Lanesboro Ballyleague Notes
Rathcline AGM on Saturday
The Rathcline AGM will take place on this Saturday night 16th November at 8pm in the clubhouse in Clonbonny. The AGM is the opportunity for every club member and club supporter to have their voice heard and be part of the decision making for the year. You input is always significant and it is very important that you are there to air your comments and ideas.
ESB Staff
The annual Mass for deceased members of the staff of the Lanesboro Power station will take place this Wednesday evening 13th November in the ESB Sports and Social clubhouse at 8pm.
Lanesboro Community Games
The Community Games Committee held their AGM recently and a new committee were elected for the coming year: Chairperson: Marie English, Secretary: Mary Sorohan, Treasurer: Pádraig O’Dowd, Assistant treasurer: Pauline Casey, Area Delegate: Teresa Ryan.
The committee is hoping that the parents of the parish will encourage their young children to use their many talents in the many and varied competitions within the community games. The support will be there from the committee. In the coming year Lanesboro Community Games propose to hold the following events: Handwriting, Art and Athletics. Any parents wishing to have their children participate in other Community Games events will be fully supported by the committee. From the list below you will see the many disciplines within the community games and there are many team events that parents and clubs can also get involved in organising. Please come on-board and help continue the development that has been underway in the past few years – Cycling, Duathlon, Gymnastics, Judo, Model Making, Swimming, Solo Dance, Solo Music, Solo Recitation, Solo Singing, Badminton, Chess, Choir, Cross Country, Debating, Draughts, Handball, Indoor Soccer, Mixed Distance Relay, Project, Rugby (Hybrid, Mini, Tag), Table Quiz, Table Tennis, Group Dance Irish Contemporary, Group Dance Modern Disco, Drama Comedy Sketch, Group Music, Group Singing, Set Dancing, Athletics Track, Field, Relay and Marathon, Basketball, Camogie, Culture Corner, Futsal, Gaelic Football, Hardcourt Tennis, Hurling, Pitch & Putt, Rounders, Throw Ball (Rounders), Skittles, Soccer Outdoor, Spike Ball and Variety.
Please contact a member of the committee as soon as possible to lend your support to the community games in our parish and let’s continue the development of the community games in our Parish and help it go from strength to strength.
Lanesboro Bridge
The Lanesboro Bridge club held their competition on Wednesday night last 6th November. The results of the night’s competition are: N/S 1st Mona O’Flaherty and Bernadette Gillen, 2nd Kathleen Reilly and Patsy Canavan and 3rd Phil Chalmers and Cyril Hussey. E/W 1st Eileen Kelly and Una Clarke, 2nd Mae Casey and Noreen Dunne and 3rd Brid Mc Dermott and Una Lawlor
Gerard nominated for local elections
On Monday night last at a very well attended local Fine Gael Cumann in Adie Farrell’s meeting room Gerard Farrell was nominated by the cumann to go forward to the selection convention on Saturday last. At that selection he was nominated and received the support of the convention and will now stand on the ticket for the local elections next June.
At his local nomination Gerard stressed that it was a family decision that he go forward and he assured everyone present that he would give his full attention to local matters as his father, Adie, did before him. Adie spoke to endorse Gerard and the local cumann now look forward to a vibrant election campaign and securing the seat for Gerard.
Tickets selling very Well
Lough Ree Theatre Company (LRTC) is staging a play in Ballyleague Hall on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th November. A Wake in the West is a staged by the LRTC some 10 years ago and it is now back with some new members in the cast and there is no doubt that it will again be a massive success.
Tickets are on sale locally and also in O’Brien’s. The show will commence each night at 8.30pm and admission is €10.
Lanesboro Library
A new series of computer/internet classes will start in the Library on this Wednesday 13th November. The times of classes are 4pm to 5pm or 6pm to 7pm.Classes will run for 5 weeks for one hour a week.
Topics covered will include setting up and using email, searching, shopping online to name a few and also there will be an introduction to Facebook, Twitter and Skype.
The classes will cost €50.
As places are limited you are invited to contact Stella on 043 332 1291 to book your place in the class.
Pensions Clinic
County Longford Citizens Information service is holding a ‘Pensions Clinic’ every Tuesday morning from 10am to 1pm. The services on Tuesday morning are specifically for the purpose of assisting people with social insurance records to establish their pension eligibility and entitlement. To make an appointment please contact 076-1075890.
Team Management
The Shannon Gaels minor football club is currently organising their management teams for the 2014 season. Presently the teams for Under12, 14, 16 and 18 have all had their management teams put in place and they will be ratified at the upcoming minor club AGM that will take place in the clubhouse in Clonbonny on Friday 6th December.
What the club requires and wants all parents to think about is to help out with the training and managing of the Under 8 and 10 panels. It is not such a daunting thing as there will be a Foundation Course taking place to train up and prepare those interested in the aspects of coaching young players. At this age it is very important that every girl and boy interested in playing Gaelic games be given a good grounding in all aspects of playing football. The club expects that there will be many men and women enthusiastic about helping out with the U8’s and 10’s in the coming year.
If you are interested please contact Sean Kenny, Seadna Ryan or Brendan Keane immediately. It is hoped that all team managements will be completed and in place for the AGM on Friday night 6th December in the clubhouse.
Baptism
We would like to congratulate Ian and Pamela Cassidy, Radharc na Muileann on the recent baptism of the their son Ben at St. Mary’s Church.
Sympathy
We would like to extend our deepest sympathy to the family and friends after the sudden death of the late Mary Henderson, Loughglynn, Co. Roscommon. Mary, nee Dowd was a native of Lisreevagh and her family relations are far and wide within our parish. The older generation will fondly remember Mary and the Dowd family and indeed many of the younger generation got to know her brother Matt who was home with three generations of his family from the US during the time of the Gathering and the month of July.
Rathcline GAA Lotto
The numbers drawn out on Saturday night last were 12, 17, 19, 25, 38 and 44. There was nobody with four of these numbers and the jackpot of €600 was not won. The jackpot will rise to €700 for the next draw on Saturday night next 16th November. The four winners of the €25 were Fr. Michael Reilly, Lanesboro, Joe Ginty, Lanesboro, Seamus Shortt, Ardagh and Peter Creamer, Longford.
Parish Council
Voting papers for the election of members to the new Rathcline Parish Council will be available in the church porch from Saturday 16th November. In order that everything is done to the correct procedure you should ensure that the person you nominate has consented, that you nominate just one person only and also sign your nomination form.
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
Brushstrokes Art Calendar
The Brushstrokes calendar is now on sale. Sales have picked up greatly over the past week and if you want one for a Christmas present then now is the time to get your calendar.
The proceeds of the sale of the calendar will be split between the Lanesboro Tidy Town committee and Ballyleague Tidy Towns committee, both groups who worked so hard and were very successful in improving both sides of the bridge.
Get you Nathan Carter Tickets Now
On Monday night week 18th November the Radisson Hotel will host an Evening with Nathan Carter. The night is a fundraising event for Archbishop Leo Cornelio, SVD India, for the building of a new school for street children. Nathan Carter will also be joined on the night by Lisa Stanley and T.R. Dallas. Tickets are on sale in O’Brien’s. The concert will commence at 8.30pm and the doors will open at 7.30pm. Not only will you be enjoying a night in the company of one of Ireland’s most popular entertainers but also helping a most wonderful cause.
Shannon Gaels
Last weekend our Under12 team was invited into the Shane Brennan Tournament by the Clonguish tournament. Our team reached the semi-final and played great football in getting there despite being six players short from the team on the day. It was a terrific performance by a panel of play who, apart from one player, are all underage again next year. The club would like to say a big thank you to the team management of Seadna Ryan, Padraig Farrell and Ciarán Prior for all their work and dedication.
The club is extremely grateful to the Clonguish club for inviting us into the tournament and for their hospitality on the day.
The club would like to thank everyone that managed, was part of a team management; those that stood in to help and assist at times during the year for all of their wonderful work. We had a good year and the prospects for the coming year in all age groups look very promising and it is all due to all your hard work.
The club would like to thank everyone that helped out at catering during the year and also everyone that helped at the maintenance of the pitches during the year, your work was hugely appreciated.
To all of our Scór participants and everyone that helped out and supported our teams we would like to say a very big thank you. To the ladies that did trojan work each night of the Scór and also the plays during the year we would like to say a big thank you.
Preparations are on-going for the choir to perform at Mass over the Christmas time. Our choir is truly an exceptional group of young people and it is wonderful to see so many of our club members taking part in something very special for our club. If you wish to be part of the choir please contact Tracy Tobin or Brendan Keane who continue to do a wonderful job with the preparation of the choir.
We will hold our AGM on Friday 6th December and we encourage everyone that has an interest in the development of our youth and just a fleeting interest to come along and sit in and engage in the discussions.
Ballyleague Christmas Trees and Lights
In recent years members of the Ballyleague Tidy Towns committee have done their very best to enhance our village by buying, erecting, lighting and disassembling many Christmas trees around the village.
A sincere thanks to the neighbours and friends who assisted us and to those families and groups who allowed us to connect to their electricity supply for this purpose.
However, with such a large workload and with so few volunteers and scarce resources the committee are in a real dilemma this year as to whether we are able to repeat our efforts for Christmas 2013. In order to decide the issue and to assess support we have decided to call a Public meeting to discuss the whole issue of Christmas Lights on Monday night nextNovember 18th at 9pm in Sorohan’s Lifebelt Bar, Ballyleague.
Any individual or business who feels strongly one way or the other on this issue should attend this meeting and make their case for erecting trees and lights – or not as the case may be. Our aim in calling this meeting is to give the whole community of Ballyleague the opportunity to agree and implement an agreed strategy for Christmas 2013 and in future years. While we are all proud of our locality and want to make Ballyleague a nicer and happier place this Christmas but there is a limit to what we can do on our own and we are now looking for ideas and assistance from those who feel likewise.
If you cannot attend the meeting and would like to help please contact us by e mail at keepballyleaguetidy@gmail.com
Lanesboro Tri club swim for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland
The Lanesboro Triathlon club has raised over €7,500 in aid of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. Earlier this year, the club organised a 3.5 kilometre sponsored swim down the river Shannon. Over 50 swimmers from the locality, including members of neighbouring Longford Tri Club undertook the swim and helped raise funds for CF Ireland.
The club decided to undertake the swim as a way of contributing to a worthwhile charity. “As a club we rely hugely on the support of volunteers to help stage our annual Two Provinces Triathlon and it was important to us to be able to stage a charity event which benefitted a worthwhile cause and recognised the support which we get from the community throughout the year” said Brendan O’Sullivan, Chairman of the Lanesboro club for 2013. We chose CF Ireland as the beneficiary of the swim sponsorship as one of our member’s children was diagnosed as having CF late last year.
Sean Farrell whose son John was diagnosed with CF said that the support of fellow club members and local people towards the charity was hugely appreciated. “CF Ireland does fantastic work on behalf of people in Ireland with this disease including the provision of dedicated CF facilities in hospitals throughout Ireland. They also provide funding for scientific research aimed at understanding, managing and treating Cystic Fibrosis” he said.
The club recently presented the sponsorship proceeds from the swim to Cystic Fibrosis Ireland prior to the club’s annual general meeting.
Brendan O’Sullivan, 2013 chairman of the Lanesboro Tri Club is pictured presenting the sponsorship cheque to Esther L’Estrange, board member of CF Ireland. Also included in the photo are (L-R) Sean Farrell, Cormac Hoare, Andree Gallagher, Eimear Casey, Niall O Donohue and Sean Mimnagh.
Lanesboro Tri Club AGM
A large crowd turned out for our recent AGM, held in the club rooms on Saturday November 9th. A new executive committee was formed. We would like to thank the outgoing committee for all their hard work and we wish them well. A special thanks to those who stood down, Brendan O’Sullivan, Sean Mimnagh, Laura Clyne and Róisin Mc Sharry, for all the time and energy they gave to the club. Without volunteers like these our club would not be the success it is. Many thanks also to the 2013 Race Director, Niall O’Donohue and his race committee who worked tirelessly over the year to ensure our club race was up there with the best in the country! The very best of luck to the new executive committee members who took on positions and also to those who offered to take on different roles in the club. It was great to see we have such enthusiastic members who want to get involved and we hope 2014 will be a great year for us all.
The following is the Club Executive Committee for 2014: Chairperson: James Gallagher, Secretary: Mark Kenny, Treasurers: Cormac Hoare & Donal Flynn, PROs: Andree Gallagher and Rachel Burke, Child Liaison Officer: Brid Gordon, Training Officer: John Compton. Other positions which filled were: Race Director: Anthony Gillen, Club Gear: Marie Mc Loughlin and John Compton and Social Committee: Andree Gallagher, Eimear Casey & Brid Gordon.
Rathcline GAA
Club Lotto – The Jackpot total of €600 was not won this weekend with numbers drawn as follows: 12, 17, 19, 25, 38, and 44. Congratulations to our four €25 winners this week as follows: (1) Fr. Michael Reilly – Lanesboro (2) Joe Ginty – Lanesboro; (3) Seamus Shortt – Cloone, Leitrim (4) Peter Creamer – Ardnacassa Lawns, Longford. Next week’s Jackpot will €700. Even though the second annualised club lotto format kicked off a week ago, people can still purchase tickets from any member of the Executive. The generated funds will be used to service the capital debt on our club for the 2013 season. As per Phase One of the Lotto Draw, results will be displayed on Posters in most local retail outlets, on our club notes, Facebook and our Club website: www.rathcline.gaa.ie.
Shannon Gaels Minor Club – Our under 12 team took part Shane Brennan tournament in Clonguish on Saturday afternoon. Despite missing 6 players on the day, our team reached the semi final of the competition which was a fantastic achievement. It is worth noting that entire panel with the exception of one is still under age again next year and the future looks bright for Rathcline in the coming years. Many thanks to the team management team of Seadna Ryan, Padraig Farrell and Ciarán Prior. The club would like to thank Clonguish for their great hospitality and refreshments on the day. This was the last outing on the field of play for the Minor Club this year and Shannon Gaels would like thank everyone for their help with all age groups this year.
Christmas Choir preparations are ongoing under the watchful eye of organisers supreme: Brendan Keane and Tracey Tobin. Anyone who is interested in joining the choir should contact Sean Kenny or Brendan in the coming days.
Date for your Diaries: The Shannon Gaels AGM will take place on Friday 6th December.
Annual General Meeting – The Senior Club AGM will take place this coming Saturday night 16th November at 8pm in the Clubhouse. All Club members are asked to attend this very important meeting where a new Club Executive will be elected for the 2014 Season. Each Club Member have been given both Nomination and Motion form and are entitled to vote and put forward nominees for the coming year.
We hope there will be a big crowd in attendance to make the decisions which will outline the club direction for 2014.
Goodbye – Finally, on behalf of the current executive, I would like to thank all our Patrons, Supporters, Players and Friends for their support over the last four years. It has been a fantastic four years for the existing executive with lots of ups and downs during our term. Looking forward; there are a lot of very achievable targets for 2014 (not least winning the Intermediate Championship and Division 2 League campaign) and we wish the new Executive the very best of luck for the forthcoming season. We hope that with fresh new faces will come fresh new ideas and ultimately move the club back to the top tier of Longford football in both League and Championship.
St. Faithleach’s GAA
St. Faithleachs AGM: The Annual General Meeting of St. Faithleachs GAA Minor Club will take place in the clubhouse this coming Friday 15th November at 8.30pm. All members of the club are encouraged to attend, new members most welcome. We encourage parents of our underage club members to attend & hopefully take an active role in the Clubs Sporting Activities for the Year ahead. The Senior Club AGM will take place on Friday 29th November at 8.30pm.
Minor Men – D2 League: Our minors have a League game against Tulsk on Saturday 23rd November at 2.00pm in Ballyleague.
A Wake in the West is a St. Faithleachs GAA club fundraising event. The local drama group presents “A Wake in the West” on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th November in St. Mary’s Hall, Ballyleague. Tickets priced €10 each are available locally or contact the clubhouse. Your support for this event would be hugely appreciated
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.
Cards: Every Tuesday in the clubhouse at 8.30pm. All welcome. Last week’s results are – winners, Tom/Padraig. The runners-up were Pat/Ronan and Ann/Kathleen and the last game, PJ/Padraig.
Lotto: The numbers drawn were – 2, 7, 19 and 29. There were no jackpot winners and the five €20 winners were – Cyril Geoghegan, Eilish Kilcommins, Anne O’Reilly, Jack Mc Gloin and Marie McGann. The next draw will take place on Tuesday 19th November for a jackpot of €9,900.