannonbridge seeking information on the Kilroe Family.The Kilroes lived in the house opposite the Parochial House.Once a two storey stone house it was replaced by a bungalow next to the children's playground.Kieran Joe,Bill and Katie lived there with Bill dying in 1957.Kieran Joe also died leaving Katie alone.
Some cousins from Australia came to visit Katie and persuaded her to go to Australia.
Katie sold her home and went to live with Bruce and David Crooks parents.Katie did not like the hot weather and missed life in Shannonbridge and so she came back to Shannonbridge.
Alice Egan told me that Katie brought a table with her that belonged to Father Kilroe that built Saint Mary's Church in Athlone.Bruce and David Crooks went to Clonmacnois twice in search of the Kilroe burial plot.They found it where Martin and Mary Burke are now buried.
They tried to contact Brigid Cassidy,nee Donoghue who is related to the Kilroe Family with no success.
Since their visit Brigid Cassidy has been in Shannonbridge.She told us that the parents of Katie Kilroe and Bill and Kieran Joe was Kieran Kilroe and their mother was a Dolan from The Derries.
A brother of Kieran Kilroe a Patrick Kilroe worked as Lock-keeper in Shannonbridge and lived in The Lockhouse.Later Patrick moved to work as Lock-keeper in Shannonharbour.
Patrick married a Brigid McDermott who was an aunt of the late Pat Joe McDermott from Clonfert Callows.
Brigid Cassidy writes to an Annie Harte,nee Kilroe who is 90 years old and lives in Australia.
Father O Hanlon was telling today that at a meeting in Saint Mary's Athlone last week he noticed a commemorative bust to the late Father Kilroe.
Contact crooksy@westnet.com.au if you have any information on the Kilroe Family.

#On 13th June a Corcrake was heard calling on Fahns Callow which is located on the mouth of the Cappaleitra River north of Shannonbridge.The Corncrake and Redshank and other ground nesting birds are in danger from the mink.A number of traps have been laid for the mink.Since this a second corncrake has been heard in the same location.

#Thomas Naughton Clongegan died 26th June 1995 aged 52 years.His brother was home from America on holiday recently and was looking for photographs of the late Tommy.Send them to
naughton@bc.edu

#Today 18th July 2011 some fifteen Canadian visitors stopped in Shannonbridge after visiting Clonfert and on their way to Clonmacnois.They were on a seventeen tour of Ireland with Charles Nienkirchen along.Charles lives in Pembroke Town in the Ottawa Valley and is Professor of Christian History and Spirituality at Ambrose University College.He is also a Director of 'Down Ancient Paths'Travel Study.
Charles told us that within 30 minutes travel from Pembroke you will find places named Killaloe,Westmeath,Maynooth,Eganville,Antrim,Mount Saint Patrick and Letterkenny.These places Charles believes were all named by Irish Immigrants years ago.
I was elling him about the Egan Family from Wexford who moved into this area after getting the contract for maintaining the stone bridges as they were stone masons.Charles said that many of the original houses in Eganville were stone built houses.He reckoned that a Google search on Eganville might be worth while.

#Picked up a picture the original of which hung on the Holy Family Altar in St.Mel's Cathedral,Longford.This painting survived intact the 2009 Christmas Day Fire.Plans are well underway to rebuild the Cathedral in Longford and meanwhile Bishop Colm O Reilly has designated St.Marys Church in Athlone to be the Cathedral as it were in the meantime.
If you wish to help the rebuilding project contact ardaghdi@iol.ie

@Over the weekend came news of the death of Sean Fitzsimons Athlone.Sean worked as a travelling salesman for M&H Gills the Booksellers in Dublin.He found the Shannon and an old barge The Iron Lung and fell in love with both.Later he purchased and ran a very popular public house in Athlone which he named Sean's Bar.Funeral arrangements are for mid week.May he rest in peace.