Lanesboro Ballyleague Notes
Blood Donor Clinic
The Blood Donor Clinic will be in the Abbey Hotel this week commencing on Tuesday 22nd until Thursday 24th October. The clinic will take place daily from 5pm to 8.30pm.
Your support is continually needed to ensure that essential blood supplies are always available.
If you are not already a blood donor you should go along to the Abbey Hotel this week and be a donor for the first time. The value of your donations are easily measured by the fact that 3000 blood donations are needed in Ireland every week and more than 70,000 people will receive blood transfusions this year as part of life saving operations.
Do not let this week pass by putting off such a vital donation. Remember it is good to give blood.
Muireann 25 Card Game
Marathons4muireann will be holding a 25 card game in the Lough Ree Co-Op hall on this coming Sunday night. As this is one of the final fundraising events in support of Declan O’Flaherty’s 4 marathons is it hoped that a huge crowd will turn out on Sunday night and give the fundraising the final push towards the goal of €100,000. Tickets are on sale form James O’Flaherty or from O’Brien’s. Refreshments will be served and the game will commence at 8.30pm sharp.
It is a mammoth task undertaken by Declan and we should all put our shoulders to the wheel for the final push this weekend. Even if you are not a card player you can still support by buying a ticket or two.
Try–a–Dive
Lough Ree Sub Aqua club is inviting everyone to come along to the Mall on Thursday night next for try-a-dive. You can go along for 7.45pm and try scuba diving. It is a wonderful sport that can take you worldwide and being a member of the Lough Ree Sub Aqua club means you have a lot of fun and sport with local people and you will also be a wonderful help to people in need of the services of the club country wide. All equipment will be supplied on Thursday night and the try-a-dive is free.
No Christmas lights for Lanesboro
Last week I wrote about the number of projects happening in Lanesboro but this week I am, sadly, writing that there will be no Christmas lights put up in Lanesboro this year by the Lanesboro Tourism Co-Op. At a poorly attended meeting on Monday night last the decision was taken not to go ahead with the lights this year.
The financial situation highlighted at the meeting are as follow; Costs ESB standing charges for connection boxes – €1360, Lights insurance yearly €600, Electrician/Teleporter hire and operator €1500, ESB charge for units used €400 and Maintenance/Repairs €300 all making a total of €4,160. The only Revenue was a Grant from Longford County Council €1000 and the Church Gate collection of €500 which comes to €1,500 leaving a shortfall of €2,660.
Last week while I mentioned all the things that were about to happen in Lanesboro I omitted to mention the huge project on the Shannon banks being undertaken by Ballyleague Renewal. Tremendous work continues to be done in Ballyleague such as the thatching at the old Anchor hotel. Ballyleague is continuing to drive forward and the project on the west bank will make a massive impact on the entire area.
Wedding
The marriage took place on Saturday last 19th October in St. Mary’s Church of Marie Hanley, daughter of Mike and Eileen Hanley, Cashelbeg and Brian Gallogly, son of Brian and Sheelagh Gallogly, Cloone, Co. Leitrim. Chief bridesmaids was Siobhan Hanley, sister of the bride and bridesmaid were Susan Gallogly and Sarah Gallogly both sisters of the groom. Bestman was Gavin Mc Govern, friend of the groom, and groomsmen were Nicky Gallogly brother of the groom and Michael Hanley, brother of the bride. Page boys were Kevin Gallogly son of the bride and groom and Ryan Hanley, nephew of the bride. Flower girl was Ellie Mai Hanley, niece of the bride. The marriage ceremony was celebrated by Fr Michael Reilly, Lanesboro. The wedding reception took place in the Sheraton Hotel, Athlone. We wish the happy couple many years of wedded happiness.
Lanesboro Tourism Co-Op
A meeting called to discuss Lanesboro Christmas Lights 2013 came to the decision not to erect any Christmas lights this year.
This decision was reached due to lack of attendance by residents and business people.
The cost insuring, erecting, maintaining and electricity for lighting amounts to €4160.00 To raise this amount it would need the co-operation of the local community.
It was agreed not to proceed in erecting lights.
However if any local groups, organization’s or business people want to meet with the committee with ideas as to how to reverse this decision we will be happy to facilitate this.
Thanking all the people who have supported us in previous years.
Lanesboro 2000 Bridge Club
The results of the competition held on Monday 14th October are; N/S Gross: 1st Joan Donlon and Fergal Mc Guinness, 2nd Hannah Clyne and Maureen Hynes and 3rd Eileen Kelly and Nancy Dolan. E/W Gross: Carol Hamill and Ann Hagan, 2nd Tom Feeney and Katharine Harrison and 3rd Mary Jameson and Mary Conmy. N/S Nett: 1st Joan Donlon and Fergal Mc Guinness, 2nd Hannah Clyne and Maureen Hynes and 3rd Freda Kenny and Bernadette Gillen.
All players are asked to be seated by 7.45pm
Community College Extension
There was great jubilation on the signing of the contract for the new 2- room extension to the school. CEO of Longford/Westmeath ETB, Dr. Christy Duffy, with architect, Cormac Buggy, signed the contract with contractor, Frank McKiernan. The signing was witnessed by Willie Dennigan, Mary O’Brien, Leo Sweeney, and Adrian Farrell, BOM, and school principal, Jimmy Flanagan. Great credit is due to Adrian Farrell, chairman, Willie Dennigan, VEC representative, and all the Board members for the hard work and representations made on the school’s behalf. It is a wonderful vote of confidence by the Department and enhances the school’s growing reputation as a centre of educational excellence. Ar Aghaidh le Chéile.
Death
A short time ago Normunds Brusko, came to live in Lanesboro from his native Latvia. On Sunday 6th October while fishing with friends between Doolin and Fanore he was washed off the rocks by a rogue wave. His body was recovered by naval divers on Tuesday. He was a warm and pleasant man who integrated well into the community. He greeted everyone with a warm and friendly smile and even though he only spent a short while in our community he will be sadly missed. His funeral Mass took place at St. Mary’s Church, Lanesboro on Monday last 14th October from where his ashes were returned to his native Latvia.
We would like to extend our deepest sympathy to his family and also to the Latvian community in our area.
Lanesboro Bridge Club
The results of the competition held on Wednesday 16th October are: N/S 1st Mona O’Flaherty and Bernadette Gillen, 2nd Phil Chalmers and Cyril Hussey and 3rd Gemma Douglas and Elish Gray. E/W 1st Philomena Walsh and Katharine Harrison, 2nd Mae Casey and Noreen Dunne and 3rd Una Lawlor and Brid Mc Dermott.
Lanesboro Triathlon Club AGM
The AGM of Lanesboro Triathlon Club has been set for Friday 8th November 2013 at 8pm. The meeting will take place in the club rooms in the co-op hall, Lanesboro. Can all club members please check their e-mail for agenda and nomination forms.
Athlone Samaritans
Athlone Midland Samaritans urgently needs volunteers. No experience is necessary as training will be provided. If you would like to volunteer please call 0852845010 immediately.
If you have the time it should be put to exceptional use and to help those in need of the Samaritans
Longford Toastmasters
Would you like to be more confident at speaking in public and to learn how to improve your communication skills? Longford Toastmasters are looking for new members to join our club. We meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month in The Longford Arms Hotel from 8.20pm until 10.30pm. Our next meeting takes place on 17 Oct. All are welcome to our enjoyable and sociable meetings and no experience is required. For further information please contact Mary on 086 1219281 or Terrie on 086 1706367.
October Book Festival at Lanesboro Library Continues
Photographs taken on the night of the Schools Folklore Exhibition in August are now on display in the Library.
Friday next 25th October at 12 noon
Halloween Show with Chris Thompson 7 a cast of ghostly characters! Come along dressed in your Halloween costume and listen to the famous Chris Thompson telling tales about witches, ghouls and goblins.
Finally Tuesday 29th October at 2pm there will be a Halloween Arts and Crafts.
Create you very own Halloween masterpiece, all materials provided. Please book in advance as numbers are limited. Will suit children aged between 9 and 12.
Getting Married in 2014?
There are still some places available on the Accord pre-marriage course on Monday 2nd and Thursday 5th December. This course runs over two evenings from 6.00 pm to 10.30pm. You are invited to contact Accord in longford at 043-3347515.
Brushstrokes Art Calendar
The 2014 CALENDAR by BRUSHSTROKES ART GROUP will be available in the shops from Friday 25th October at the very reasonable price of only €5.
The calendar features original paintings by the following twenty members of the group:-
Noreen Gibbons, Josephine Donlon, Sheena O`Loughlin, Nuala Cassells (Murtagh), Therese Tierney, Isaac Bontha, Patricia Heneghan, Alan Cox, Breda O`Loughlin, Sarah Crinigan, Michael Kealy, Denis Devereaux, Mary Fleming, Vivian Young, Cathy Donlon, Maura Donohue, Peggy Crehan, Anne O`Reilly, Carmel Linnane and Marguerite Farrell.
The adjudicating and choosing of the works to be included was carried out at Taylors Gallery and the committee wish to express their thanks to Alec and Betty Taylor for their help and courtesy on the day.
This year the Art group will donate the profits from the calendar to the Lanesborough and Ballyleague Tidy Towns organisations, who do such wonderful work on both sides of the river, and with whom Brushstrokes are proud to be associated.
It is hoped the Calendar will make an ideal gift to send to your loved ones who are living away from home, but a note of caution, however. There will only be a limited number of these available. Last year`s edition sold out in a very short time, so don`t delay.
Finally the Group would like to thank the local businesses for their help in selling the calendars; they take no commissions from these sales allowing all the proceeds to go to the beneficiaries.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Dr. David Harrison, Ballyleague on his recent graduation as a General Practitioner. He also received a Diploma in Musculoskeletal Medicine from the Irish College of General Practitioners. David completed his medical degree in Trinity College Dublin in 2005 and worked in hospital medicine in Beaumont until commencing his training on the Ballinasloe G.P. training scheme in 2009. He is currently working as a locum G.P. between Longford and Roscommon. We wish him all the best in his future.
Shannon Gaels Minor Club
Saturday evening next will be a memorable evening for our young players as a selection of our under 10and 12 will travel to Croke Park for the compromise rules game between Ireland and Australia. There is no place quite like Croke Park for an evening match and those travelling will have a fantastic time.
Now that the season is at its end the club would like to thank everyone that helped in any way towards the successful running of the club throughout the years. It was a year that has a tremendous buzz and it was great to be involved.
However, and there is always a however, it was notable at club events be they matches, training and social events such as concerts; it was notable that there were a great number of parents not supporting the club. There were always the regular people there but there was also a large absence. This was disappointing as practically all teams were very competitive and the young players were enjoying themselves. Hopefully in the year ahead there will be a huge number of parents turning out to support their kids within the club. Come along, enjoy and be part of your club.
Lough Ree AC
The convent grounds in Roscommon on Sunday morning last were the venue for the county under-age cross-country championships. The total turnout of ten was disappointing to say the least particularly as there were 35 at training the previous Tuesday evening. The bad weather was a factor, and not for the first time, it affected the boys more than the girls, as only two of the ten were boys. Who said that the girls were the weaker sex?
As two or three races were run together it was difficult to get a proper handle on the results.
Starting with the U9 girls, Aoife Kennelly was 4th with Shauna Mimnagh 6th. Moving up to the U10 girls, Robin Dowling finished 4th with Ella Hogan in 5th place. In the U11 age group the in-form Alannah Flood was 1st Vickey Kajanova was 2nd followed by Róisín Brennan while Caoimhe Flood our only competitor in the U13 age group finished in 3rd place.
Only 2 brave lads face the starting line in the U10 age group, a race won by the diminutive Brian Mc Loughlin. Cian Walton was 2nd with Byron Deignan further back. Indeed, Deignan is one of our youngest members and could be running himself into an ‘oxygen debt’. Not to worry Byron.
The Connaught even age groups are fixed for Sunday week 3rd November at Padraig Pearses GAA grounds on the outskirts of Ballinasloe – exit first exit approaching Ballinasloe and turn back old road towards Athlone. Padraig Pearses is signposted to left just a few hundred yards of the road. This is a team event with six to run and 4 to score. Tuesday evening road runs as usual at Clonbonny at 6pm. All are welcome to come along and partake. The results of each run can be seen in O’Brien’s window.
St. Faithleach’s GAA
U14 Girls – D2A Championship Final: Pride of the parish goes to our Under 14 Girls, winners of the D2A Championship final defeating Four Roads in Ballyleague on Saturday last. Final Score: St. Faithleachs 4-08 Four Roads 3-08. Team: D. Mc Caffrey, P. Jedrych, N. Hegarty, K. Browne (Cpt), K. Mc Phillips, S. Hoare, I. Farrell, M. Kelly(0-1), A. Curley (0-3), J. Banahan (0-1), S. Scally (0-1), L. Cox, C. Kelly. E. Irwin (4-2), K. Beirne. Subs: L. Fahy, L. Farrell, C. Curley, J. Brennan, O. Costello. After a long year of training and commitment, the girls finished the season undefeated. The championship final was a tough game, with Faithleachs down 2-03 to 3-07 at half-time. A strong performance from defenders in the second-half resulted in Four Roads only scoring 1 point. Forwards played their hearts out and found their scoring form. Mid-field took control and dominated in the second-half and a penalty save from the Faithleachs goalkeeper kept the spirits high. The girls were rewarded with a three point victory and are commended for their passion and determination shown by the entire squad. Huge congratulations to all players on the panel along with their management of Noel Banahan, John Hegarty, Maggie Curley and Padraig Banahan.
Minor Ladies – Championship Quarter-Final: Our minor ladies are through to the Championship semi-final following a convincing win away to Oran on Sunday last. Team: M. Banahan, C. Cleary, N. Scally, E. Kenny, R. Costello, A. Nerney (0-2), K. Murphy (2-2), R. Banahan (2-2), J. Geoghegan (3-3). Subs: E. Hegarty, T. Nerney (0-1), L. Hoare, N. Carty, A. Curley (1-1). See Fixtures for details of date, time and venue for the semi-final.
U16 Boys – D2 League Semi-Final: Hard luck to our U16 panel of players and their manager, Bob McCormack who were defeated by Elphin in the D2 league semi-final on Saturday last in Ballyleague on a final score of – St Faithleachs 1-10 Elphin 3-08
Fitness Challenge 2013: St. Faithleachs Fitness Challenge Update – Week 2. Tuesday night’s circuit class was again very well attended and the effort put in was great. Everyone is really getting into the swing of things and hopefully enjoying themselves too. The “Biggest Loser Competition” is going to be hard won this year with some impressive weight losses already recorded. Friday nights “Mystery Class” was by Liz Dwyer who gave a fantastic yoga class. With 19 years of teaching experience she put us through the poses with great enthusiasm and rewarded us after with some very relaxing meditation. We’re sure no one had trouble sleeping Friday night! Sunday morning’s session was at the pitch and the damp miserable conditions weren’t enough to dampen the spirits with another respectable turnout. The 5k training is going very well and there were some massive improvements in times, so hopefully that will continue. It’s hard to believe we’ve completed 2 weeks already, time flies when you’re having fun! Well done to all and keep up the good work. You will get out of this what you put in.
St. Faithleachs 5K Run/Walk: Registration is now open online through runireland.com for the St. Faithleachs 5K Fun run/walk which takes place on Sunday 1st December at 12.30pm. NOTE: 5k Training programmes are available from Ray Cox, please contact Ray directly.