Local Notes: Presentation of cheque to the Mags Deane 'Find pain relief fund' from Glenamoy Association London.
Paul Deane presenting a cheque for £8,510 from the Glenamoy Association London fundraiser for the Mags Deane 'Find Pain Relief Fund', to Mags mother Betty and her sister Ailish Tuohill in the Anglers Rest in Glenamoy recently.
The draw was held on May 11, and the numbers drawn were; 7, 9, 18 and 30 with no winner for a jackpot of €10,900. The house prize of €100 winner was Julie Doherty, Cornboy and the 2 x €30 offline winners were StormForce, c/o Belderriand Elaine Garvin, Stonefield. The 2 x €30 online winners were Philomena Healy, London and Stephen Naughton, Glenamoy. The jackpot in the latest draw which was held on May 18, was €11,000 with the draw in Belderrig Community Centre.
The 2025 Mayo Junior Championships were held recently in Our Lady’s Secondary School, Belmullet. Played on 6 newly covered supreme tables it produced some brilliant matches and had a new name on the winner’s trophy in all categories played. Starting the day were the U12’s where some great performances from Luke Langan, Paddy Doocey, Cian Holmes and Oscar Barrett in the round robin stage. However, in the end experience were the only difference and the final pairing of current champion of Erris, Oran Gallagher and All Ireland winner Lorcan Barrett made for an epic final.
Lorcan had just beaten cousin and teammate Darragh in the semi and kept up his good form in the final to win the decider and is this year’s U12 Champion of Mayo, congrats Lorcan. The U12 Shield final was won by his All-Ireland teammate Paul Neary who beat Noah Heffron in the shield final. In the U15 championship, the strong favourites and current All-Ireland U12 champions, James Brennan and defending U15 Mayo Champion and Champion of Erris winner, Finn Gallagher won through in the round robin groups with Joe Lynch also topping his group. Strong performances from Matthew Keegan, Pierce Doocey, Shay Gallagher, Ruairi Walsh and Jack Gaughan also saw them reach the quarters.
However, it was the Mayo U15 (A) teammates and two of the most improved junior players in the county, Jack Gaughan and Ruairi Walsh that contested the final. Jack Gaughan held out to beat Ruairi on this occasion and was a worthy winner of this year U15 Mayo Pool Championships. In the U15 shield event, newcomers Ryan Moran, Michael Padden, Conal Rowan and Kacper Swank were outstanding and the final with Scott Henderson and Conal Rowan went all the way before Scott, sunk the winning black to be crowned shield champion.
In the Junior Ladies, the quality of pool played was amazing. Jade Barrett, Chloe Sheridan, Aishling Howard and Isobel Langan were outstanding but in the end Mia Barrett and Fionnuala Holmes showed how practice is paying dividends, to reach the final. Fionnuala pushed all the way in the decider, but Mia held out to be crowned this year’s Juniors Mayo Ladies Champion. In the shield final Sophie Carty beat Jade Barrett to win this year’s Junior Ladies Shield. The U18’s and U23’s Mayo Junior Championships were postponed and will be held after Killarney. A big thank you to all the players and parents for making it a great competition.
A special thank you to Erris Pool events for hosting the event and Ed Holmes and Our Lady’s Secondary School for the use of the facility and giving out snacks and drinks to all players, to Colin Holmes for the use of and setting up his tables, Kieran for all the administration, Cuescore and posters, etc. Andrea and Rita for help in running the event, and a special thank you to Patricia McDonnell for getting food for the day, much appreciated.
It had been another exceptional year for Mayo Junior pool, winning the All Ireland’s U15 teams for the third year in a row. James Brennan winning U12’s singles, Padraic Coyle and Danny Feehan winning European Gold for team Ireland. The success of the brilliant all girls junior team at the All Irelands in Navan and the success of all 29 juniors who played this years All Ireland and the entire ranking event winner during the year. Here is looking forward to another great year in 2026.
Thank you to all who took part and supported the John Healy Memorial competition, John will never be forgotten. To all the people that sponsored the event in any way or gave donations and all those who donated spot prizes, a big thank you. The memorial was a huge success and raised a lot of money. A cheque for €7,240 has being presented to the Children’s Hospital Ireland who does an amazing job of helping families through difficult times.
Rose Conway Walsh TD recently stated that last year, the then Government announced an increase in the cap on the Defective Concrete Block Scheme, in line with the recommendations of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland, who examined the real costing’s on the ground. However, the increases were only for new applicants to the scheme and not those who are going through it.
The Government made it clear before the election that it was going to amend the legislation to sort this out, but they haven't done so and we are now sitting in May and there is no sign of this amendment to the legislation.
At every stage homeowners were given assurances that they would not be disadvantaged by the timing that they entered the schemes. Now homeowners, who are in the middle of rebuilding their homes and lives, have been told that they have to wait for legislation to be prepared and passed to enable them to avail of the higher rates.
If there is to be any fairness in this whole scandal, the Government must provide retrospective redress, must end the damage threshold being used as a barrier to the scheme and must amend the scheme to allow impacted homeowners to access upfront payments to commence remediation works.
It must ensure that those responsible for the manufacturing of defective blocks are held to account, that a full public inquiry is held into the defective material and how it was sold into the housing markets and that the industry must contribute to the overall cost of the remediating of defective properties.
Are you a local farmer, baker, food producer or artisan? Join the Erris Indoor Market coming this July, August and September. They are looking for passionate vendors to be part of the vibrant market, showcasing the best handmade and home-grown goods that Erris has to offer. For more information, contact Amanda 087 146 0255.
The official launch of Belmullet Autism Friendly Town will take place in Áras Inis Gluaire, Belmullet at 3pm on next Friday, May 30. It is a great opportunity for residents and businesses to support this wonderful initiative and find out how people can all make Belmullet more Autism Friendly.
The Children’s Club had an amazing time recently celebrating their very first Bike Week event. The club extend a huge thank you to Michael Dunleavy from BelmulletBikes, who checked over all the children’s bikes and delivered a brilliant bike safety talk. WThey are also especially grateful to Garda Suzanne, who led the group cycle and ensured everyone stayed safe while having fun on two wheels. It was a fantastic hour filled with smiles, sunshine, and cycling. Afterwards, each child received a water bottle and fruit to celebrate. This event was proudly supported by Mayo Sports Partnership making it another fantastic free event in Ballycroy.
Thanks to everyone who joined, they are already looking forward to the next ride.
Lace up and hit the trail along the stunning Wild Atlantic Way. Take on a 9km fun run or a 5km walk this Saturday, May 31, with a 12 noon start. Registration will commence from 10am at Ballycroy Community Centre. Breathe in the sea air, soak up the views and enjoy every step. Tickets are available on eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/.../ballycroy-9km-fun-run-5km.
There was no winner of this week’s Kiltane GAA Club weekly lotto jackpot of €6,000, with the two €50 winners being Bernadette and Conor Shanahan, Ballycroy, and Katelyn Mangan, Geesala while Enda Brogan, Bangor and Marietta Corrigan, Shragraddy both won €25. The two online winners were Mary Lavin, Balla €50 and Michael and Josephine Cuffe, Tawnagh €25.
Bingo will take place in the GAA complex Bangor this Tuesday, May 27, at 8pm. The jackpot will be €500 in 45 calls or less.
A tractor/trucks and vintage car rally will be held in memory of Tommy Murphy on next Sunday, June 1. Registration at Una’s in Blacksod from 12 – 2pm. All proceeds are in aid of the Erris Family and Community Support Centre.
Erris Tours trip to Cavan on Monday, June 30, to Thursday, July 3, are collecting the balance of money. They would like all money to be paid by June 5. Contact Mary on 087 9232327 and Carmel on 086 8488266. Carmel will be in Belmullet Parish Office on Thursdays from 12 noon to 1pm.
There was no winner of the lotto jackpot on the draw held on May 22. The numbers drawn were 7, 17, 1 and 8 and the lucky dip winners were €50 Annie Lavelle (Belmullet) and €25 was won by Brendan Reilly (Belmullet). The lotto jackpot in now €19,800. Players can play in several local pubs and can play online via the link in the weekly posters available in Eurospar (Belmullet), Cuffes Centra (Belmullet), An Builín Blasta and in the Civic Centre.
Underage training continues in the Town Park, Belmullet every Tuesday between 5 and 6 pm.
Senior Line is Ireland's national telephone service for older people and it is open every day of the year from 10am-10pm at freephone 1800 80 45 91. Callers may feel isolated, alone and may wish to discuss a problem in confidence, or for company during the day. Senior Line's older volunteers are trained to listen, to support, to discuss options and to refer callers to other helpful services if necessary.
Would you have an hour to spare in the week? Adult Mentors are required for Foroige's Big Brother Big Sister Programme in your area. If you are interested in supporting a young person, this is an enjoyable way to spend your time and have a positive impact on a young person's life. There are many young people waiting to be matched to a mentor and would be delighted to hear from you. Call 086 0471420 to express your interest in volunteering or to hear more information on the recruitment process.
You can drop into your local centre or contact it by phone and email for information, advice and advocacy. Make sure you check your local service's opening hours if you are dropping in. Appointments are offered as needed following an initial assessment. You can also call the Citizens Information Phone Service on 0818 07 4000, Monday to Friday, from 9am-8pm.
Age Friendly Mayo is delivered by Mayo County Council and works to improve the services that older people have identified as being important to them , and the wider community , as they live healthy and active lives. The projects they offer, in conjunction with other organisations include; outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, respect and social inclusion, social participation, communication and education, civic participation and employment and health and wellbeing. The key contributors to this programme are the Age Friendly Alliance and Mayo OIder Peoples Council. The Age Friendly Alliance brings together older people, service providers and businesses to change thinking about aging and how services to older people are planned and delivered. If you would like to find out more about this programme, email agefriendlymayo@mayococo.ie.
Life after bereavement can feel very lonely. Trained facilitators conduct a weekly 'bereavement support meeting' at the Family Centre, Knock Shrine, each Wednesday at 11am. There is also a special meeting for bereaved partners /spouses on the first Thursday of each month at 11am. No appointment needed. Further information from Monica Morley on 094 9375320.
