Local Notes: Soccer camp was a great success in Ballyhaunis
Youngsters who participated in the recent soccer camp organised by Ballyhaunis Town FC.
The organisers of the annual Abbey Pattern traditional day out have called the event off after the passing of Stephen Grogan, administrator at Ballyhaunis Family Resource Centre who was also chairman of the Pattern organising committee.
A note from the organisers to this column explained: “Sadly, we have to cancel the Abbey Pattern 2024 due to the untimely death of our chairman Stephen Grogan. May he rest in peace.”
An evangelical church in Ballyhaunis is in expansion mode and seeking to rent the upstairs meeting rooms at the Credit Union building on Clare Street.
A longtime resident of Ballyhaunis, Pastor Alexandro Carvalho has applied to Mayo County Council for permission to change the use of the Credit Union space to use as a worship space for his Assembly of God Church.
Popular in the local Brazilian community, the church currently has met for some years on Thursdays and Saturdays at the former SuperValu building at the junction of Main Street and Barrack Street.
Local meat processor Dawn Meats has looked extensively in recent years to Brazil for workers to staff its plant on the Clare Road in Ballyhaunis. Brazil is home to the world’s largest meat processing company, JBS.
Built on the site of Freyne’s garage, the Ballyhaunis Credit Union building was completed in 2007 with an impressive external glass façade. In recent years it was amalgamated into the First Choice group of credit unions with a head office in Castlebar.
Congratulations to Marita Finnegan, Lisaniskea, winner of €600 on an envelope sold in Delaney's in the Ballyhaunis GAA 50 /50 draw on August 18th. Next week's draw is in MacSuairtains on August 25th.
Ballyhaunis Tidy Towns has made a plea to locals to consider leaving some space on local farms and in gardens for iconic insects and pollinators like ladybirds, butterflies and bumblebees whose numbers are falling locally and nationally.
“While climate change is a challenge, the lack of natural habitats and food is a cause for concern,” notes the Tidy Towns. “These insects rely on native wildflowers and weeds like knapweed, dandelion, bramble [briars], thistle and nettles as well as insects such as aphids, all of which have been targeted by pesticides and herbicides.
"Likewise for birds like the beloved robins, tits, blackbirds and chaffinches welcomed into gardens every winter.
"The best way to encourage healthy bird populations and reduce the chance of spreading diseases is to provide natural habitats and sources of food: dense shrubberies, ivy and bramble provide shelter, berries and a range of insects. Birds should only have to rely on store-bought seeds and fatballs during the Winter hunger gap.”
The GAA Centre Of Excellence continues to lead the way on green energy and sustainability with its plans to erect three wind turbines at its large campus in the Cloonacurry townland of Bekan.
The Centre of Excellence has sought planning permission for the installation of three 20 kilowatt wind turbines within its grounds. Each turbine will have a tower height of 18 metres and a blade diameter of 9.8 metres.
Wind turbines will be the latest in a series of measures taken at the Centre of Excellence which earlier installed solar panels, allowing it to cut energy bills and earn funds from exporting power onto the grid. The Centre has also installed water fountains around the grounds to reduce single-use plastic. An electric car charger is also located on site.
The Centre has also sought to protect and encourage biodiversity on its 85-acre site. Two kilometres of walkways – funded in part with funds from the Clár state funding programme and accessible to the public – will wind through woodlands of native species trees.
An increasing number of local farmers will be required to invest in new slurry spreading equipment under rules that aim to reduce the impact of slurry on the environment. The Department of Agriculture has announced that 15,000 more farmers will be compelled by law from next year to use lower-emission slurry methods.
Farmers will be required to use a method like the trailing shoe system of piping slurry into the ground rather than a method which forced the liquid against a plate, spraying it onto the land.
One farmer who spoke to this column explained that newer methods require more dilution of the slurry while the splash plate system works better for slurry that hasn’t been well agitated or diluted.
Governments across Europe are phasing out splash plates to cut the escape of ammonia, a harmful gas, and the run-off of slurry into rivers. The UK will ban all splash plates from next year.
New 2,000 litre slurry spreaders with the system cost approximately €30,000. To help farmers make the transition, government grants are available at up to 70% of the cost of new slurry equipment and storage facilities.
The overthrowing of the Bangladeshi government by student protestors has been welcomed by members of the Bangladeshi community in Ballyhaunis.
“As a Bangladeshi, I think it's a positive impact for our country,” explained Tariqul Islam Tarek in reference to the exit from power of long-time prime minister Sheikh Hassina on August 6th after protests over authoritarianism and corruption.
“But before she left she did a lot of bad things for Bangladesh,” explained Tarek, one of several Bangladeshi residents of the international protection accommodation centre in Ballyhaunis. “At the time of the student protest a lot of students were killed by police who opened fire.
“Students chose Dr Muhammad Younus as a leader for present situation. He has 50 honorary doctorate degrees from 20 countries and 113 international awards from 26 countries.
"But economically Bangladesh is down now. I hope it will be fine but it will take time.”
A major garment exporter, Bangladesh is considered by some a model for export-led economic growth.
“We have one of the best GDP growths in Asia,” said Tarek.
Asked if he thought it was now safe to go home, he explained: “I don't think so. Bangladesh is not a safe country for me now. Because I don't know which party will come after the election. I have some political cases and family matters which are still present. Actually, my case is complicated because my family issues are related to my political cases. Overall, I think Ireland is the safest country for me and my baby.”
These are illustrious times for Eastern Gaels GAA club with the team’s star player Tom Hession listed on the top 15 minor players of the 2024 season in Ireland.
“He definitely deserves it,” said Eastern Gaels club chairman Seamus Horan, in welcoming the award.
In announcing its Team of the Year, Electric Ireland, sponsors of the competition, said: “Mayo’s captain, Hession led from the back with maturity and authority that translated into a series of excellent displays.”
Branding material for the Sayvale property development company has appeared on the exterior of the former Bank of Ireland building in Ballyhaunis in recent weeks.
It’s expected that final works will be completed by the end of the year in turning the building into six apartments.
As reported in this column previously, Sayvale is the Dublin-based development company run by Austin Currie junior, son of the former Fine Gael presidential candidate and a one-time SDLP minister in Stormont. Sayvale also purchased the former Bank of Ireland building in Charlestown.
Efforts to reach the company for comment were unsuccessful.
There were lots of bittersweet reminiscences at a photo show to mark Heritage Week.
Recently deceased local businessman John Dillon featured prominently in photos of a trade fair in Ballyhaunis in the 1980s while a visit to another more recent trade fair by recently deceased sports commentator Micheál O’Muircheartaigh was also captured in photos from the Glynn Photography archives on Saturday night.
Hosted by Ballyhaunis Community Council on the cinema screen at the Community Hall, the photo exhibition was narrated by Patsy Glynn and his wife Jenny who documented life in East Mayo and neighbouring Roscommon towns and villages over several decades. Photos from events held at the local meat plant also featured in the slide show, with key figures in the development of the plant like Sher Rafique and Sean Clarke both prominent.
An appeal by Ballyhaunis Community Council for photos and films from the area has already yielded a few recordings taken of life in the town in the 1980s and it’s expected these will be shown over the winter months. To offer photos or films. contact ballyhauniscommunitycouncil@gmail.com or telephone 087-9777899.
Musicians, dancers and other performers are invited to participate in the monthly Social Night at the Community Hall, set for August 31st and commencing at 8pm.
Local traditional musicians will be joined again by younger folk singers from the area while set dancers are invited to take to the floor.
At last month’s social night, dancing teacher Mildred Byrne led a group of her dancers onto the newly polished floorboards of the hall, to a tune played by Paddy Joe Tighe, Richard Waldron and a host of local musicians.
Tea and coffee will be served on the night.
