Ballinasloe Showcase Day 2023
 
When: Thursday April 27th at 1pm – 2pm             
Where: Ballinasloe Enterprise Centre, H53E9R2
 
Come and hear why Ballinasloe is a fantastic location for investment, business, remote workers & entrepreneurs.
 
Are you:

• A local business or entrepreneur in the area?
• A business leader transitioning & embedding remote and hybrid ways of work?
• Already working remotely or interested in remote work opportunities?
• A business mentor, company advisor or enterprise development professional?
• A Community member interested in the development of Ballinasloe?

 
If your answer to any of these questions is - Yes - then our 'Why choose Ballinasloe 2023' lunch briefing is for you.
 
As a part of the national Connected Hubs Showcase Day, Ballinasloe Enterprise Centre in conjunction with The Pulse Club & Grow Remote are hosting a briefing session to launch its Why Choose Ballinasloe campaign, a campaign which highlights what makes our town a great location for business and remote work.
 
The meetup will be opened by  Sen Aisling Dolan and closing remarks by Cllr Evelyn Parsons and MC'd by Renate Kohlmann.
 
Our panel of speakers are drawn from the different sectors of what makes our town a great location for collaboration, remote work, and a great environment for business.
 
Our panel of experts for the meetup will include:
 

• Seamus Duffy, Chair, Ballinasloe Area Community Development
• Lyn Donnelly, Manager, Ballinasloe Enterprise Centre & Hub
• Cait Mc Conn, Operations Manager, Grow Remote
• Joanne Mangan, Remote Transformation Manager, Grow Remote
• Niamh Creaven Connaughton, The Pulse Club & Araya Business & Marketing Solutions.

 
Light lunch, tea and coffee provided.

All attendees must pre-register @ Connected Hubs

The Golf Club confirmed Frankie Kenny, a 36 year old Kiltormer native as the new Franchisee for the Bar and Food Operation this month.

From a Garbally Leaving Cert his hospitality career began with Tomas and Caroline Gullane as your typical lounge staff and he progressed there before moving to Haydens under the Creaven and Downey years as Bar Manager.
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He returned to Gullanes in the Bar and Restaurant section before taking up a position with the previous contractees to the Gold Club as Bar Manager in March of last year.

“Tee19@BallinasloeGolfClub” is what the outfit will be branded; bringing no nonsense dining and catering to hungry golfers and visitors alike.

Open for the members from 11.00 am with a lite brunch offering and then from noon till close of kitchen a solid tasty and refreshing limited menu will be provided  at modest fare – seven days a week.

Commencing service from mid April onwards Tee19 will aim to provide Club users and guests a distinctive West of Ireland slant to their kitchen with changing evening specials and of course an A La Carte Sunday lunch offering.

“We are still going to chase the private party and function market and will be able to cater for groups with special finger food up to 100 guests and for smaller intimate family gatherings – like birthdays or anniversaries“, explains Frankie who is really looking forward to the new opportunity.

Full and Part time positions are still available and you can contact the facility by calling the Golf Club main number at 0909642126 or if you wish to offer a CV by emailing frankietee19@gmail.com 

All the exciting Offers and Specials will be posted regularly on the new Fbook page;  TEE 19, Ballinasloe Golf Club.

 ​A number of activities for locals and visitors to experience:

1. Rambling House  Gibbons Bar Friday 26th May @ 9pm
2. Guided Bog Walk from Ballinasloe to Clonfert Saturday 27th May @ 9.00am & 11am
3. Guided Tour Ahascragh Distillery Saturday 27th May @11am
4. Boat Cruise from Shannonbridge to Ballinasloe  Saturday 27th May @ 4pm
5. Tour of Battle of Aughrim  Sunday 28th @ 10 am
6. Kayaking on River Suck Sunday 28th @1pm & 2pm
7. Kids Heritage & Treasure Trail Sunday 28th @ 1pm

These events are being coordinated by the Ballinasloe Tourism Group set up under the umbrella of Ballinasloe Area Community Development Clg. All general enquiries can be made to Lyn or Martina at info@bacd.ie or 09096 46516.

Accommodation Details:
Gullanes hotel €139 per night per room 
Shearwater Hotel €200 per night per room 
Moycarn Lodge & Marina €140 per night per room 
Gibbons B&B €70 per night per room

To book any event - click into the image or click on this LINK

Location:  Starting Point at Gun Club & Lismanny Board walk
Time: 9am & 11.15 am Saturday 27th May

2 options

• Option 1 - Distance 18 Km, walk time 5 hours approx. Ballinasloe to Clonfert
• Option 2 - Distance 9 km Walk, Time 2.5 hours Lismanny Boardwalk to Clonfert

Option 1:
Walkers will meet at Gullanes car park at 8.45 am and bus transferred to the Gun Club for 9.00 am walk start. The group will stop at Lismany board walk for lunch (approx. 11.15am) where tea/coffee will be provided.

Walk Details:  Commence at Ballinasloe Gun Club, along the Grand canal towpath ( following the Hymany way route) past the aqueduct where the Grand Canal and Ballinure river meet, and on to the Lismanny Boardwalk where there is a break for lunch.  After the break continue past Kylemore School house and church, along a track,  through a forest path alongside Kylemore bog, then bog tracks and finish at Clonfert Cathedral  where a bus will be waiting to drop all walkers back to start of walk at Ballinasloe Gun club/Gullanes Hotel

Option 2:
Meet bus in Lawrencetown village at 11 am and brought by bus to Lismanny boardwalk (53.2628805, -8.1564162, 7R7V+5C4) at 11.15 am.

​Walk Details: Join the group for the second half of the walk along tracks, forest and bog to Clonfert Cathedral.   where a bus will be waiting to drop all walkers back to start of walk at Laurencetown/Ballinasloe Gun Club/Gullanes Hotel

Tour Guides:
The walk will be guided by Claire Kelly & Fiona Maguire. Claire is an ecologist and will explain the expansive biodiversity and eco systems along the route. Fiona Maguire is a local archaeologist who will talk about the rich cultural heritage along the route.

The terrain is a mix of road and grassy trails so please be mindful of footwear. We advise walkers to have good walking boots/shoes, appropriate clothing for the weather to ensure your greatest comfort and safety.
Please remember to have water to keep you hydrated, and snacks for along the way if you so wish. We will provide Tea/ Coffee for the stop scheduled at Lismany boardwalk.
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Cost: €5
Enquiries: Brid Lyons on 0874136769

NB: THIS WALK IS FOR MODERATE LEVELS OF FITNESS & AT PARTICIPANTS OWN RISK
All persons participating in this event being organized by Ballinasloe Area Community Development (BACD Clg) do so at their OWN RISK. By purchasing ticket for the event you herby agree to accept all Responsibility. BACD Clg nor its Directors, Volunteers or Employees accept any Responsibility whatsoever caused by any injury or damage suffered by any person participating in this event.
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Venue: Shannon Bridge to Ballinasloe along the River Suck 
Time: Boat departs Shannonbridge 4pm ( bus pick up in Ballinasloe @ 3pm) Saturday 27th May
Duration: 2 Hours
Details: Cruise along the majestic River Suck to Ballinasloe  onboard the luxurious, all-weather River Queen.  Snap photos and enjoy unsurpassed views of this spectacular waterway with live on board entertainment and full bar facilities. 2 Drop of points on way back 1) Moycarn  Marina and 2) Ballinasloe Marina
On arrival at Moycarn Lodge, A complimentary glass of Bubbly and Chef's Canapes will be served on the Marina to welcome you​. 
Cost: €20 per person
Enquiries: Lyn on 0863070579

Venue: Moycarn Marina
Time: 1pm & 2pm Sunday 28th.
Details: Kayak along the river Suck with an experienced guide who will take you along the banks of the River Suck to give you a unique view of the countryside. Small Groups, No kayaking experience required. We will supply kayaks, buoyancy aids, helmets  and paddles.
Meet at Moycarn Marina 15 minutes before start time. Wear old runners, tracksuit bottom or shorts, a t shirt and a wind breaker, or under-armour type top. If you have your own wetsuit, feel free to wear it but not a necessity.
Duration of activity: 1 hour
Queries: Leo : Lets Enjoy Outside: 086 8406726 

A small group of passionate and dedicated volunteers have been meeting since the new year to attempt to establish a new grouping focused on heritage and history in all it’s guises in the locality.

The ad hoc group ran a small pop up Heritage Hub in Greene’s Store , Society St during St. Patrick’s day featuring a lot of lovely dated and mounted black and white photos of times past from the Gerry Devlin Archive.

The Group are keen to stress that the elements they wish this new project to embrace are our people, traditions, architecture, archaeology, fairs, Music, Sports, Industry and Art.

On the night in question – Mon 17th of April in Gullanes Hotel at 8.30 pm,  they are encouraging as many as possible to come but also for those who may have some unseen black and white photos, artefacts , old books, souvenir programmes, equipmen, uniforms or household items associated with East Galway or South Roscommon - to bring them along for an Antiques Roadshow display.

Items will be recorded on the night with the owner and a small video clip made for broadcasting later.
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It is hoped that the project will get as wide as possible support from the upsurge in local amenities, heritage, attractions and publications that all emerged during COVID.

Darkness into Light walk is set to return this year for its seventh cycle; departing early in the morning from the Emerald Ballroom, along with 200 similar fundraisers happening nationwide on the day.

Darkness into Light is Pieta House’s top fundraising and awareness event aiming to help those impacted by suicide and self-harm. The walk brings the participants from the pitch black of the early morning on a silent walk through their towns, eventually finishing their journey at the sunrise, symbolising victims finding the light of hope and wellness. Last year, over 450 locals joined the fundraiser, with the town lit in a great display of candlelight and lanterns.

This year’s event will depart from the Emerald Ballroom at 04:15am on Saturday May 6 2023. You can register to participate or donate online at darknessintolight.ie.

​Fully qualified therapists are also available 24/7 at the helpline (180) 024 7247 or by texting HELP to 51444 for those in distress or crisis.

The Ballinasloe Town Team formally launched their Sustainable Community Energy Plan with an extensive presentation at the Enterprise Centre from  three guest speakers Ryan Madden of Plan Energy, Ruth Buggie of SEAI (Sustainable Energy Association Ireland) and Brian Graham of Solar Home LTD.
 
Town Team Co – Ordinator Anita Kileen, who has personally championed this project as key issue of the next decade of development for the town, welcomed all to the centre and thanked those who had contributed and helped thus far.

The public launch was open to everyone, hoping to consult and collaborate with all our community on how to effectively manage  power, energy and reduce our carbon footprint over time.

Ryan Madden, a representative from Plan Energy, outlined the new Ballinasloe Energy Master Plan, reviewing the town’s current energy practises. Reportedly, on average, a household in town can spend over €350 a month on all electric appliances, with an immersion, tumble dryer and dishwasher taking the heaviest bulk of the cost. The primary heating sources of Ballinasloe were found to be oil at 35.7% and peat at 26%,  (average nationally with oil but over average with peat fuel) with the speaker encouraging the attendees to adopt wooden stoves or natural gas if they could.

Reflecting on the broader Sustainable Energy Community of 700 locations across Ireland, there are various practices Ballinasloe could adopt to reduce power usage and costs. In an analysis of ten residences in the region, Ballinasloe received a D1 in its Building Energy Rating for efficiency, which is in line with the SEC average but could be increased to a B1 by retrofitting 20-25% of buildings before 2023. Ryan Madden suggested other measures the town could aim for this decade included a 20% transition to electric vehicles and potentially adopting solar and wind power alternatives. Additionally, a 40% reduction in car journeys was suggested, which could be reached by simply walking to a workplace or operating from home once or twice a week.
 
Overall, the  goal has been set to reduce the community’s  carbon footprint by 3% every year, estimating it could be lowered by over 10,000 tonnes by 2030. In addition, the report detailed that the community could become significantly more sustainable with 36,792,146 kilowatts per hour of savings if the measures outlined were to be implemented.

To sponsor these initiatives, SEAI Programme Manager Ruth Buggie outlined attention to grants available from the Govt. Agency. This includes funding available for the community, which can vary from €50,000 to €2 million depending on the scale of the project, as well as grants  for home retrofits, sustainable transport upgrades and solar panel instalments for individuals in the locality. Attendees were actually taken aback at some of the schemes available.

Brian Graham of Solar Home LTD followed her on the topic of renewable initiatives, exploring different solar installation types as well as the cost, being €14,600 for a 4.5 kilowatt an hour panel fitting which can be alleviated by a SEAI grant of €2400. Located in Athenry, the company can be contacted at (091) 848 700.
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If you hope to find out more information about the Ballinasloe Master Plan, Ryan Madden can be contacted at ryan.madden@planenergy.com, or for more information on SEAI Energy Grants you can visit their website at www.seai.ie.

The Ballinasloe Towns A.F.C. Under 14s gave a tremendous display in the Schoolboys Football Association of Ireland National Cup, with the team going blow for blow against Gorey in the thrilling last 16th match. Unfortunately falling short in their penalty shootout, the young football stars performed an excellent game.
 
Kicking off the game on March 5th, John Kelly shot a brilliant free kick towards the head of skipper Aaron Treacy who took the first goal of the match. Before half time, Gorey equalised the game with a score of their own. The young sportsmen regained their lead with a corner kick from Fionn Duffy leading to an excellent header from Matthew Blair. Just after the 60 minute mark, their opposition scored again, with both teams now equalised. The match was forced to go to penalties, and although they earned their first shot, the following two penalties were saved and the other hit the goalpost. Gorey despatched three penalties which send them through to the quarter finals.
 
Nonetheless the match was a spectacle to watch, with Club Development Co-Ordinator Johnny Walsh commending the “superb effort from every member of the under 14 squad and their brilliant ongoing development”. The Man of the Match was credited to James Connolly who played defence for the Ballinasloe team.
 
The Under 13s team also made a name for themselves reaching the final 16 of the SFAI National Cup, but were defeated by Champions Pike Rovers who scored 2-0 on February 25.
 
Ballinasloe started extremely well with Adam Lloyd and Paddy Ó Connell coming very close to breaking the initial deadlock. Ten minutes from the match’s end, their challengers opened the scoring with a well taken free kick. The Town players threw everything they had to secure an equaliser, but unfortunately were hit on the break when Pike scored their second goal during the final five minutes of the game.
 
It was not a complete loss for the Under 13s that week, as the following day Adam Lloyd and Éanna Colleran would both attend the National Assessment Session at the AUL Complex in Dublin, representing Ballinasloe in a display against the top juvenile soccer players in Ireland.
 
In other news, the development of replacement Astro-Turf pitches and floodlights on the club’s Curragh Grounds is nearing competition, and soon players and the public will be able to practice on the state-of-the-art sportsground. Johnny Walsh stated that the Club will shortly be organising an official launch, premiering the addition of the new facility to the Ballinasloe Community.
 
Meanwhile the Brown Underage squad confirmed their new Kit Sponsorship Deal with Kellers of Main St as the finalise preparations for their trip to Hartlepool , Liverpool over Easter break.
 
If you or your child is interested in joining Ballinasloe Town AFC, you can contact the club secretary by email at secretary.ballinasloetownafc@outlook.com or by phone at (087) 633 7093.

Visit Ballinasloe Town AFC on Facebook! 

The Ballinasloe Bowls Club won the prestigious Active Retirement Ireland Billy Pope Cup for the first time in 22 years, being the second town to win the trophy in that period withstanding the dominance of the city teams.
 
Thirty-two teams entered and contested in several venues across four days, kicking off in Galway City inside the Mervue Community Centre, and finishing in Loughrea.
 
Along the competition, Ballinasloe defeated 2020 title-holders Corofin, and then overcame the challenge of Mountbellew in the quarter-final.
The competition concluded with the semi-finals and final being staged in the Temperance Hall Loughrea on February 22 this year.
 
Ballinasloe triumphed against home-players Loughrea to pass the semis by a margin of two points. The following match saw the two squads from Salthill competing against one another to place in the final, with the area’s Team One beating their Team Two by a margin of three points.
 
The decider was now set for Ballinasloe versus Salthill One, played over nine ends. Ballinasloe’s team featured Brendan Kelly as Skip, along with Joe Murphy and Michael Kelly against Salthill’s team with James Sargent as Skip along with Michael Dempsey and Breda Sargent. The squads went blow for blow, with one point being scored in each round.
 
After six ends both teams were equal in score, with three totalled each. Ballinasloe pulled away in the penultimate stage to win the competition by a margin of three, with the town scoring a final result of six points and Salthill three.
 
Winning this Cup is a remarkable achievement for the Kelly twins and Joe Murphy. The trio played exceptionally against their seasoned and talented opponents. The team’s skip Brendan Kelly was a former International Discus Thrower and represented Ireland on a few occasions within Bowls competitions in the 1970's.
 
The club welcomes new members, open to men and women aged from 50 to 90 years. The sport provides plenty of exercise, social interaction, and opportunities to learn good sportsmanship and etiquette.
 
Ballinasloe Bowls gather twice a week, early every Monday from 10:30 until 12:30 and late every Thursday from 19:00 until 21:00, at the Emerald Ballroom in town. The first three attendances are free of charge and €3 per occasion afterwards.
 
To join the group, you can contact the Western Bowls Association at lillypmooney@gmail.com.

For almost 1500 years, very little light has been shone on Saint Caireac Dergain, founder of one of the most important Early-Christian convents in Ireland in Clonburren, Moore, but recently a special mass was held to honour her feastday.

A daughter of sovereigns Connal and Briga Dearg, Caireac came to the area a young woman with a mission to establish an Abbey and an order of sisters to minister to the locals.

A princess of Airgíalla, one of the three kingdoms of Ulster, she was reared in Rath Mor, Tyrone to the Colla de Crioch tribe along with her three sisters Fanchia, Lochina, and Darina who have all since become Celtic Saints. It was agreed that the then King would allow her the lands of Clonburren to build an Abbey and, as was tradition in those times he granted the manpower and finances to build a fort in Clonburren.

The Abbey was then established in the region and became a school for the daughters of the wealthy, many whom widows joining the order to work the lands and tend the sheep. The nuns spent their days administering to the sick and embroidering alter cloths and wall hangings.

They copied the gospels and answered calls to prayer several times a day from dawn to dusk. Holy water was used to bless the houses, the sheep, their food and themselves. They taught the daughters of royalty including Rincinn, the niece of King Carbre Crom. Additionally  the Queen of UI Maine and her ladies would often donate clothing and materials to the sisters every year.

Visiting Saint Enda on the Aran islands, Caireac founded two churches and a nunnery on Inishmaan. She would later die and be buried on the island, recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters as 577 AD. Although her remains are unfound, it is possible that in 578 some of her bones were brought to her principal Abbey in Clonburren, as part of a tradition in lifting a saint’s remains from the ground and bringing them to a place of honour.

On February 9th, local couple Xandra and Padraig Kilduff hosted a special mass in Moore to commemorate the local saint. Held by parish priest Fr. Michael Molloy along with a local choir of school children and musicians, the Saint’s life was commemorated. Padraig marked the occasion by presenting a painting he created of Caireac Dergain.
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The saint’s day is marked every year on the nineth of February to celebrate the patron who contributed a great deal to local history and the early Christian Church.
 

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.”