Local Notes: French Ambassador visits Ballina Quay School
The French Ambassador to Ireland is pictured with pupils from 5th and 6th classes following a visit to The Quay National School, Ballina to mark Europe Day on May 9.
The French Ambassador to Ireland, His Excellency Vincent Guèrend, visited the Quay National School, Ballina to celebrate Europe Day on May 9.
The annual Europe Day is an occasion to reflect on the achievements of European cooperation and integration, particularly in the realms of education, research and innovation.
The Ambassador was accompanied by Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Dara Calleary, who presented the flag of Europe to the school in recognition of the completion by 5th and 6th classes of the EU Blue Star Programme with their teachers Mrs Gilvarry, Mrs Carey and Ms Reape. European Parliament candidate Senator Lisa Chambers was also in attendance at the event.
The Ambassador was afforded a warm welcome to the school where pupils from 5th and 6th classes outlined links between France and this region of Ireland. The children went on to speak about the benefits of the European Union from their perspective.
The Ambassador was treated to some Irish traditional music tunes, played by pupils of the school. He thanked the pupils for their welcome and encouraged all of them to avail of every opportunity that Europe has to offer in terms of travel, education, sport and employment.
School principal Seán Gallagher thanked the Ambassador for visiting the school and further thanked Dara Calleary and his team for coordinating the visit.
The school principal pointed out that the pupils had benefited from the Blue Star programme and had also been part of an international computational thinking initiative.
Mr Gallagher went on to outline that the school is delighted to be a ‘learning school’, whereby two staff members had an opportunity to avail of an Erasmus Plus study programme in Portugal recently, and said that the school was willing to learn from schools all over Europe. He concluded by extending a welcome to European schools to visit Ballina.
As part of Mayo Library Services’ Bealtaine Celebrations, Ballina Library is hosting an 'Illustrated Talk on Old Ballina' with the former editor of the and well-known local historian and author Terry Reilly.
It’s happening on Wednesday, May 22 at 8pm. No booking is required and the event is free, so please come along and share in what promises to be an enlightening talk on the long and fascinating history of Ballina.
Contact Ballina Library on 094-9064454 for further details.
Ballina Toastmasters will hold its final meeting of the season on Thursday night, May 23. The meeting takes place in The Great National Hotel Ballina, Old Foxford Road (upstairs), and guests are always welcome to attend.
The group will return to its regular activities in the autumn.
The results of the Ballina Bridge Club game played in The Moy Club, Ballina on Tuesday, May 7, were as follows: 1st, Gerry Scanlon and Francis Walkin; 2nd, Bill Thomas and Ger Moran; 3rd, Ethel Walker and Amy Maguire; 4th, Mary O Dowd and Mary Mongan; and 5th, Helena Moran and Ann Ivers.
Boccia, the precision ball sport which is related to bowls, takes place in the Craoibhín Ballina club every Thursday morning from 11am to 1pm.
Art and painting classes run in Craoibhín Ballina on Friday mornings from 10am to 12pm.
Meanwhile, seated exercises are run in Craoibhín on Wednesday mornings from 10am to 11am.
It costs €5 to participate in each of the activities and everyone is welcome to come along and join in.
The Craoibhín Ballina centre is located on Cathedral Road, Ballina, next door to St Muredach’s Cathedral.
Mayo North Tourism office, based in Ballina, has been to the forefront in helping to promote the region as a tourist destination for over ten years.
In the past few weeks alone, the area has been featured on RTÉ News, with a story of basking sharks in Kilcummin, and on BBC News, which filmed the eclipse watch party at Cross Beach, Belmullet.
Across social media and broadcast and print media, every opportunity to attract visitors to the North Mayo and West Sligo region is pursued by the team at the office, which is supported by Moy Valley Resources IRD and Mayo County Council.
The Mayo North Tourism Facebook page boasts 34,000 followers, and recorded a total social media reach of 2.625m in 2023.
An information session for parents of all incoming 1st Year students of Moyne College, Ballina will take place this evening, Tuesday, May 21 at 6.30pm.
Parents are invited to come along and learn all about what Moyne College has to offer your child, as they begin their journey into secondary education.
A range of important topics will be addressed and questions that parents might have will also be answered.
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.
Trade stand applications have just opened, and you can register now via the show’s website at www.bonniconlonshow.ie.
Lunchtime concerts featuring local artists will be hosted in Ballina Arts Centre this summer.
An invitation is being issued to local singers and musicians who are interested in performing short lunchtime concerts to contact the centre.
The Music at Lunchtime series of half-hour concerts will run on Wednesdays during June and July, starting at 1.15pm, and will feature emerging local artists as well as more established acts.
If you are interested in being included in the programme then please contact Audrey Robinson via the centre e-mail at info@ballinaartscentre.com. Auditions will be held at the end of May.
As part of National Volunteering Week, Mayo Volunteer Centre is hosting an open morning at its office on Cathedral Road, Ballina tomorrow, Wednesday May 22, from 9am to 1pm.
Whether you are thinking about volunteering, would like to explore more opportunities, or are an organisation looking for volunteers, the Mayo Volunteer Centre team will be there to answer your questions.
To mark the occasion, Tommy Marren from Mid West Radio will be delivering his morning show from the Mayo Volunteer Centre office. He will be talking to organisations about the importance of volunteers in helping to deliver their services, and to volunteers about the personal benefits of volunteering.
Everyone is invited to come along and join in the celebrations.
The Mary Robinson Climate Conference returns to Ballina next month.
The theme, ‘A Shared Response to a Shared Responsibility’, will be the focus of the second annual Mary Robinson Climate Conference, taking place from Wednesday to Friday, June 5 to 7
The Mary Robinson Climate Conference 2024 is delivered by The Mary Robinson Centre, Ballina in partnership with the University of Galway, alongside national and local stakeholders.
The Killala Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes will be led by Bishop John Fleming, Bishop Emeritus of Killala, and will take place from July 18 to 23 next.
A limited number of places are available in the Assisted Section and you should contact Eileen on 086-4013897 for more details.
General enquiries and bookings can be directed to Joe Walsh Tours on 01-2410800. The cost is €929, which includes five nights in full board accommodation in the Hotel Agena and flight from Ireland West Airport.
Ballina Community Radio continues to entertain local listeners every weekend.
BCRFM is a not-for-profit radio station which serves Ballina and its hinterland, and acts as a voice for the community, run by the community.
Broadcasting online every Saturday and Sunday from 11am until 11pm, you can tune in at www.bcrfm.ie.
