Local Notes: River Moy Search and Rescue gets impressive new vehicle
Mickey Tighe, long serving and founding member of Ballina-based River Moy Search and Rescue, with the organisation’s robust new vehicle which is powerful enough to pull, launch and retrieve heavy boats. Purchase of the impressive vehicle was made possible through financial support from Nephin Energy and CLÁR.
Television presenter Síle Seoige will be the guest speaker when International Women's Day is marked in Ballina with an evening event on Friday, March 8.
The get-together in The Cot and Cobble Bar and Restaurant, Sligo Road, at 7pm will focus on the theme ‘Inspire Inclusion’, and is a celebration of the community of women in Ballina Tickets at €25 will include a drinks reception, food, live music, a fashion show, a raffle and goodies. The event is also raising funds for Mayo Mental Health Association.
Mayo Local Enterprise Office is supporting the celebration, which is organised by Ballina Chamber of Commerce. Tickets can be booked on Eventbrite.
A digital piano and a cash prize await the winner of The Ivory Sessions Talent Show, with the titleholder being selected by a mix of online and live voting.
The McGrath sisters from Ballina are among the contestants in this nationwide competition and their performance of a medley of U2 hits is already attracting a hugely positive response online.
Amy, Alison and Kaylyn McGrath are young, talented and well-known local singers who have performed extensively throughout this region and beyond. Amy is a former Junior Eurovision Ireland finalist where she sang her own composition.
As part of the current stage of The Ivory Sessions Talent Show, 50 contestants are battling it out on online, with the top ten performing acts going through to the final. You can like and share The McGrath Sisters at The Ivory Sessions on Facebook.
The final of the talent show takes place in front of a live audience on Sunday, April 7 in Navan, where the audience and judges will have the final say.
The Ballina Electoral Area has been allocated funding under the Department of Transport’s Regional and Local Roads Scheme 2024, said local TD Dara Calleary, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation.
He outlined that the R314 in Killala has been allocated €75,000 with the same amount allocated to the R315 Crossmolina to Lahardane Road. €31,000 has been allocated to the L51471 at Cooneal and €48,000 towards the R294 Bonniconlon Road. The works on the Bonniconlon Road will involve adding greater visibility for traffic exiting the L5133, known locally as Adamson’s Road, onto the main Bonniconlon to Ballina Road.
“It will greatly assist all road users, not least Behy National School traffic,” said Minister Calleary.
With the angling season upon us, a fascinating talk on fly fishing next week is sure to attract a lot of attention. The talk will be delivered by Markus Muller, Angling Advisor of Inland Fisheries Ireland.
The IFI is the State's environmental agency responsible for conserving, protecting and managing Ireland's inland fisheries and sea angling resources.
Markus will deliver his talk in the Craoibhín Ballina centre, Cathedral Road on Tuesday, March 5, from 2 to 4pm. For more information, call the centre on 087-2785365.
The death has taken place of Peter Coleman, 27 Ferran Terrace, Ballina.
Peter was the beloved father to Mary, Peter and Stephen. He will be sadly missed by his daughter, sons, grandchildren Ciara, Stephen, Jamie, Lauren, Sophie and Robyn, great-grandchildren Jack, Jamie, Noah and Sianna, Renee Coleman, his sister Mary Lewis, son-in-law Brian Youle, brother-in-law Richard Lewis, relatives, neighbours and friends.
He was predeceased by his parents and infant sister.
Peter reposed at McGowan’s Funeral Home, Ballina on Sunday, followed by removal to St. Patrick’s Church, Ballina.
Requiem Mass took place on Monday of last week, with the funeral proceeding afterwards to Leigue Cemetery, Ballina for burial.
The results of the Ballina Bridge Club game played on Tuesday, February 13 are as follows: 1, Gerry Scanlon and Francis Walkin; 2, Gerard Moran and Bill Thomas; 3, Ann and Sean Callaghan; 4, Trish Slowey and Mary Lowry; 5, Helena Moran and Mary Gilvarry.
Ballina Active Retirement Association held a meeting on Thursday, February 15 where Mary McAndrew was welcomed as a new member to the group.
Activities for members this week will include whist on Wednesday, February 28 and chair yoga on Thursday, February 29.
Pencilled in on Ballina Active Retirement Association’s busy calendar of activities for next month is a short break to Westport for three nights, from March 24-27.
The next meeting of the Mayo COPD Support Group is on Thursday, February 29, at 2 30pm. The meeting will take place in the Castlebar Lawn Tennis Club, Lannagh Road, Castlebar and guest speaker is Sinead Moran, Respiratory Physiotherapist.
The Quay National School, Ballina will have two teams in this weekend’s Credit Union Schools’ Quiz, representing Ballina Credit Union.
This is the second stage of the annual nationwide quiz contest for young people, organised by the credit union movement. The event in Knockranny House Hotel, Westport on Sunday, March 3 is the Chapter (Regional) stage, with the winners progressing to the national final in the RDS, Dublin five weeks later.
The members of The Quay National School U11 team are Garrett Doyle, Michael Duffy, Aoife Hillery and Cian Gillespie. The U13 team will also take part in the Chapter stage, comprising David Baynes, Noah Gallagher, Rowan Harrison and Iarla Hannon.
The U11 team from The Quay National School was placed joint runners-up at the national final last year, while the U11 teams of 2014 and 2019 were both crowned national champions in the U11 category.
Breaffy NS and Bonniconlon NS will also compete on Sunday for a place in the national final on April 7.
Success for Ballina Rowing Club member Rachael Bennett was one of the highlights for club members at a recent competition which was staged on The Garavouge River in Sligo. Rachael was winner in the Women’s N1X at the Sligo Rowing Club Head of River event on February 17, which attracted over 90 boats from 16 clubs.
Ballina Rowing Club was established just three years ago and the Sligo outing was the first official race for the club.
Expect an explosive performance from Riverside Theatre Group when the Ballina drama company presents Tennessee Williams’ ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ next week.
Directed by Ray Collins, and featuring an all-local cast, this American story of desire, delusion and mental illness will run for three consecutive nights in Ballina Arts Centre, beginning on Thursday March 7 and concluding on Saturday, March 9.
The main roles are played by Deirdre Horkan (Blanche DuBois), Mary LeRoux (Stella Kowalski) and Rodney O’Donnell (Stanley Kowalski).
The plot revolves around Blanche DuBois, a fading Southern Belle, who arrives on the doorstep of her younger sister Stella in New Orleans, having lost their ancestral home ‘Belle Reve’.
Booking for the play is advisable and tickets, at €15, are available by contacting the box office on 096-73593 or by visiting www.ballinaartscentre.com.
The death has taken place of Sean (Seanie) Joyce, Ballyholan, Downhill Road, Ballina.
Seanie was loving husband to Susan, and was adored by his sons and daughters John, Donna, Susie, Michael and Thomas, and their partners. He was a much-loved grandfather to Darragh, Séan, Cian, Cathal, Conor, Orla, Cormac, Siobhán, Conal and Diarmuid. He will be sadly missed by his brothers Ritchie and Pat, his sisters Kathleen and Dorrie, his in-laws and his many friends and neighbours.
Seanie was predeceased by his parents Margaret (née Rafter) and Michael Joyce, his stepmother Mai Morrell Joyce, his brothers Mícheal and Eamonn and stepbrother Pat Morrell, sisters-in-law Doreen (Devers) and Bernie (Syron Devers).
Seanie reposed at McGowan’s Funeral Home on Monday of last week followed by removal to St. Muredach’s Cathedral, Ballina.
Requiem Mass was celebrated on Tuesday with the funeral then proceeding to Leigue Cemetery, Ballina for burial.
Ballina Arts Centre will present a retrospective of work by Mayo-based visual artist Marianne Heemskerk during next month. Curated by Ian Wieczorek, the exhibition of Marianne’s work will be hosted in Ballina Municipal District Civic Offices, Arran Place, opening on Saturday, March 2.
Marianne Heemskerk is a printmaker and painter, originally from Amsterdam. She has lived and worked in Mayo for the last 26 years and operates a studio in Foxford.
Marianne is well-known for the printmaking classes she has run in several art centres around Mayo and for her exhibitions across the country, including in Mayo, Sligo, Dublin and Cork.
The Marianne Heemskerk Retrospective Exhibition is free to view, and will remain open until the end of the month. Gallery opening hours are from Tuesday to Friday, 11am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm each day.
Childline Mayo is recruiting volunteers through Mayo Volunteer Centre for its new Digital Support Service.
The Digital Support Service is a digital intervention programme for young people with mild to moderate anxiety, and for parents or carers who support young people.
These interactive, psychoeducational programmes are based on traditional CBT and incorporate mindfulness practices. Childline Mayo’s volunteers, following training, will cover a four-hour regular weekly shift from its Childline units, where they give weekly reviews and feedback in written form based on the client’s engagement.
Full training will be provided, commencing in March.
For more information please contact Mayo Volunteer Centre, Cathedral Road, Ballina on 096-71444, or email vincent@volunteermayo.ie.
Drawing one of the largest crowds of any non-sporting outdoor event in the West of Ireland every year for over three decades, National Heritage Day will again take place in Ballina on Wednesday, July 10.
It is one of the central events of the 2024 Ballina Salmon Festival, which marks its 60th anniversary this year and runs from July 6-14.
National Heritage Day is an occasion when Ballina rolls back time. All your favourite parts of National Heritage Day are back again this year following an outstanding and much-lauded 2023 event. These include an impressive line-up of live Irish and international music acts, food, arts, crafts, history, heritage and family fun, running from morning until evening. And it’s free to the public!
Its organisers are now inviting commercial businesses, food and truck vendors, and craft people who want to sell and promote their work, to apply to trade at National Heritage Day 2024.
Father and daughter comedy duo Pat and Faye Shortt return to Ballina with their new show ‘Knuckle Down’.
Pat Shortt is one of the most prolific comedy writers in Ireland, and a face that has been known to the Irish public for decades. He has starred in televisions programmes like ‘Father Ted’ and ‘Killinaskully’, and in films such as Lenny Abrahamson’s ‘Garage’, which won him an IFTA award for Best Actor, and more recently in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’. Theatre audiences will remember Pat for his wacky double act with Jon Kenny as the ‘D’Unbelievables’.
The new show from Pat and Faye demonstrates the incredible talents of these two performers, as they glide seamlessly from stand-up to hilarious characterisations of everyday Irish people.
Characters such as ‘Michael’ (Pat Shortt), the hapless builder who is followed weekly on Tik Tok, X, Instagram and Facebook by hundreds of thousands, seems to have the answer to all things that are wrong in the world and shares the advice gifted to him by his late grandmother from Tipperary.
Another outrageous character is the ‘Mother of the Child’ (Faye Shortt). At the school railings waiting to pick up her child PJ, it’s not like her at all to talk badly about anyone but she just can’t help herself, sharing her views on the school principal and on her tummy-tucking friend back from Turkey!
The sharp wit and physical comedy genius of this duo will have you in pain with laughter.
‘Knuckle Down’, which follows on the from pair’s 2022/23 production ‘Well’, is staged in Ballina Arts Centre on Friday, March 22 at 8pm. Tickets are priced at €30, and can be booked online at www.ballinaartscentre.com. You can also call 096-73593 or email info@ballinaartscentre.com.
