Local Notes: Ballina fundraiser was a huge success
Mary Martin accepting a Daffodil Day cheque for €5,708.37 on behalf of the Irish Cancer Society from members of the Langan and Beattie families, Ballina. The money raised came from the proceeds of the annual Helena Winters (née Langan) Coffee Morning which was held recently in the Pastoral Centre, Ballina. The organisers and helpers sincerely thank all of the bakers who supplied delicious confectionery, the businesses that sponsored the event, Ballina Pastoral Centre and everyone who came along and made the coffee morning such a great success this year.
A fundraising draw to help with the running of the 2024 Ballina Agricultural Show is offering a top prize of an in-calf Pedigree Angus heifer, calving in Autumn 2024, and worth €2,500. Alternatively, there is a cash prize of €2,000.
Tickets cost €10 and can be purchased online through iDonate or from any member of the show committee.
Gerry Guthrie and his band will entertain the attendance at this year’s Ballina Show, which will be held on Sunday, July 14. The popular Ballina singer takes to the stage during a day which will also see cookery demonstrations from chefs, including chef Sarah Butler.
The organisers say that there are lots of new categories in all fields, as well as a wide variety of other activities and events, alongside the traditional favourites that are popular at Ballina Agricultural Show.
Ballina Costume Company Summer Camp takes place in the Sean Duffy Centre, Ardnaree and the Jackie Clarke Collection, Pearse Street during July and early August.
Four separate weeks have been allocated by the costume company, during which time children can learn and enjoy crafts in a fun environment.
Telephone 096-72154 or message 086-8517302 for more information and to book.
Ballina Carers Group is asking people to nominate the local charity for the AIB €1m Community Fund, which is now open.
The Ballina organisation is seeking funding to help it continue to provide a much-needed outlet for hard-working and dedicated carers. Members of the public can nominate this important local charity to receive support from the fund.
You can nominate Ballina Carers Group online at www.aib.ie.
The death has taken place of Sadie (Sarah) Mullen, St Bernadette’s, Church Road, Ballina and formerly of Carracushlaun, Ballina.
Sadie will be sadly missed by her nieces Jo, Sharon, Noreen, Susan and Patsy, nephew Martin, grandnieces, grandnephews, relatives and friends.
She was predeceased by her parents Patrick and Sarah Mullen, brothers Patrick, Martin and Vincent, sister Catherine and niece Bernadette.
Sadie reposed at McGowan’s Funeral Home, Ballina on Tuesday morning of last week. Requiem Mass was celebrated in St Muredach’s Cathedral, Ballina the same day, followed by burial in Leigue Cemetery, Ballina.
The FMX Motocross Stunt Show spectacle is back to Bonniconlon Show this year, following an amazing performance in 2022.
This is one of the many crowd-pulling attractions being planned for the show this year which, once again, will help set Bonniconlon Show apart from other major rural shows and gymkhanas.
Typically attracting over 30,000 visitors for the one-day show, the 2024 event is on Bank Holiday Monday, August 5.
Bonniconlon Show is held on 200 acres of specially-developed showgrounds outside the village of Bonniconlon, with free parking.
The show is more than just an exhibition of livestock, farm produce, trade stands and jumping - it is a family orientated event with plenty to keep young and old entertained.
Trade stand applications have just opened, and you can register now via the show’s website at www.bonniconlonshow.ie.
‘World of Sathvik and his Friends’ is a hilarious and comical children's book series written and illustrated by Naveen Maremanda, and will be launched in Ballina Library on Saturday, June 15, at 2pm.
Join in the launch, and celebrate as Sathvik embarks on new adventures with friends Shauna, Eoghan, James, Charlie, Conor and others.
You will have a chance to enjoy live readings with interactive sessions and will experience the innovative Audio Smart Speaker featuring stories of Sathvik narrated by Geraldine McKenzie.
Along with ‘World of Sathvik and his Friends’, which is the first book in the series, and ‘World of Sathvik and his Friends – Dreams Come True’, the second book in the series, Naveen Maremanda’s ‘The Ordinary Days of Extraordinary Grufflegreens' will also see its formal launch that afternoon.
Naveen’s books are something that both children and adults can enjoy and are available in local bookshops in libraries.
The death has taken place of Gemma O’Malley (née Mongey), Sligo Road, Ballina and formerly of Castlebar.
Gemma was the much loved wife of Michael and loving mother to Peter, Brendan, Ruairí and Ciara McLaughlin.
She will be sadly missed by her husband, sons, daughter, adored grandchildren Cillian, Enya, Aidan and Eoin, sister Monica Fahy (Tuam), brother Kieran (Castlebar), in-laws, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends.
She was predeceased by her parents Billy and Nollie (Daly), and by her brothers Neil and Jim.
Gemma reposed at McGowan’s Funeral Home, Ballina on Tuesday of last week. Requiem Mass was celebrated in St Muredach’s Cathedral, Ballina on Wednesday, followed by burial in Leigue Cemetery, Ballina.
John McDwyer’s new comedy ‘The Pension Plan’ is coming to Ballina next month, presented by Beezneez Theatre Company.
The Sligo-born playwright is known for his superbly crafted stories. Many of his works are in the comedy genre, such as ‘Unforgiven’ and ‘Turning Mammy’, while plays like ‘United’ deal with more serious topics.
‘The Pension Plan’ is a story about the bachelor Flanagan brothers who live a life of peaceful contentment on their hillside farm, bothered only by the persistent efforts of their spinster neighbour, Ann Catherine, to marry either or both of them. The brothers’ tranquil existence is disturbed by a visiting stranger who brings news that threatens to turn their world upside down. Salvation may come from an unlikely source, but at what price?
Beezneez Theatre Company is an ad hoc theatre company based in Carrick-on-Shannon which, since its formation in 1997, has become one of the most popular touring theatre companies in Ireland.
The cast of four includes actors who are well-known to Ballina audiences. The author himself will direct Barry Deignan, Gerry Farrell, Pat Feeley and Valerie Traynor in an evening of madcap fun at Ballina Arts Centre on Tuesday, July 9th, at 8pm.
Tickets for the play cost €18/€16 and can be booked online at www.ballinaartscentre.com. You can also call 096-73593 or email info@ballinaartscentre.com.
St Mary’s Secondary has congratulated Cindy Collins, who won an All-Ireland Traveller Pride Award in the Youth category, age 12 to 18.
The Involve Youth Project, which provides after school programmes for young people aged 10-25 in the Ballina area, worked with helping Cindy to reach her terrific achievement, where she was one of just ten award winners nationally.
The awards aim to highlight the accomplishments and talents of members of the Traveller community across various fields, including arts, sports, community leadership, advocacy and more.
Cindy was presented with her award at a ceremony in the Lighthouse Cinema, Smithfield, Dublin.
Ballina Fringe Festival is set to take place this year from October 3 to 13 at various venues across the town, and with even more events taking place during the 2024 festival than in previous years.
One of the highlights will be the hosting of the DiViPassion International Short Film Festival, traditionally held in Athis-Mons, in the suburbs of Paris.
Celebrating 15 years in 2024, this annual festival has welcomed filmmakers from a variety of countries, and has established links with Athis-Mons’s twin towns such as Ballina, Rothenburg in Germany and Sinaia in Romania.
But this year the short film festival will take place in Ballina Arts Centre on Saturday, October 12, as part of the 2024 Ballina Fringe Festival.
The festival aims to support self-made films, to help local cultures become known beyond their own place, and to assist in making the knowledge of video production available to all. It brings amateur filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts together in a friendly and congenial environment.
The festival is open to all non-professional productions. Filmmakers can be individuals, legal entities or organisations. In particular, the event endeavours to support youth productions, whether as filmmakers or as actors.
Film categories include fiction, animated and non-fiction, up to a maximum of 15 minutes in length and on any theme.
Entry is free for those under 25 years of age, but there is a €10 per film fee for those over that age.
A filmmaker may submit several films, but a maximum of two will be chosen by the selection committee for participation in the competition.
An adjudication committee composed of members of Ballina Fringe Festival and DiViPassion, which is a French-registered non-profit organisation, will make a pre-selection of films based on all submissions. These pre-selected films, from all genres, compete for an award.
Participants will be informed of the outcome of the selection process before the festival.
The deadline for submissions is September 15 and more details are available now from the Ballina Fringe Festival Facebook page.
Rehearsals are currently underway for the production ‘Remembering The Sound of Music’, which will be presented as part of this year’s Ballina Salmon Festival.
Marking 60 years since the festival was first established, this delightful show recalls the story of the real-life Von Trapp Family Singers from Austria. Filming took place in Austria in 1964, the same year in which Ballina Salmon Festival began its ground-breaking journey to become one of the biggest annual community festivals in the West of Ireland.
Lots of well-known local faces will bring the songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein to the stage of Ballina Arts Centre on Monday, July 8. The film version of the musical won five Academy Awards, became the highest-grossing film of all time one year after it was released, and is consistently voted one of the most popular musicals ever made.
Tickets for the show, which starts at 8pm, are priced at €15. Tickets can be booked online at www.ballinaartscentre.com. You can also call 096-73593 or email info@ballinaartscentre.com.
The death has taken place of Nellie Morrison (née Goodwin), Carrentrila, Ballina and formerly of Graffy, Attymass, Ballina.
Nellie is deeply mourned by her loving husband Michael, sister Annie Mai Mulderrig, nephew Michael, nieces Catherine, Helena and her partner Noel, grandniece Doireann, sister-in-law Mary McAndrew and her family, the Igoe and Goodwin families, neighbours and a large circle of friends.
Nellie reposed at her residence on Thursday last. Requiem Mass was celebrated in the Church of St Joseph, Attymass on Friday, followed by burial in Bonniconlon Cemetery.
Traders are reminded that they can still register an Expression of Interest to participate in this year’s National Heritage Day in Ballina.
The day when Ballina rolls back time is one of the biggest crowd-pullers of any community festival in the region, and takes place on Wednesday, July 10.
All your favourite parts of National Heritage Day return, including a brilliant line-up of live Irish and international music acts, food, arts, crafts, history, heritage and family fun.
Commercial businesses, food and truck vendors and craft people who want to sell and promote their work, can apply to trade at this year’s National Heritage Day, which is one of the linchpin events of Ballina Salmon Festival.
The Jackie Clarke Collection, Ballina and The National Heritage Day committee of Ballina Salmon Festival 2024 have partnered together to bring renowned seanchaí Edmund Lenihan back to Ballina.
Seanchaíthe are the custodians of tradition, reciters of ancient Irish lore and traditional storytellers, and Edmund is one of the few practising seanchaí remaining in Ireland. In ancient times, seanchaíthe served the clan chiefs by sharing their tales around a fire. Each storyteller told their tales with their own flair and dialect. Many cultures did not write their tales down, so they were told orally.
As one of the last remaining seanchaí in Ireland, Edmund Lenihan is keenly in tune with the mythical beauty of our amazing and mysteriously magical island. He is also author, lecturer and broadcaster, and has been called one of the greatest of Irish storytellers and a national treasure.
Watch out for Edmund’s performance times in Ballina on the Jackie Clarke Collection Facebook Page.
The death has taken place of John Walkin, Bohernasup, Ballina and Market Square, Ballina.
John, a former Mayo Person of the Year, was highly respected within the national and international angling community
He was the beloved husband of Colette and dear father to Cleona and John-Bosco.
He will be sadly missed by his wife, daughter, son, adored grandchildren Kate and Alex, son-in-law Matthew, sister Maura Gannon, brothers PJ, Gerry, Eamon, Séamus and Vincent, nieces, nephews, sisters-in-law and a wide circle of friends.
He was predeceased by his parents Paddy and Kitty Walkin and by his brother Tony.
John reposed at McGowan’s Funeral Home, Ballina on Thursday of last week. Requiem Mass was celebrated in St Muredach’s Cathedral, Ballina on Friday, followed by burial in Leigue Cemetery, Ballina.
Ballina Community Radio and Ballina Salmon Festival have come together to present 'Festival Radio Show - Reeling back the Years', to be broadcast on BCR FM over the coming weeks.
Among the interesting interviewees is Festival Busking Competition co-ordinator Cian Gilmartin, who discusses the much loved busking competition, introduced in 2016, and how busking enriches the festival atmosphere, drawing both locals and visitors alike into the heart of Ballina to enjoy live music performances.
Nessa Dalton, the 2023 busking winner, also talks about how the competition provides a platform for musicians to share their talents and for audiences to discover new artists.
BCR FM broadcasts every Saturday and Sunday on 101.9 FM and online.
