Local Notes: Abbey Pattern was a great success in Ballyhaunis
Tracy Cunnane with the winners of the Stephen Grogan Memorial Race.
The Abbey Pattern was held in the Friary field on Sunday September 28th, after being postponed due to bad weather on August 30.
The weather picked up and was a beautiful sunny afternoon, with bouncy castles, novelty games and children's races, as well as a dog show, puppet show, etc.
It's the first pattern since the passing of chairman Stephen Grogan in August 2024. The last race was dedicated to Stephen's memory.
A big thanks to the main sponsors Ballyhaunis Credit Union, who out the medals on the day, and to Centra who had Micky and Minnie Mouse there to entertain the children.
Thanks to all the local businesses who donated towards the running of the day. It was much appreciated and without your help it wouldn't be possible to run this fun family day, Thanks to the many volunteers who helped make the day a great success. It wouldn't have gone ahead without them. Thanks also to the Family Resource Centre staff on helping with the paperwork and the Friary grounds men who got the field ready.
The committee would love to have more volunteers come on board for next year's event.
Knock-based farmer and IFA member Jarlath Walsh has welcomed the extra funds allocated in Budget 2026 towards the eradication of TB in local cattle herds. The budget doubled the budget for tackling TB to €85m.
“The higher figure will allow for blood testing which is more effective than skin testing,” explained Mr Walsh.
The higher figure must also encompass higher compensation payments to farmers for livestock slaughtered after detection with TB, he said.
“This is important due to the higher prices now for cattle, making the economic loss to the farmer much higher if animals are lost to TB.”
Ireland spent €100m on the TB eradication programme in 2024, which was 74% over the budgeted figure, meaning a similar overspend could see the programme cost rising to €200 million by 2026.
Some €2.3bn has been allocated to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for 2026. That includes a €20m increase in spending on the ACRES environmental scheme which will cost €280m in 2026.
Local clothes retailers face a new wave of pressure from Chinese online retailers - wildly popular with younger customers in particular. Chinese e-commerce websites like Temu and Shein have been cutting prices in order to raise sales in the EU after new tariffs locked them out of the American market.
EU imports of Chinese clothing and textiles increased by 20% in value and volume in the first half of 2025, compared with last year, according to data from the textiles representative body Euratex which calculates there was a €2bn year-on-year rise in imports of cheap clothing from China in the first six months of this year.
The issue featured in a recent debate at Mayo County Council where several councillors claimed that towns are being hollowed out as shops succumb to competition from online retail.
Euratex has claimed Chinese garment exporters are acting in a “very aggressive way” to sell more in Europe, hurting the interests of its members. Temu has proven a valuable, high-volume client for An Post through which it delivers its goods to Irish customers.
While the EU Commission has proposed an €2 fee on all packages valued at under €150, there has not been agreement among member states on applying the fee. The US has scrapped the principle (which allowed parcels for personal use below a certain value to enter a state duty free) and put a $80 fee on packages, thus effectively eliminating Temu’s trade into America.
The Annagh Magazine Society would like to thank all those who have submitted articles, reports and photographs for this year’s magazine. It is hoped to have ‘Annagh 2025’, the 47th issue of the Ballyhaunis parish magazine, on sale in late November/early December.
Ballyhaunis’ loss is Cavan’s gain as popular barber Diego Carlos prepares to move to Cavan.
“My wife has very little English and wasn’t able to find a job in Ballyhaunis but she has parents in Cavan and her uncle has worked for 20 years in a meat factory there and he found her a job,” Diego explained.
The Brazil native spent seven years barbering in Ballyhaunis, most of that time spent upstairs at Eddie Muphy’s Menswear clothes shop on Main Street. He built a loyal following with local youths through his TikTok social media channel where he frequently appears with his customers.
“They enjoy coming to my barber shop,” explained Diego. “I may become a barber in Cavan but I don’t know, I need to go and check the situation there,” he explained.
As in Ballyhaunis, there are many Brazilians in Cavan town due to the presence of a large meat processing plant.
Like many in Ballyhaunis’ large Brazilian population, Diego came to Ireland on a work permit to work at Dawn Meats, moving to barbering after four years in the meat plant.
“I think there are better barbers than me, but every day I learn something new, that is the difference between me and others. I like to build good relations so I say ‘How are you?’ how is your day?’”
Diego has extended family in Ballyhaunis while his mother moved to Castlerea to work the night shift in Harmaq. His brother, who also works in Harmaq, sings and plays guitar in the choir at the Brazilian church in Ballyhaunis. Another Ballyhaunis-based brother makes cakes.
The history of the Ballyhaunis region from the Normans to the Famine was vividly brought to life by American historian Patrick Jordan who talked on his book, , which tracks the fate of the Jordans, a Norman clan which controlled a large part of Mayo up to the 17th century.
A large audience at the Community Hall that came from across Mayo and as far as Roscommon town heard Jordan give a kaleidoscopic overview of how society evolved in the area as the Normans assimilated into local society before their power and influence was diminished by the British Crown’s various attempts to extend control over Ireland.
Their dispossession during the Cromwellian conquest largely ended their influence and by the time of the Famine much of the clan had been reduced to tenant farmers.
During his talk, Mr Jordan also described the ability of local power broker Viscount Dillon to change his religious faith and leverage his connections with the Crown during the tumultuous years of English conquest in the 16th century.
Dillon presented himself as a middleman with serious connections in Dublin Castle, providing protection to Norman lords so they could keep their land for a fee to Dillon.
Dillon interceded with the court of Queen Elizabeth I who sought to settle the island proper, seizing Norman lands and then re-granting them. Cromwell’s intervention was more brutal, seizing lands and awarding them to soldiers in his New Model Army. The Normans who held onto their Catholic faith lost everything, with British landlords holding much of the country’s lands until land reform in the late 19th century.
A lawyer based in Virginia near Washington DC, Jordan took nearly a decade to research and write the book. His lecture was the latest in a series of talks organised by Ballyhaunis Community Council for its autumn genealogy programme sponsored by Mayo Sligo Leitrim Education and Training Board.
Local estate agent Kevin Kirrane was non-plussed by Budget 2026 and doesn’t think government incentives to encourage the development of apartments will have much impact on Ballyhaunis.
Last week’s budget cut VAT rates for the sale of apartments which are already under construction.
“The VAT on apartments will probably only affect the cities,” said Mr Kirrane.
Calls for increases to the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) allowance meanwhile were rightly ignored by government as these are inflationary, Mr Kirrane believes.
“It’s better they [HAP payments] run behind as the more they give the more the rents go up. I personally believe everybody working or not should contribute a part of the rent. Nothing in life is free. There is work out there."
HAP is paid by local authorities, with amounts varying according to local rental rates.
Mr Kirrane said: “Once you have three kids there is no point working a minimum wage job. It’s nobody’s fault but when you give someone a crutch they tend to lean on it rather than use it to help them walk.”
A Climate Action Week organised by Mayo County Council has prompted a series of local events including an event organised by Ballyhaunis GAA on Thursday next, October 16, to promote cycling and walking among its members.
A Climate Conversations event at the Community Hall on Friday, October 17, will hear from local farmers, householders and businesses on their actions to address the impacts of climate change. The 8pm event will allow a frank exchange of views on government incentives to retrofit homes and community buildings while the value of agricultural environmental schemes will be discussed by local farmers.
The week starts with a presentation on beekeeping at the Centre of Excellence on today (Tuesday, October 14), organised by the East Mayo GAA Board. Saturday, October 18, sees the second meeting of the Climate Café Connacht at the Friary House, starting at 11am.
