Geevagh

LOTTO DRAW

The Geevagh Community Resource lotto draw was held in Killoran’s Bar on Saturday, January 6, for a jackpot of €1,200. The numbers drawn were 1, 6, 9 and 11. There was no winner. The next draw for a jackpot of €1,300 will be held on Saturday, January 13, in Paddy’s Bar. The winners of the €20 prizes were Séamus Lavin, Highwood; Eoin and Kristy Cullen, Geevagh; Costello Family, Geevagh; The Man That Lives in Big Tom Duffy’s House, Geevagh and Dorothy 02, Geevagh.

FORESTRY MEETING

The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association invite you to a very important meeting on Forestry and your Environment they are hosting in the Bush Hotel, Carrick-on-Shannon, on Friday, January 19, at 8 p.m. We’re seeing massive growth in the development of commercial forestry across our region, startling facts and figures from recent research are being revealed on this very contentious issue. Your attendance is vitally important to make your voice heard on what are the best solutions for your community’s future.

JACKIE’S HALL

‘Do you remember Jackie’s Hall at Conway’s Cross, once the centre of the social scene in the local area. Did you ever dance there or hear people talk about it? If so, Ocean FM Radio would like to hear from you for a spe- cial programme it is working on. You may call Harry Keaney at 087 9565613 or email Harry at harry@ oceanfm.

INDOOR ROWING

The New Year provides an ideal opportunity to get fit and with this in mind a new ‘Men Get Moving’ Indoor Rowing Programme will take place in Geevagh Resource Centre. This eight-week fitness programme is targeted at men in the community over 35 years who are currently inactive and wish to get back into fitness.

Classes will take place twice weekly with a beginner class for those who are getting into fitness after a long period of inactivity while an improver class will be facilitated for those with a basic level of fitness. The classes which will be led by a qualified fitness instructor will be based around use of indoor rowing machines and some circuit training to build fitness. Motivational and nutritional talks will also form part of the programme.

Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership has teamed up with CLASP with support from Geevagh GAA Club to encourage men to get healthy and active in 2018 and is inviting all interested to come along to a registration evening on Wednesday, January 17, at 7 p.m. at the Resource Centre with places being allocated on a first come basis.

Classes will commence the following week Monday the 22nd at 8.30 p.m. (Beginners) and 9.30 p.m. (Improvers) with the second class on Wednesdays at 7.30 p.m. (Beginners) and 8.30 p.m. (Improvers). As this is the first pilot of this programme in County Sligo the fee is €20 for 16 classes. For further information contact 071 9161511.

SEAN NÓS DANCING

Club Damhsa Bróga Bríomhar’s sean nós Dancing classes with Eimear Mulvey resume in the Morrison Cottage Riverstown on Sunday mornings on January 21. Beginners 11.30 a.m. to midday\ Intermediate midday to 12.30 p.m.\ Advanced 10.15 a.m. to 11.15 a.m. New dancers are always welcomed. The dance club also provides adult tuitions and small group classes. Their events trope is taking bookings for weddings, festivals, and functions for 2018. Please contact Eimear at 086 2584465.

TRADITIONAL SESSION

Riverstown CCÉ host a Rambling House Irish Traditional Music session on the second Saturday of every month in the Morrison Cottage Riverstown at 9.30 p.m. All musicians, dancers, singers, and story-tellers are welcome.

Also, there is guitar, yoga, speech and drama, tin whistle, flute, fiddle, banjo, bodhrán. button accordion, concertina and sean nós dancing classes taking place weekly in the Morrison Cottage Riverstown. For more information please contact Pádraig at 087 6707329.

WEBSITE

Check out Geevagh.ie for a nice piece on the history of the Community Games in this parish.

ST PATRICK’S DAY

Geevagh has been offered the opportunity to host a St Patrick’s Day parade this year as Riverstown is taking a break after three successful years. This event would take a lot of organisation and hard work should we undertake to hold it. It would depend on the support of the wider community. If you would like to be involved in any way please contact geevaghcommunity@gmail.com or message the Facebook page. Manorhamilton

LOUISE’S MBE

When the recent British New Year’s honours list was published among the recipients for an MBE (Member of the British Empire) award was former Lurganboy, Manorhamilton resident and outstanding nurse, 54 year-old Louise Rooney.

Welsh based Louise was managing a ward at Chepstow Community Hospital when in 2011 she was asked to review health services at HM Usk Prison from an NHS (National Health Service) perspective.

The following year she was seconded there, with responsibility for the prison’s health services transferring to the NHS, in this case Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, and identified an urgent need for improvement in several areas.

After almost five years working at Usk Prison, Mrs Rooney left her position there last April, having transformed the service, addressing issues including outpatient appointments and appointment cancellations for prisoners, and driving the improvement of the skills of the prison nursing workforce.

Louise also secured in-reach mental health, optometry and dental services, and began the development of palliative care services to ensure prisoners are better supported at the end of their lives.

Gortinar Mullies man, Tommy Rooney is Louise’s husband and they have two daughters, Charlotte and Victoria and one son, Adam. One of Louise’s brothers, Joe O’Hara also resides in Wales.

Former Manorhamilton Fire Brigade Station Officer Michael O’Hara, who resides in McDermott Terrace, is also a brother of Louise. On learning that his sister had received an MBE in the New Year’s Honours list announced by Queen Elizabeth II, Michael said he was ‘proud of Louise’s achievement.’

St Clare’s PS the enrolment process for parents/guardians wishing their children to start their St Clare’s Primary School, Manorhamilton primary education next September is now under way.

Children at preschool will all be directly issued with the necessary forms shortly by St Clare’s. The closing date for the submission of applications for new students who wish to start primary education at St Clare’s this September is Wednesday, March 1.

Parents/guardians need to complete and return a ‘Request for School Enrolment (Form A) and an ‘ Application for School Enrolment ( Form B), together with relevant supporting documentation, such as birth certificates, baptismal certificates and school transfer forms, as applicable.

Largy NS Parents/Guardians wishing to enrol a child in junior infants in Largy National School this September should now make an application for enrolment to the school.

The application forms (Part A and Part B) are available on the school website largyns.ie on the ‘Policies’ page. Alternatively they can be collected from the school office; a parents/guardian is asked to please call at the school or telephone it at 071 9856138, to request an application form.

Form A should be returned by Wednesday, February 14. Form B will then be issued to parents/guardians and it should be returned immediately to Largy National School with any accompanying documents.

BINGO

There will be another €500 jackpot prize a s well as several other excellent prizes on offer at this Wednesday night’s (January 16) Manorhamilton bingo session at 9 p.m. in the Bee Park Community Centre.

LOCAL NEWS

Please send items for the Manorhamilton District News by 8 a.m. at the latest on Friday morning to PJ Leddy at pjleddy@ yahoo.com.