By Barry Lally In 1351, William Buí O’Kelly, Lord of Hy Many, invited all the bards, brehons, artists, musicians and jesters from across Ireland to a Christmas Day feast at his castle on the banks of Lough Ree near Knockcroghery in County Roscommon. The month-long festivities gave rise to the expression “Fáilte Uí Cheallaigh”, still current in Irish, meaning hospitality of exceptional warmth and munificence. As he watched the departure of his guests from the temporary village he had constructed for their accommodation, O’Kelly was heard to ruefully remark: “Nach raibh mise an t-amadán mór?” (Wasn’t I the great fool?) Two years later he founded Kilconnell Conventual Franciscan Friary on the site of the 6th-century monastery of St. Connal. Besides the O’Kellys, the friary enjoyed the patronage and protection of other powerful Hy Many families such as the O’Donnellans, the O’Maddens and the Wards from the 14th to the 18th centuries, and the tombs of many of its patrons survive inside the ruins. In the 1460s, Malachy O’Kelly, a great-grandson of the founder, induced the friars to adopt the Observant reform involving a stricter interpretation of the rule of St. Francis. Between 1405 and 1534 all but one of the bishops of Clonfert were friars, and the bishop of Clonfert was one of the clerics most frequently called on the execute Bulls in favour of the friars. The presence of these friar-bishops must have played a crucial role in promoting the various forms of mendicant activity in the diocese. Though the friary had been officially dissolved in 1541 and granted to two English lessees, when Sir Richard Bingham, Governor of Connacht, garrisoned his troops there in 1580 he insisted that the buildings not be damaged or the friars molested. Similarly, in 1596, when the friary was occupied for nine months by the forces of Captain Stryck during a conflict with the O’Kellys, the friars were allowed to remain. Moreover, Kilconnell was one of only five Irish friaries still inhabited and in good repair in 1616. In 1351, William Buí O’Kelly, Lord of Hy Many, invited all the bards, brehons, artists, musicians and jesters from across Ireland to a Christmas Day feast at his castle on the banks of Lough Ree near Knockcroghery in County Roscommon. The month-long festivities gave rise to the expression “Fáilte Uí Cheallaigh”, still current in Irish, meaning hospitality of exceptional warmth and munificence. As he watched the departure of his guests from the temporary village he had constructed for their accommodation, O’Kelly was heard to ruefully remark: “Nach raibh mise an t-amadán mór?” (wasn’t I the great fool?) Two years later he founded Kilconnell Conventual Franciscan Friary on the site of the 6th-century monastery of St. Connal. Besides the O’Kellys, the friary enjoyed the patronage and protection of other powerful Hy Many families such as the O’Donnellans, the O’Maddens and the Wards from the 14th to the 18th centuries, and the tombs of many of its patrons survive inside the ruins. In the 1460s, Malachy O’Kelly, a great-grandson of the founder, induced the friars to adopt the Observant reform involving a stricter interpretation of the rule of St. Francis. Between 1405 and 1534 all but one of the bishops of Clonfert were friars, and the bishop of Clonfert was one of the clerics most frequently called on the execute Bulls in favour of the friars. The presence of these friar-bishops must have played a crucial role in promoting the various forms of mendicant activity in the diocese. Though the friary had been officially dissolved in 1541 and granted to two English lessees, when Sir Richard Bingham, Governor of Connacht, garrisoned his troops there in 1580 he insisted that the buildings not be damaged or the friars molested. Similarly, in 1596, when the friary was occupied for nine months by the forces of Captain Stryck during a conflict with the O’Kellys, the friars were allowed to remain. Moreover, Kilconnell was one of only five Irish friaries still inhabited and in good repair in 1616. With reference to the friary, in 1709 a traveller noted that “this abbey was in repair and inhabited in King James’s time, so that the woodwork, the wainscot and ordinary painting still remain.” He also recorded that the buildings were surrounded by a wall of skulls and bones, supposedly the unburied remains of the fallen at the Battle of Aughrim. The wall was about 4 feet high and 5 feet 4 inches thick. It doesn’t appear to have survived intact into the following century, for in 1827 Rev. Caesar Otway, a Church of Ireland clergyman, reported that nothing remained of it but “an immense stack of human bones.” Later in the century Baron Clonbrock used his influence to have the bones and skulls properly interred.
The most interesting of the friary’s altar-tombs is located near the west door of the nave and dates from the late 15th century. It has been described as having a flamboyant canopy with a front divided into six panels, “each one filled with a saintly figure, surmounted by its respective name, which are as follows: St. John the Evangelist, St. Louis of Toulouse, St. James, St. Catherine of Alexandria, the Virgin Mary, and St. Denis of Paris. The finial is divided into two panels, the one on the left is the figure of a bishop, and on the right is St. Francis.” Neither the owner of the tomb nor its occupant or occupants have been identified. Another tomb deserving of note is found in the north wall of the chancel and described as “altar-shaped with a rich canopy of quite different design (to that located at the west door), consisting of a rose tracery on a circular arch, the panels in front being plain.” Of mid-15th century construction, its original owner is unknown. At some stage it was appropriated by the O’Daly family. Kilconnell Friary is one the gems of Ballinasloe’s hinterland and well worth a visit, not only because it contains within its walls some of the masterpieces of Irish medieval figurative sculpture, but also for the pervasive sense of history that the place exudes, a special place where we feel in communion with our Gaelic heritage and that helps locate us in the continuum of time. To quote the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: “Through personal identification with the great moments of the past they become part of what makes us who we are. We become characters in a continuing story which began before we were born and will continue after we have ceased to be. Without history there is no identity, and without identity we are cast adrift into a sea of chance, without compass, map or destination.”
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The Parade will assemble at the Fairgreen car park, at 1:30p.m on Friday 17th March and will begin at 2p.m. sharp via Society Street, Main St, Slí Na hAbhainn, Dunlo Street and passing the reviewing stand in St Michael’s Square. There will be lots of on-street entertainment for spectators to enjoy on the day. We are honoured to announce that Sr Alacoque, who has made a tremendous contribution to the community, will be our Parade Marshall.
Sr. Alacoque Gleeson will lead all the pageantry in March as Ballinasloe celebrates with one of largest St. Patrick’s Day parades in county Galway. Sr. Alacoque, is a native of Blueball, Co Offaly is a Mercy Sister, and was Director of Ballinasloe Social Services’ Day Care Centre from 1982 – 2009, when she retired from her nursing post with the HSE. She has been on the Board since 1982 and was Chairperson from 2003 -2006. She remained a member of the Board until 2019. She continues to have a keen interest in Ballinasloe Social Services and helps out in various fundraising events during the year, along with being an active member of the local community Participants may choose from FIVE categories including:
The organisers are appealing to the local business community to assist with sponsoring the cost of the parade. We encourage the local Schools, Sports Clubs, Voluntary Organisations, Dancing Schools, Musicians and Businesses to take part in the parade. It gives us all the opportunity to showcase all of the positive aspects that our town and surrounding areas have to offer. So come along to the Ballinasloe Parade and help to make it a special day of celebration, and a fun day for all of the family. For inquiries please contact: Carmel 0876207477 Johnny 0879973008 The Pulse Club was officially launched on the 8th January 2019 and is an initiative of the Ballinasloe Area Community Development. The Club was open for membership from January of this year with a subsidised €50 annual fee for the first year. The two key objectives of the Pulse Club are to:
Take a look below about what people are saying about it! Joe Glennon & Renate Kohlmann talk about The Pulse Club Denis Naughten TD - Greenway Eugene Murphy TD - The Pulse Club IDA, LEO and Enterprise Ireland Denis Naughten - Broadband Plans The Pulse Club Launch
Leading Edge Medical Device Career Opportunities in Ballinasloe Surmodics Inc. Is a Minnesota based multi-national specialising in the design, development, and manufacture of leading medical devices. Over the past two years, Surmodics has made very significant investments in the Ballinasloe facility. The site now has full vertical integration including, precision extrusion, balloon forming, catheter assembly, braiding, hydrophilic coating and drug delivery capability. Due to continued growth, Surmodics are hosting a Careers Fair on December 13th at The Shearwater Hotel, Ballinasloe, from 9am -9pm. Available resources to support our site expansion are as follows:
If you would like to work for a company that offers exceptional benefits, encourages employees to gain experience across our entire product & process range and is free from daily traffic delays to/from its site, then please forward your CV and cover letter to HR via email: careers@surmodics.com or telephone (090)9646300 To find out more about any of the above roles, please visit http://www.surmodics.com/careers/careers-overview/. Interviews will also take place on the day. Saturday 17th will be a great day at Ballinasloe RFC. At 4.45pm Ballinasloe Rugby Club Senior men's side play host to Corrib RFC in the next round of the league. With the squad improving with every game this promises to deliver a great clash.
This match will be closely followed by the Autumn international between Ireland and the All Blacks at the Aviva. This game will be shown live in the clubhouse with full bar and finger food. All are welcome. Then on Sunday 18th November all eyes will be on Beibhinn Parsons as she is set to make her International debut against the US - at 16 Beibhinn will be the youngest player to win an Ireland cap in a test match if she makes an appearance. Kick off is at 1pm in Donnybrook. For more information about Ballinasloe Rugby Club, visit their facebook page. In just five years, Ballinasloe has developed a girls rugby programme that has brought more silverware to the club and green jerseys onto the walls of their clubhouse. Irish Rugby TV went to East Galway to meet the volunteers and the players who have made it happen. Ballinasloe RFC has known plenty of success over the years. The jersey of Ireland international and Lions tourist Ray McLoughlin hangs above the clubhouse bar. The walls are covered with photos of great teams and famous wins from the club's 143-year history. Trophies sit on the mantelpiece above the turf fire. Most of these, however, only stretch back to 2013. That is when underage Women's rugby kicked off in Ballinasloe RFC. Just two years later, there were five Ballinasloe players in the Connacht Under-18 Women's set-up - Georgia Codyre, Sarah Dent, Ellen Grehan, Grainne Lohan and Rachel Tierney. By 2018, that number had doubled. Jordan Hopkins, Emily Gavin, Aoibheann Reilly, Méabh Deely, Hannah Gullane, Niamh Kenny, Beibhinn Parsons, Áine Galvin and Mia Fahy were all in the matchday squad as Connacht claimed their first ever IRFU U-18 Women's Interprovincial title recently. Nine of them started in the title-clinching 21-19 win over Leinster. A week later Parsons and Reilly were named in the Ireland Women's squad for the upcoming November Tests. The pair were also invited, alongside club-mates Galvin and Deely, to an Emerging Talent Day squad get-together by Ireland Women's head coach Adam Griggs. Credit: Irish Rugby TV Beechlawn Organic Farm won the Best New and Innovative Product Award at Bord Bia Food Awards on Tuesday 10th October. Well done to Una Fahy for leading the way with new Biobags and reducing our use of single use plastic.
Padraig and Una met in 1999 while both studying organic horticulture at The Organic College, Dromcollogher. In 2001, they started growing vegetables on Padraig's parents farm. The following year, Beechlawn Organic Farm was established. The business grew year-on-year, and the couple gradually gave up teaching horticulture to work full-time alongside other staff members, growing and selling organic vegetables. Starting with a box scheme, the business moved into farmers' markets. In 2009 it started selling to supermarkets. Over the following years, Beechlawn Organic Farm gradually gave up the markets and now focuses on the veg box delivery scheme alongside sales to shops, restaurants, supermarkets and larger wholesalers. You can find out more and order your box of seasonal vegetables by visiting their webpage PS: EuroSpar in The Square stock Beechlawn Organic Veg as well!
The winners of the Christmas Window Display have been announced! Ballinasloe Life went live on Facebook, with Lyn Donnelly announcing the three best-placed windows.
From there, we went Facebook Live again to present Keller's with their prize - €300 worth of vouchers from local businesses - and to draw the winner from the entry-draw!
A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Aoife Grier who has been selected to win a vouchers for stores in Ballinasloe!
Thank you so much to the participating shops and to everybody who voted. We hope you enjoy the Christmassy-vibe the decorations create and enjoy your Christmas! Lily Kelly's Art Studio are opening a new exhibition at the Church Gallery. The exhibition opens at 11:30am on Tuesday, 12 December. Gort artist Des O'Regan will be opening the exhibition, with some of his work on display. The display of art is free to attend and will remain open for December. Be sure to stop by and check out what Ballinasloe's artists are capable of creating! To entice you, take a look at some of the photographs below. |
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January 2024
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