Shannon Gaels Minor Club
Parish League – Sunday morning in Clonbonny was the perfect appetizer for the All Ireland Final later in the day when the club held their Under 10 Parish League Finals. There was tremendous excitement and enthusiasm shown by all of our young players. Competition was excellent and it proved to be a very successful and enjoyable day for everybody. The club would like to thank all the parents and young players, all those that prepared the pitch and refereed and helped to make the day so successful.
The club would like to thank Shane Donohoe our representative on the County Longford Minor team that won the Leinster minor final for being present with the Leinster Cup and also for presenting the medals to all players. The club would also like to thank County Longford Minor Board for affording us the great pleasure of the Leinster Cup for this big day for our young players.
Scór na nÓg – The club is already up and running with many of the disciplines of Scór na nÓg. This year the club will have a record number of entries something that we are proud of and are extremely indebted to all of our enthusiastic entrants and tutors.
The Shannon Gaels club is about much more than field activities and we are always encouraging young lads and girls that do not play football to contact us where we can always use their tremendous talents in Scór or even on the stage at the annual Search for a Star, which by the way will take place in February 2011.
We are still seeking lads and girls for set and figure dancing. Anybody interested can give their name to any member of the club executive or to O’Brien’s shop.
Ladies – The club says a very hard luck to the Ladies team that was defeated in the county final last weekend. No doubt there are better and brighter days ahead.
November Fashion Show
Lorraine Farrell and her team are in the final stages of finalizing a Fashion Show to take place in Ballyleague Hall on Saturday night 6th November. The leading fashion houses have already pledged themselves to this exciting venture and indeed when one thinks of it the venue is eminently suitable for a fashion show. A wonderful line up of beautiful models are almost all in place and this definitely is a night not to be missed. The proceeds of the night are in aid of Rathcline GAA and Action Breast Cancer.
Tickets will be on sale from next weekend and we urge everybody to support by buying their tickets.
Tremendous Development on Ballymahon Road
The new development on the Ballymahon has proven to be a wonderful addition to the facilities in the town and has taken away the dangerous aspect for walkers on that stretch of road up to Tullvrane crossroads. Lanesboro Tourism Co-op in conjunction with FÁS has produced a wonderful pathway and this has proved to be hugely popular with all locals along that stretch of road who can now walk safely to town and not have to take their lives in their hands along what was a narrow and dangerous stretch. The Lanesboro Tourism Co-op engaged in talks with local land owner John Killian about this stretch and following discussions the pathway was installed to the great delight of everybody. The Co-op and indeed the community are deeply greatly to John. The Co-op and FÁS proceeded to rotovate and clear off the entire area right up, pick the stones and put a pathway in along with seeding the entire area. As it settles in and the grass begins to grow it is increasingly evident the benefit of this project, it also increases the walking mileage for all the local walkers and the Co—op and FÁS must take great credit for this wonderful amenity for the town.
Diamond Jubilee
We would like to extend our congratulations to Fr. Tadgh Kenny, Fermoyle, who recently celebrated the Golden Jubilee of his ordination to the priesthood.
Lanesboro/Ballyleague Community Playschool
There are a number of places available for our playgroup session which is due to begin shortly. Playgroup caters for younger children, due to start school in September 2012. If you wish to register your child for this service or have any queries please telephone the playschool on 043.333.0957. Leave your name and contact number if there is no reply and we will call you back.
Birth
Many congratulations to Louis and Mary Rhatigan, Aughaloughan, on the birth last week of a baby girl.
Triathlon Club News
The newly formed Lanesboro Triathlon Club is the only triathlon club in the county of Longford and it is hoping that recent tremendous interest will continue and that many people throughout the county will contact and become members.
A wonderful feature of the Triathlon club is the great comradery that exists and while everyone may be at different standards of competitiveness the sport and craic is only might and the training sessions and racedays are something to behold. The club is open to all ages and already has a great number of men and women. The club does not restrict itself strictly to the triathlon disciplines of swimming, cycling and running as can be seen from the piece below where three members took part in the Achill Roar.
Enquires on the Club and its activities can be made with Brendan O’Sullivan Tel.086-2544534.
Despite atrocious weather conditions on Friday night which saw a good number of athletes opt out of the Achill Roar Adventure Race last Saturday, the trio of Niall O’Donoghue, Brendan O’Sullivan and Colm Daly of the local Triathlon Club never even considered the idea even when putting the awning of Niall’s caravan back up at 3 am in the morning after it collapsed during the night with the weight of rainwater. The three travelled to Achill on Friday evening with supporters Sean and Jamie O’Donoghue and with the generous provision of transport for all their equipment from Vinnie McGowan, Metal Fabricators, Longford Road, to whom they are extremely grateful.
The Achill Roar Adventure race had attracted nearly 800 entries from all over Ireland to compete in this tough sport over two distances. The 3 lads chose the Sports event which had the largest amount of competitors entered in it, nearly 550. The race involved a run to the nearby Lough Keel lake where participants had to then kayak a triangular course of 1.5 K in choppy conditions, then on exiting the lake start a trail run over approximately 8-9 K which took in Off Road Trails, Sand Dunes, the Beach, 2 rivers, and a climb up the side of the mountain nearby where the turn around point was and then continue the same run back to transition. Then athletes had to set out on the cycle section of the course on the road which circled the Island on a 22K course in very windy conditions returning to the transition for a sprint run to the finish line on foot.
All athletes are chipped and set off in waves to avoid congestion on the course and Niall, Brendan can Colm were scheduled in the last start at 12 noon in order that they could race together if possible. This was a good idea as all three got to the lake to kayak together and were out of the water in the top eight of their wave, things were looking good .Years of Football with Rathcline etc. however put serious pressure on Brendan who had spent the previous weeks preparing his knees for the event and had to maintain a steady pace throughout the run. Reluctantly Niall and Colm strode on and settled into a very strong attacking pace picking off runners one by one. They stayed together until the mountain where Niall showed his real strength and was one of only a few who could actually run uphill for the most part. Colm’s descent was quicker and they both rejoined at the bottom of the mountain whilst exchanging greetings with team-mate Brendan on the way up. Some spills and falls were experienced by the trio on this part of the course but thankfully without injury. Niall and Colm made more inroads on the run as they returned to transition and set out on the bike together until Niall pulled away a bit on the series of hills that littered the course. Meanwhile as anticipated, Brendan having got the run out of the way was inflicting serious damage to all in front of him on the bike and was storming through the field towards the finish. Niall and Colm were also on top form and all three overtook every single rider they encountered from earlier starts moving them swiftly up the rankings in the race. At the end of the bike Niall and Colm were neck and neck and after a very tough race in tough conditions were separated by a single second at the finish line and each under 2 hours for whole course at 1.59. Not long afterwards Brendan appeared and raced across the line in 2.17 putting him in the top third of finishers. Niall and Colm finished 60th and 61th and in top Vet positions overall. This was a brilliant performance from all three who gave it everything under difficult conditions. It was a case of never again until the next morning where the Sea2Summit Adventure race in Westport in November was being considered and where the controversy of the1 second may be resolved. Watch this space.
Birth
Congratulations to Michael and Noreen Hanley, Ballyleague on the recent birth of a baby boy.
Lough Ree 2000 Bridge Club
The results of the successful first bridge competition of the new season are: Overall 1st Des Watts & Noreen Dunne, 2nd Mary Fallon & Kathleen Hanley, 3rd Mary Mc Gushin & Renee Walsh, 4th Patricia Mc Gann & Kathleen Kelly. N/S 1st Patricia Mc Gann & Kathleen Kelly, 2nd Mary B Casey & Peg Clarke, 3rd Loretto Cooney & M. Mulryan, 4th Nancy Dolan & E. Kelly. E/W 1st Des Watts & Noreen Dunne, 2nd Mary Fallon & Kathleen Hanley, 3rd Mary Mc Gushin & Renee Walsh, 4th Hannah Clyne & Mai Casey.
The club wishes to extend its condolences to the Tiernan family on the death of Frank Tiernan, Ballymahon.
Thank You
The parish of Rathcline neighbourhood Watch group would like to sincerely thank everybody that contributed so generously to their Church Gate collection at all Masses last weekend.
Ballyleague Bingo
Every Thursday night the extremely popular Ballyleague Bingo takes place in Ballyleague Hall where the first number is called at 9pm. This week the snowball will stand at €4,000 – a nice take home prize.
Representations on behalf of Residents
Following representations to the County Council Independent Councillor Tom Crosby has received commitment from the Council that the installation and surfacing of the footpath from the Mushroom Tunnel area at the entrance to Shannon Heights and Lough Ree Park Housing Estate will be carried out in the next week or so. Cllr Crosby states that this will be very welcomed by the residents and pedestrians in the area.
Rathcline GAA Draw
Draw 5 of the Continuous Improvement Program will take place on Saturday 25th September 2010 in the Lough Ree Arms Lanesboro at 11pm. The prizes to be won are 1st Prize: €500, 2nd Prize: €100, 3rd Prize: €100, 4th Prize: €100, 5th Prize: €100 and 6th Prize: 2 Premium Stand Tickets for the Aussie Rules/GAA International Compromise Rules Series in Croke Park with €100 Spending Money on Saturday 30th October 2010.
All participants in the program have automatic inclusion on the Fortnightly €2.00 Lotto Draw. To date, there have been two participant winners of the Lotto Jackpot with Anthony Melia – Newtowncashel being the most recent winner in September.
Sewing Classes
The long dark nights are now fast approaching and a new exciting sewing class is about to commence. Have you wanted to make a new dress or curtains for your house? This new class affords you the chance to be able to achieve these skills. If you are interested phone 086-8392934 for full details. An update on venue and time will follow in the next week or two.
Lough Ree AC
Just a reminder to all interested that club activity has recommenced following the summer break. The Tuesday training run will take place in Clonbonny at 6pm each week. The results of each run will be posted in O’Brien’s shop window.
The Longford Primary Schools cross-country championship has been fixed for St. Mel’s College on Friday 1st October at 11am. All schools will be notified in due course. The date for the Roscommon schools and venue has yet to be arranged.
The adult Fun Run and Walk continues every Sunday morning as usual, there is still plenty of room for any ‘souls’ who would like to take part.
Birth
Congratulations to Alan and Julie Glennon, Cloonadra, on the recent birth of a baby girl.
Ballyboro Youth Soccer
Following the recent & highly successful registration night, the club continues to be flooded with inquiries and late registrations. The club will now extend the deadline to Friday next 24th after which all teams will be picked for the year. Note, any child from U7 right up to U16 is welcome to play. The club hopes to enter Girls Teams at U9, U11 & U13 which in turn means more places to be filled at U8 and U10 in the boy’s teams. So girls, go along & join the fun and any boys who have not yet signed, please do so immediately to avoid disappointment. If your child was born in 2000 they play with U10’s this season. As always, many thanks from the executive board and a special mention to former treasurer John Sorohan for the fantastic efforts he has put into the club behind the scenes with the minimum of fuss over the years. We welcome Vinnie English on board as the new club treasurer. Let the madness begin & c’mon de Boro.
U14: Ballyboro U14’s had a win at home to Abbey Rovers on Sunday last. Final Score 5-4.
Goal scorers for Boro were Shane Phillips (2), Eugene Maguire (1), Kevin Sorohan (1) and Shane Kenny (1).
Bring and Buy Sale
The annual Bring and Buy in aid of Fr. Tommy Gillooly’s Mission will take place in Ballyleague Hall on Sunday 3rd October at 5pm. Members of the organising committee will be calling to all houses in the parish of Kilgefin over the next week and your usual generous support will be appreciated.
World Suicide Prevention Week 2010
A vigil will be held on Thursday 23rd September at 8p.m. to mark World Suicide Prevention Week 2010. It will start in front of the Bank of Ireland and proceed to the town park where a tree will be planted as a living memorial to all persons in Co. Roscommon who have died through suicide. You are all invited to show solidarity with those bereaved by suicide by attending this year’s Vigil.
Collection for Blind
The annual parish collection towards providing help towards the blind will again take place in the coming weeks. Your donations last year amounted to a magnificent €2758 for which the committee is very grateful.
Ballyleague Tidy Towns
Congratulations to the people of Ballyleague and the local Village Renewal Committee members who saw their National Tidy Towns Results go up by nineteen points when the results were announced last week. This follows a lot of hard work by this voluntary committee and the people of the area where a lot of emphasis was put on grass cutting and litter this year. It is hoped to continue the good work in the coming year with a number of new developments and a new area plan for the next five years. The Tidy Towns committee will be meeting again in October to discuss plans for next year and all interested residents and business people are invited to attend. This week representatives of the village renewal committee met with personnel from the engineering staff of Roscommon County Council with regard to issues surrounding the re-surfacing of the main road through the village. It is hoped the work will be completed within the next ten days.
St. Faithleach’s GAA
Minor Championship Replay: We had a great win over Kilmore at home on Friday last in the Championship Quarter Final. Final Score – St. Faithleach’s 1-13 Kilmore 1-6. Team: C. Farrell, D. Gibbons, C. Gannon, S. Garvey, D. Rooney (0-1), K. Healy, J. Wallace, M. Nealon, K. Murtagh (1-1), D. Murtagh (0-10), K. Farrell. Subs: N. Kelly, K. Kelly (0-1). St. Faithleach’s will now play against Kilglass Gaels in the up-coming championship semi-final.
U16 League: Congratulations and well done to our U16 Boys along with their Manager Bob McCormack who are through to the League Final. They defeated Ballinameen on Sunday evening last at home. Final Score – St. Faithleach’s 2-12 Ballinameen 1-12. Team: C. Farrell, J. Sweeney, R. McDermott, K. Farrell, C. Gannon, C. Gunn (0-1), D. Gibbons (0-1), K. Kelly, D. Murtagh (2-9), J. Hussey, M. Cox. Sub: J. Walsh (0-1).
Lotto: Numbers drawn: 5, 9, 18 and 25. No jackpot winner. €20 winners – Mel Fallon, Clondra. Pat Kilcoyne, Barnacor. Una Flynn, Roscommon. Edel McCormack, Cloontuskert. Kathleen Donlon, Moher. The next draw will take place in the clubhouse on Tuesday 28th September for a jackpot of €1,700. The team on duty: G. Donlon, P. Kenny, R. McCormack.
Cards: Every Tuesday in the Club House, 9.00pm. Results of last week’s games – 1st, Michael/Tom. Joint 2nd, Fr. Larney/Sonny & Sean C/Sean P. Ticket Winners – Kathleen, Sean, Mike, Sean.
Paddy Bolger Memorial Tournament: On a wet & windy Saturday last we held the Annual Paddy Bolger Memorial Tournament, U14 7-a-side Boys. Thanks to Minor Club Secretary, Emma Brennan who organised the event. Many thanks to the following teams who took part along with their Manager/Mentors: Roscommon Gaels, Clan na Gael A & B, Kilglass Gaels, Rathcline, Ballintubber, St. Faithleachs, Padraig Pearses, Kilbride & Oran. A great display of competitive football from all teams throughout the day with Ballintubber, Roscommon Gaels, Clan na Gael A & Kilglass reaching the semi-finals. The Final was a tough fought contest between Clan na Gael A & Roscommon Gaels. Congratulations to Clan na Gael A who were the winners of the tournament. Eamon Bolger presented the Paddy Bolger Cup to Clan na Gael A Captain, A. O’Reilly along with Winners Trophies to team members. Runner-Up trophies were presented to Roscommon Gaels team members. Clan na Gael Team: S. Lacey, J. Connaughton, F. Lennon, M. Shine, A. O’Reilly(Cpt), C. Brennan, D. Connerton, J. Fahy, M. Flannery, C. McManus. Roscommon Gaels Team: E. Farrell, J. McDonald, D. O’Leary, C. Maury, R. Horan, A. Duignan, R. Hughes, B. Cleary, M. Kearney, B. Kelly. Many thanks to Eamon Bolger. Thanks to Bob McCormack. Many thanks to the referees on the day. Many thanks to all who helped out in preparation of the pitches for the Tournament. Thanks to all who supplied refreshments for the day, all who helped out in the Shop for the day and all who helped out in any way.
U8 Blitz: Well done to all our U8 players who took part in a blitz in Hyde Park on Saturday last.
Upcoming Events: Saturday 30th October, Halloween with a difference at the Club House, details to follow. Friday 26th November we are bringing a wonderful Dublin Gospel Choir to the parish, details to follow.
Sympathy: The Club extends deepest sympathy to the Geraghty Family, Ballyleague on the death of Stephen Gearghty.
Congratulations: To Henry Kenny who celebrated his 30th Birthday on Saturday last.
Church Gate Collection
Longford Branch of the Alzheimer society of Ireland will hold their annual Church Gate collection at all masses at St. Mary’s church next weekend. Your support will be gratefully appreciated.