Farming
Award for Young Leitrim Man
Twenty-one
year old Ballinaglera man, Shane McKeon, flew
the flag for Lovely Leitrim recently at the F.B.D. Young
Farmer of the Year Awards. They took place in the Newpark
Hotel in Killkenny where he picked up the Special Prize
for community involvement on the second of September.
Shane, who is a cattle and sheep farmer, was competing
against
twenty-nine other farmers. The Special Prize goes to
the farmer who is deemed to have made the greatest impact
outside
of his own farm in the wider farming community and the
community in general. F.B.D. is Ireland's leading Insurance
Broker in the Food & Agricultural Sector.
Tourism
Boost for County
Tourism
in County Leitrim received a boost at the start of September
when it was announced that some of the
county's angling spots are to become the subject of
significant investment.
Lough McHugh, just outside Mohill; Gullabo Lake, near
Carrigallen;
and Butler's Marina, Carrick-On-Shannon, will also
receive funding as well as the famed Glenear Waterfall,
where
€1,000,000 has already been spent.
The
Dock Nominated for Award
The
Dock, in Carrick, has just been nominated for a regional
award in the inaugural Live Music Venue
of the Year Awards,
which will take place in the Capital on Saturday,
October fourth.
Funding
for Carrigallen Business
Brian
Gormley of Electrical Repairs in Carrigallen is to receive
€4,131 in funding from Clár Éamon Ó Cuív,
T.D., the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs,
announced recently. The Drumharkin-Drumrooske Group water
scheme near Fenagh village recently benefited from Clár
funding to the tune of €68,000.
Funding
for Town Trails
The
Minister for Sport, Arts and Tourism, Martin Cullen, has
announced that there
will be government
funding
for historical walks and trails in
towns within the region.
New
Tesco Store in Ballinamore
A
new Tesco has just opened in the town of Ballinamore and
it's arrival
has been
welcome
by many local
people.
Mohill
Filmmaker Launches McGahern Study
Ronan
Gallagher, who now lives on the shores of Lough Errew
in Rynn,
in the
Parish of
Gortletteragh, launched
a new
film based on Leitrim's most
famous literary figure,
the late
John McGahern. The premier
took place in the Landmark Hotel in
Carrick-On-Shannon
on the night
of September
eleventh.
The thirty-minute film looks
at McGahern from a very local
perspective.
Dromod
'Cleans Up' at Awards Again
The
results of the Annual Tidy Town Awards were announced
at the start
of September.
Dromod once
again coming
in first within County
Leitrim, followed by second place
Carrick-On-Shannon and
Cloone coming in third.
Workhouse
Memorial Opened in Carrick
The
official opening of the recently renovated
workhouse
attic in
St. Patrick Hospital
in Carrick-On-Shannon
took place on Friday
September
fifth. This is
a memorial
to
the thousands of
poor people who sought refuge
there during
the
Great Famine. The
workhouse was built in 1841 at
a cost of €11,000.
There
were two
more workhouses
in
operation
in the
county during this
very bleak period
in local
and
Irish history in
Mohill and Manorhamilton.
Leitrim
Turning Green?
The
Green Party has announced that
three candidates
will contest
the 2009 local
elections.
Gerry Farry will go
forward in
the Manorhamilton area, Johnny Gogan
will contest
a seat in the Dromahaire
area, while
Garret McDaid will
once again
go forward
in the Carrick-On-Shannon area.
High
Praise for the Oarsman
The
Oarsman Pub in
Carrick-On-Shannon
has
once again
been
included
in
the Michelin
Guide
to Eating
Out
in Pubs
for the fourth
year
running. The
book
is a
very
comprehensive list
of
the
best pubs
for
eating out in
Britain
and
Ireland.
U.S.
Vice-Presidential Candidate
Has Leitrim
Roots?
U.S.
Republican Vice-Presidential
candidate, Sarah
Palin, has
strong links
to Lovely
Leitrim, as
it has
been claimed
in the
Rossinver-Kiltyclogher area.
It has
been claimed
that Sarah
is related
to the
Sheeran family.
Apparently, a
researcher is
currently investigating
Mrs. Palin's
roots in
the region.
Sculpture
Centre Opens
in Manorhamilton
Friday,
September fifth,
saw the
opening of
the re-developed
and refurbished
Sculpture Centre
in Manorhamilton.
The center
incorporates a
spacious gallery,
production and
design studios.
Mohill's
Golden Girls
There
was a
joyous homecoming
welcome on
the street
for the
successful Mohill
Under-13 Girls
Basketball Team,
who captured
gold medals
at the
All-Ireland Community
Games finals
recently held,
as usual,
in Mosney,
County Meath.
The team
is trained
and coached
by local
men John
Dugdale and
Ciaran Moran.
Team members
include Geraldine
Keegan and
Michelle Beirne,
who really
covered herself
in glory
at the
games as
she also
picked up
a gold
in her
individual event.
Funding
for Ballinamore
School Shuttle
The
Minister for
Education and
Science, Batt
O'Keefe, has
confirmed that
the Department
of Education
will not
only meet
the shortfall
in funding
for the
Ballinamore school
bus shuttle,
but will
also meet
the cost
of service
through to
June 2009.
Let
There Be
Music
A
Carrick
publican
(owner of
a pub)
has recently
had his
music ban
lifted. John
Cleary of
Burkes Bar
has been
given permission
to resume
music inside
his premises
but the
ban still
remains
on
the playing
of music
outside.
Beautiful
Business
in
Drumsna
Leitrim's
All-Ireland
winning
captain,
Sinéad
Brennan,
recently
performed
the
opening
of
a
couple
of
new
businesses
in
Drumsna,
namely
Alma
C's
Beauty
Salon
and
Icon
Hair
Designs.
The
two
young
local
women
behind
the
businesses
are
Alma
Creegan
from
Cloone
Village
and
Harriet
McCrann
from
Mohill
Town.
911
Hero
Remembered
in
Keshcarrigan
A
wreath
laying
ceremony
took
place
during the
month
of
September
in
Keshcarrigan
to
remember
Father
Michael
Judge,
who
was
killed
in
New
York
City
on
September
11,
2001.
It
is
now
known
that
he
died
while
giving
last
rights
to
a
dying
fireman.
Father
Michael's
father
was
born
in
Keshcarrigan
and
left
Ireland
in
1926.
A
few
years
back,
a
'Peace
Garden'
was
built
in
Kesh
as
a
memorial
to
Father
Judge.
Padraig
Lynch
from
nearby
Kilclar
also
laid
a
wreath
beside
the
lakeside
memorial
for
his
two
cousins
who
died
on
that
fateful day.
Junior
Certification
Results
As
usual,
the
junior
certification
results
were released
during
the
month
of
September.
About
430
students
in
Leitrim
were
tested
in
this
years
exams.
Schools
throughout
the county
have
expressed
satisfaction
with
the
results.
Margaret,
'Angel
of
New
Orleans'
During
the
month
of
September,
American
visitors
joined
in
with
locals
at
the
townland
of
Tully,
Carrigallen,
to
celebrate
the
building
of
a
replica
cottage
at
the
birthplace
of
Margaret
Gaffney.
Margaret
went
on
to
become
Margaret,
'Angel
of
New
Orleans'.
She
is
believed
to
have
been
born
in
Tully
in
1813
but,
while
still
young,
she
emigrated
with
her
family
to
Baltimore.
Not
long
after
arriving
in
America,
she
lost
her
entire
family
to
illness.
Margaret
got
married
and
moved
to
New
Orleans,
where
she
would
spend
the
rest
of
her
life.
However,
tragedy
struck
once
