Local Notes: East Mayo teens enjoy great night at Foróige Prom Ball
Members of Kilmovee Foróige Club at the Prom Ball held at the Castlecourt Hotel in Westport recently. Picture: Trish Forde
The Defence Forces will be out in force for the dedication of a monument to fallen local soldier Billy Kedian, who died on service in the Lebanon 25 years ago this summer.
A monument to Private Billy Kedian will be unveiled on the morning of July 20th in the village of Moneymore after which a reception will be held in the Community Hall.
“Everything is being organised by the Army, they’ve sent the invitation list and they’re bringing their own tables and doing all the food for the reception,” explained JT Smyth, a member of the voluntary committee which got the funds and site to erect the monument.
Local councillor John Cribbin secured €10,000 from Mayo County Council to erect the monument while online fundraising has raised €5,000, according to Mr Smyth. The monument will be ringed by a curved limestone wall and will be installed by local monument specialist Martin Gavin.
A popular pub and restaurant on Main Street Upper will be converted into living accommodation, according to a planning application submitted to Mayo County Council.
Located next to St Patrick’s Church, the Dalgan will be converted from a public house to a “two bed and a one-bed apartment together with studio”, according to the planning application submitted to Mayo County Council in recent weeks.
After closing during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Dalgan reopened in September 2022 under the management of chef Eamon Zaki who has since moved to manage a restaurant in Castlerea.
The upstairs function rooms of the Dalgan were in recent years converted to accommodation.
Restaurant and café owners have in recent months complained over a surge in costs, in particular, the rise in the minimum wage earlier this year.
There are concerns over the water quality in the Dalgan river running through Ballyhaunis after the sampling of two sites along the waterway by a local Citizen Science group which monitors the river regularly.
Under the guidance of trained scientists from the Local Area Water Programme (run by county councils), the group sampled the wildlife in the river as indicators of water quality, with the presence of particular species sensitive to pollution a sign of good water quality. In the Friary grounds, they saw only "good" flattened mayflies and "bad" snails in all three samples.
"It is surprising that we saw fewer species than last year in the Friary grounds," they said. "The scientist accompanying us got the same results as us so it is not due to bad sampling methods.”
The group found only medium water quality in the river south of Ballyhaunis, in Drimbane.
“We were surprised to see more species there, 'good' flattened mayflies and green caddisflies and 'bad' snails, leeches and waterlouse.”
The group also saw a juvenile eel in the water sampled in Drimbane.
Members of the public are invited to join the next sampling, on June 20, assembling at 4.30pm in the Friary carpark. A Citizen Science guide can be accessed at www.ballyhaunistidytowns.ie.
A newly formed local branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann is hosting a traditional music festival in Ballyhaunis over the upcoming bank holiday weekend, headlined by local group the Pipers Cross Céilí Band which won a national title in 2023.
The Piper’s Cross Céilí Band, which was crowned the All-Ireland Senior Céilí Band Champions for 2023, will play a concert at Ballyhaunis Rugby Club on May 31st as part of Feile Thelma, organised by Ruairi O’Broin in memory of his wife. Workshops and an evening of music will follow on Saturday, June 1st.
Comhaltas is the largest group involved in the preservation and promotion of Irish traditional music.
Well done to local veterinarian Padraig Hennigan, part of the coaching team of the Mayo ladies senior team. A former Bohola Moy Davitts player and current coach with Kilmoremoy LGFA, Padraig runs a busy practise from his premises on Main Street.
The proprietor of a successful soap enterprise in Tooreen has criticised the €350 fee charged to stall holders at this summer’s Ballina Salmon Festival.
Carina Herten, who runs the Happy Goat Soap enterprise from her farm in Carton North, took to Facebook to vent her anger over the rates being charged by organisers of the event.
In response, Ballina Chamber of Commerce, organisers of the festival, reached out.
“They are in contact with me and the group of crafters to see how we can sort this. They didn't seem aware that we don't earn a fortune at markets,” explained Ms Herten who says the fees she pays for market stalls typically range from €20 to €75.
“Small crafters don’t make a ton of money... at some markets, we don’t even break even,” said Herten who travels to markets across the region during the year.
Aside from paying for the stall at the Salmon Festival, she must provide her own gazebo and insurance, explained Herten.
Happy Goat’s best-selling products are soaps made with Irish seaweed and another made from a blend of oat, goatmilk and Herten’s own honey.
With the dying out of independent retailers, small craft enterprises across Mayo struggle to find routes to market. Hopkins Shop on Ballyhaunis’ Upper Main Street stocks the Happy Goat, as does Ballagh Farm Shop in Ballaghaderreen. The soap is also available at Mulranny Park Hotel.
A large group from Ballyhaunis Cricket Club had a great day out at the recent international cricket match between Ireland and Pakistan.
“The cricket game was absolutely amazing experience, it was great to watch the Pakistani international players so closely,” explained Zia Shafique.
Zia described the Pakistani cricket team – ranked among the best in the world - as “very popular and unpredictable”, a little like the Mayo football team.
It was a huge occasion for members of Ballyhaunis’ Pakistani community to meet the players, he added.
“Both teams were very humble and were interacting with fans as much as they could.”
On the field, the Irish team was victorious, beating Pakistan for the first time in the T20 format.
“They were simply the better team on the day. We were taken by surprise how Ireland have improved their skills over the years and developed in cricket - their bowling and batting along with their fielding were really surprising.”
A large Pakistani community in Ballyhaunis is central to the success of the local cricket club, consistently ranked among the best in Connacht.
“We were there as a club and represented our town with Ballyhaunis Cricket Club,” said Zia. “There were good crowds from both sides and the atmosphere was just too good, the weather was great – a lot of the families were there too with kids. They had good stalls, there was a cricket equipment shop at the ground so it just made the day worthwhile.”
Congratulations to Breda Waldron, Cave, winner of €530 in the Ballyhaunis GAA 50/50 draw on May 12 on an envelope sold in Herr's shop.
