Local Notes: Belmullet man celebrates 90th birthday
Congratulations to Sean Dixon from Morahan, who celebrated his 90th birthday recently with his family -Raymond, Rosaleen, Mary Teresa, Michelle, Micheál and JJ. Sean leads a very active life on his farm holding.
Traditional Irish music, song, dance and storytelling takes place every Wednesday, from tomorrow July 15 and it will continue until August 19, at 8.30pm, in Áras Inis Gluaire (The Arts Centre) Belmullet. Bring an instrument/your dancing shoes/your voice and join in. Information is available by contacting 097 81079.
There was no winner of this week’s Kiltane GAA Club lotto jackpot of €5,500 with the two €50 winners being Tommy Goonan, Geesala and Derek Cosgrove, Coolaba while Michael J Deane, Glenamoy and Eileen Brogan, Bangor both won €25s. The two online winners were Faye McNally €50 and Penny Sweeney, Tallaghaun Duff €25.
Bingo will take place in the GAA complex Bangor this Tuesday, July 14, at 8pm. The jackpot will be €850 in 52 calls or less.
The club is in the process of selling the €100 club development draw tickets with an early bird draw taking place this year in addition to the regular €97,000 prize money.
The draw was held on July 5, and the numbers drawn were; 7, 11, 29 and 32 for a jackpot €10,200 with no winner of the jackpot. The house prize €100 winner was Paul Neary, Corclough West and the 2 x €30 offline winners were Peggy King, Glengad and Marie Murphy, Galway. The 2 x €30 online winners were Mary Deane, Belmullet and Lorcan Mason, Pullathomas. Next week’s jackpot will be €10,300 when the draw will take place in The Lighthouse Tavern Inver.
Make every kilometre count. This year’s Great Erris Run is being held in loving memory of Rob Turner, and Rob’s family have chosen Erris Youth Disability Network (EYDN) as this year’s charity partner. It is a fitting tribute to Rob, who dedicated so much of his life to supporting and encouraging young people in the community. If you are taking part on August 9, they would love you to go one step further and set up your own fundraising page. Whether you raise €20 or €200, every donation will help EYDN continue to provide vital support to children, young people and families across Erris.
Donate or create your own fundraising page here: https://eventmaster.ie/.../great-erris-run-in-memory-of... Let’s honour Rob’s legacy by making a real difference together.
Do you have a family connection to Blacksod Lighthouse? During the recent 160th anniversary celebrations, the organisers had the pleasure of meeting many people whose families have connections to Blacksod Lighthouse. It reminded all just how many stories are still waiting to be discovered.
The committee are now hoping to build a record of the keepers and families who lived at Blacksod Lighthouse, particularly from its earliest years following its establishment in 1866. If you are a descendant of a lighthouse keeper from 1866 to 1904, they would be delighted to hear from you.
Whether you have family stories, photographs, and letters or simply know the name of a relative who lived or worked there, every piece of information helps preserve the history of Blacksod Lighthouse for future generations. Email info@visitblacksodlighthouse.ie where the committee look forward to hearing your family's story.
What a fantastic day was had at the Ball Run recently with great fun from start to finish. A huge well done and thank you to everyone who played a part, whether you bought a ball, volunteered, sponsored the event, or came along to support. They couldn't have done it without you.
Brendan Doherty was The Inver Naked Cowboy and a big thank you is extended to Brendan for being such a great sport and getting into the fun. Well done to everyone who guessed correctly, and thanks to everyone who took part. A huge thank you to everyone who came along, took part, volunteered, sponsored, and supported the Ball Run fundraiser. What a fantastic day of fun and community spirit!
Ball Run winners; 1st Aine Connolly, 2nd Tara Gallagher, 3rd Vincent Ginnelly, Last Ball Eire Doherty.
All-Ireland semi-final ticket winners were; premium tickets went to Maureen Healy and stand tickets were won by Marty Healy. Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks again to everyone who made the day such a success!
The Cill Chomain GAA Club is now selling tickets for the Club Development Draw 2026. This draw continues to be one of the most important fundraising opportunities available to the club, helping support facilities, equipment, coaching and club development. Every ticket purchased supports Cill Chomain GAA Club. Tickets which cost €100 are available online at https://mayogaa.com/clubdraw26. Make sure to select Cill Chomain GAA before purchasing online. Tickets can also be purchased from any committee member.As always thank you for your continued support.
The annual memorial Tommy Murphy Tractor Run in aid of Cara Iorrais will be held on August 2. Registration is at 12 noon at Lennon’s Quarries with the run departing at 2pm to Blacksod. Your support will be appreciated and all tractors are welcome.
The annual Cara Iorrais bucket collection will take place on July 31, in and around Belmullet. The organisers are looking for volunteers to help on the day. If you can help in any way, contact Cara Iorrais on 087 0678630. All money collected is going to services provided by Cara Iorrais.
The Irish Cave Rescue Organisation (ICRO) was called out to assist with the rescue of a dog from a sea cave by Porturlin Harbour recently. Jess, a retired sheepdog belonging to a local family, had been missing since last weekend. Locals could hear barking, but a boat rescue was considered impossible due to sea swell.
ICRO was officially tasked and formed up a small rescue rigging team drawn from core team members in Clare, Tyrone and Dublin. Having arrived to the scene around 9.30pm, two rescuers descended by rope some 50 metres down a grassy slope and over the cliff edge to get to Jess in the sea cave.The dog was put in an animal rescue harness and given food, then hauled up from the base of the cliff and returned to her family – the entire operation being concluded before midnight.
ICRO personnel are trained to carry out rescues of people or animals in caves and abandoned mines. When requested by An Garda Síochána or the Police Service of Northern Ireland, ICRO volunteers can respond anywhere in the country. In this case it was a sea cave at the base of a difficult cliff.
Recently the IWDG’s Live Stranding Coordinator received a call from Felim Doran in Ballycroy about a live dolphin he found stranded at Dooriel, inside a spit of land.
Mayo IWDG volunteers Rachel McBride and Peter Hefferon quickly responded. With extra help organised locally by Felim, the dolphin was safely supported and lifted into a tractors transport box, and driven to deeper water, refloated, and soon it swam off in the right direction to deep open water.
Only a few days later, two juvenile dolphins being monitored in Saula also live stranded on the low tide and were safely transported to deeper, open water. These events happened within a week of a near miss at Tarmon Bay, where 61 common dolphins were recorded in the shallow water inside this known live stranding hotspot. Thankfully, it was a rising neap tide and the pod moved out safely overnight.
The Mayo volunteers are experienced and trained in live stranding response. Dolphins must never be dragged by the tail, as this can cause pain, injury, dislocation and severe stress. They can only be lifted using tarps, sheets or dolphins slings. Common dolphins are highly susceptible to stress, and responders are trained to reduce that stress and use safe lifting and refloat techniques.Thank you to Felim, Frances, Rachel and Peter.
If you come across a live stranded dolphin, call IWDGs emergency number on 097 28118 for advice and assistance. They have trained volunteers all around the county ready to assist.
Recently 20 Erris employers have signed up with Weekly WorkSPACE, a unique initiative by the Erris Chamber of Commerce and Erris Workability! Weekly WorkSPACE (Supported Placements and Collaborative Employment) allows local businesses to open their doors to supported work experience in a simple, but effective way, by asking employers to allocate just 1 hour per week as a work experience space for a client, with Erris Workability assigning a dedicated job coach to accompany and support each person throughout their placement.
The initiative is entirely free of charge to participating employers with all training and workplace integration managed by the job coach at no cost to the business.
To find out more, email rosemariemangan@mayonortheastldc.com or text 087 499 6606 or call 087 398 0575.The Erris Workability: Inclusive Pathways to Employment Programme is co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) under Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training Programme (EIST) 2021-2027 and the DSP, is administered by Pobal, and is managed by Mayo North East.
Blacksod Rowing Club is holding a fundraising raffle to help raise money for a new safety boat for the club. Every ticket purchased helps the club get one step closer to providing a safer environment for everyone on the water. They would be incredibly grateful for your support by buying a ticket. Thank you for helping make this happen—your support means the world to the club.
Usual craic, bonus ball, number 1-47 and each line costs €20. Revolut Laura on 086 1696416 or Melissa on 086 0546617. A special thanks to Fiona and John James McNamara for sponsoring a load of turf and supporting the club.
