Back Row: Lisa O’Neill (Player of the Match), Roisin Coleman, Siobhan Carey, Emma Keane, Cally Moir, Niamh Kelly, Chliona O’ Hanlon, Emma Mitchell, Anne Ward, Mary O’Grady, Neola O’Neill. Front Row: Niamh Loughnane, Aishling Brannelly, Sinead Costelloe, Olivia Walsh, Niamh Prendergast (C), Shauna Mitchell, Ellen Curran, Xiege Kennedy, Aoibhin Coughlan. Eilsh Kerr (Absent) It’s been an eventful and long year for the Camogie Junior team, which was one of the highlights for the year in review at their most recent A.G.M.
Training started at the end of January under the charge of Alan Murphy and Michelle Kelly with preparations made for the season ahead. First up was the League. As the competition progressed it quickly became obvious that this panel of women meant business. Having won all but one of their matches they earned their place in the league final, played in sweltering conditions against Oranmore Maree in St. Thomas’s GAA Club. The girls came out on top that day and the picked up the league title, their first piece of silverware in many years. The scene was set for the championship campaign. Their winning ways continued and as each match was won their confidence grew. They had an astounding championship run winning all their matches and progressed into the county final. This was played on the 29th of October in Tynagh against a strong Carnmore side. It promised to be a tight game and it lived up to those expectations finishing all square at full time. The replay a week later was also a very close game but unfortunately the team lost out by the smallest of margins, one point. The panel were of course disappointed but yet extremely proud of the achievements this year and talk of next season has already begun. The manager Alan Murphy would like to bid a fond farewell to Junior Captain Niamh Prendergast and Rachel Mannion who have jetted off to a new chapter in Australia. The club were thrilled to welcome Leahy’s Life Pharmacy, Dunlo Street who came onboard and sponsored new jerseys and training tops for the team.
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The club committee, coaching staff, players, and everyone involved with Ballinasloe Town A. F. C. are extremely proud of former club player Heather Payne and the rest of the Irish International Senior Ladies squad for the outstanding and historic achievement in qualifying for next year's World Cup finals. Heather in recognition of her outstanding commitment and form was selected and is the current Irish Ladies International Player of the year.
The Clubs Senior men’s teams good run in the F. A. I. Junior Cup recently came to an end when old rivals Castlebar Celtic beat them two nil. The team are currently fourth in the Roscommon and District Premier league with two games in hand and are in with an excellent opportunity of competing for league honours this season. Under 13 players Fionn Duffy, Callem Conway, Éanna Colleran, John Kelly and Adam McLoughlin all represented the Galway League side when they beat the Roscommon League four one and the Midlands League three one. Club player Tadhg Casey also represented the under 14 Galway League side in a two all draw versus the Mayo League. The Club are steadily building up sales of the weekly 50/50 draw whereby a winner is drawn out every Wednesday night at the Clubs Bingo in the Shearwater Hotel with the winner receiving half the proceeds of that week's sales and the Club retaining the other half to go towards the running costs of the Club. Draw Co Ordinator Pat Campbell stated that the 50/50 sales are steadily improving each week. Weekly Community Bingo is on every Wednesday in the Shearwater Hotel at 8pm. There is a weekly prize fund of €2,270 and the Jackpot is €2,500. An abundance of costumes, custom lights, scenic artists, music scores and a multitude of children singing, dancing and acting, all pulled together by an array of bewildered adults - this can only mean only one thing; it’s FINALLY Panto time again in Ballinasloe! B’sloe Panto are back after a three-year break to bring their production of “Cinderella” to Ballinasloe Town Hall Theatre from the 5th to the 11th of December.
For many people the Panto has become part of a Christmas tradition in town, whether that be taking part or as a loyal returning member of the audience, and all are delighted to be able to welcome it back this year. B’sloe Panto’s production crew have been working tirelessly since August to bring their latest show from an idea to the stage. There are costumes to source, sets to design and build, special effects to be planned and brought in from overseas, countless dance routines to be choreographed, posters to be designed and printed and tickets to sell just to name a few - the list really does go on and on! And that’s all on top of countless rehearsals! “It takes a lot of careful planning and organisation but the results are always worth it. Our goal is always to bring a thoroughly entertaining show to the stage, from the music to the special effects, we really want it to be a show that has something for everyone; kids and parents alike!” they tell us. This year’s cast features an assortment of Panto staples along with many new faces. The title role of Cinderella will be played by TY student Abaigh Hardiman. Abaigh has been taking part in Panto since she was 6 years old, and played the part of the Fairy in the last Panto, “Rapunzel”. Panto veteran, Pat Vaughan, takes on the role of Buttons, Cinderella’s best friend and palace jester. Mike O’Reilly will play the role of Cinderella’s dad, The King, who makes an unfortunate choice by marrying Voluptua, the quintessential evil step mother. Sharon Dooley, who has been involved backstage in many pervious productions as a make-up artist will be making her Panto stage debut in this role. Two more Panto newcomers complete the family as Gorgon and Zola, the ugly stepsisters played by Des Grealis and Doireann Gilmore, respectively. No panto would be complete without a Prince, and 6th year Garbally student Brendan Rice will be playing this royal part. He will be joined by Saidhbhe Concannon, who is no stranger to the stage having taken part in multiple Panto’s and most recently was involved in Ardscoil Mhuire’s TY production “A Night at the Musicals” earlier this year. She takes on the role of Dandini, the Princes’ footman. Poppy Farrell, a TY student in Roscommon Community College, will be playing the part of the Court Announcer. The cast is rounded off by another newcomer, Ornaigh Gavin, who fulfils Cinderella’s wish to go to the ball by being her Fairy Godmother. This year’s production team is made up of some very talented individuals. Ria Purcell, who has been involved with Panto for a number of years will be choreographing the entire cast of “Cinderella”. Ria is a very experienced performer and choreographer, who has worked on numerous shows and runs her own dance school, Milkshake Dance & Performance Academy. She has been very busy since the end of September rehearsing several dances with over 180 kids and young people. The accomplished Dave Hardiman, who has over 25 years theatre experience both on and off the stage, takes the helm as director for this year’s show. And last but not least, the production crew is rounded off by the extremely talented musical direction of John Roe who is delighted to be working with the Panto cast and crew once again. B’sloe Panto’s production of “Cinderella” will be running from December 5th to 11th in Ballinasloe Town Hall Theatre. The show begins nightly at 7.30pm with two fancy dress matinees on Saturday and Sunday (December 10th and 11th, respectively) at 2.30pm, where both children and adults alike are invited to come in outfits fit for the Panto stage with prizes for the best dressed! Tickets are available online (find B’sloe Panto on Facebook or Instagram for more information) and from the Panto booking office at J&S Photos on Society Street, drop in or call 09096 31566 to get yours! They will also be available on the door; however, pre-booking is advised! Visit B'Sloe Panto on Facebook It’s getting close to the busiest time of the year and the ShopBallinasloe team are confident it will be another bumper Christmas for Town Vouchers and online ShopBallinasloe sales.
Now in its third year, ShopBallinasloe is still going strong with many vouchers purchased, online orders and new retailers joining the initiative to promote their products and services as well as accepting Town Vouchers. To date, the team have achieved some great milestones:
The team are also encouraging employers who operate performance related payment and bonuses for their staff to consider gifting them Town Vouchers. Under the Small Benefits Exemptions Scheme, employers can now reward employees up to €1000 in Town Vouchers, completely tax-free and saving them and their employees money. The vouchers are not only for Christmas, they are available all year round making them the ideal gift option for any occasion as well as ideal prizes for Raffles, Draws, Golf Classics and Table Quiz’s. So, if you have a special occasion coming up or maybe you have a family member overseas – have them gift you some Town Vouchers. But this initiative cannot be maintained without the commitment and support from retailers and the local community and we are asking the community to get behind this shop local initiative! Membership for 2023 is now open. If you are a local retailer and would like to be involved, membership is now open with early bird offers available before 31 December and further information can be found on our website www.shopballinasloe.ie Gary Kilcar has been announced as the new ‘Sports Activation Officer’ for the town as part of a new Galway Sports Partnership initiative.
He graduated from Athlone Institute of Technology with an honour’s degree in 2008 and emigrated to Australia the following year to work for a digital marketing agency in Sydney. After returning to Ireland, Gary worked full time in hospitality and a part time role in event management working on various fundraising projects for local clubs and charity organizations. He also has an annual consultation role with the Galway Races. In 2020 he worked as a volunteer with Special Olympics Ireland and then with Galway Sports Partnership in January 2021. “I firmly believe everyone should be affiliated with a social group it’s vitally important for both our mental and physical health. I will be helping create brand new groups and seek feedback from the community if there is a desire to reignite once popular groups that disbanded in the last number of years”, states Gary. “After spending a week getting familiarized with Ballinasloe and visiting all the clubs in town, I’m extremely excited to start building up a rapport with everyone in the community and the surrounding parishes. Relocating to Ballinasloe will help me to both fully understand the needs and meet those needs of the community with tangible results”, he explains. The broad GSP strategy is to increase awareness, participation, and promotion of physical activity in the Ballinasloe locality, to add to the already established activities available, with their particular focus on communities that feel their needs are currently not being met. The town has a rich history both historically and in a sporting sense and he would like to support the local community to restore this legacy. €60,000 has been allocated for our ocal Sports Hub Round one from The Dormant Accounts Fund and this is allocated to Ballinasloe under Sport Ireland. “This is great news, and the hubs will provide information, support and advice on a wide range of sports and physical activities to make it easier for people in areas to get involved and engage in a more active and healthier lifestyle,” welcomed Senator Aisling Dolan . Shane Walsh is the owner of Walsh’s Furniture Repair and Assembly Ltd, a national furniture repair company with one new office in Ahascragh and another in Leixlip, Kildare. It’s an independently owned Irish company providing dynamic, on-site nationwide repair service for leather, soft furnishing, beds, and cabinets. The company has been operating since October 2014 and currently employs nine members of staff. Six are full time and three are part time. They repair and assemble furniture in customers’ homes and commercial premises, a convenient alternative to costly replacements. Specialising in repair of upholstery, leather, timber, and furniture assembly. Offering an in home or business inspection, a detailed quotation and a professional repairer or assembly. Their connection to the local is that Shane’s wife’s mother is from Ahascragh. There aren’t many businesses like this in the country so filling a niche was easy but inspiration and drive was something else - “All my life I have had a great interest in taking things apart and putting them back together and trying to improve them. I am passionate about our company as are our staff have the same mindset and want to build on the legacy of keeping our customers, clients, and partners happy on every occasion,” states Shane. It usually takes around three weeks to complete the work depending on how long it takes to get parts. The firm pride themselves on providing skilled workmanship, top of the line replacement parts and excellent communication skills on each and every job. They understand and care about the importance of having the best home or business and ensure that your furniture is treated with the utmost care and professional manner. “Our team provide national coverage and come to your home or place of business”, explains Shane. The business has felt like Brexit is a thorn in their side as they still have to order parts from the UK, but they now must factor in custom duty taxes. However, Shane believes that the pandemic has helped with growth “people saved their money and instead of splashing out on foreign holidays they’ve decided to renovate or spruce up their homes. We can help by repairing their furniture, he notes. Even though the firm is doing well now, there is currently no plans to expand just yet. Since the pandemic things have worked out very well and they’re very happy with how the business is progressing. The busy Entrepreneur said, “we're extremely busy and we are very confident that our business will continue to grow quickly, because of the quality service that we provide.” The enterprise services almost every furniture retailer, supplier and manufacturer that supplies to Ireland and they service domestically and internationally. Some of the countries they service are China, Australia, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Uk, Spain, Portugal, Germany, France, Lithuania, and the USA. Shane concludes by thanking his wife Ciara and two boys Dylan and Jacob, plus his family and friends. “They’ve always supported me in my decisions and helped me along the way.” To get in contact with them, you can call 091 373132, email info@walshsfurniturerepair.ie, or check out their website www.walshsfurniturerepair.ie. You can also get in touch through their social media pages on Facebook Walsh’s Furniture Repair & Assembly Ltd | Ballinasloe | Facebook, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/walshs_furniture_repair LinkedIn: Walsh's Furniture Repair & Assembly Ltd: Overview | LinkedIn. Sive Brassil had her best result to date at the European Championships in Székesfehérvár, Hungary when she finished eighth. Before this her highest result was 13th at the World Championships earlier this year. Luckily she is one of the few athletes in Ireland who was awarded the Paris Scholarship. This was given to a handful of individual sportspersons and teams who are training to qualify for the Paris Olympics. The aim is to help support them to train and travel to camps and competitions in the lead up to the games. Right now, Sive is enjoying some down time and getting ready for a long Winter training block. Her next competition will start in February 2023. Even with her result at this year’s European Championships she hasn’t qualified for the Olympics. The qualification process begins next year. If she finishes in the top eight again of the European championships she will automatically qualify. Every competition in 2024 will carry ranking points for the Olympics as well.
The youngest of five siblings, all her older brothers and sisters were in the East Galway pony club, Ballinasloe swimming club and the Ballinasloe and District AC. Naturally enough, she wanted to follow in their footsteps, so from a very young age, she was running, swimming and horse riding. She competed at Pony Club tetrathlon and then when she heard about modern pentathlon, she decided to give it a go and never looked back. For youngsters thinking of taking up the sport, “try as many different sports as you can and keep doing it as long as you enjoy it”, she advises. For anyone looking to try out the sport there are usually taster sessions at the Sports Ireland Campus. People can keep an eye on Pentathlon Ireland website for details. She has finished college and graduated with an honour’s degree from UCD in Spanish and French and is currently training full time. While she is training, she doesn’t have a specific diet because modern pentathlon is an endurance sport, she needs to make sure she is eating enough to recover from her training and to fuel her performance, which means taking in a lot of calories. Her training sessions are intense, as she trains two to four times a day, six days a week. Every week she completes five runs, four swims, four fencing sessions, two shooting sessions, one horse riding lesson and two gym sessions. After all this she likes to unwind by watching TV in the house as she is usually too tired to go out. Sive tries to get back home to Ballinasloe as often as possible; this is usually once a month or every six weeks. “I have a great team of coaches, nutritionist, and sports psychologist around me that help me every day. I also must thank my first coaches from Ballinasloe. Michael and the late Anne Burke in the Ballinasloe and District Athletics Club who were so good to me and helped me to discover my love for competing. Liz Scott in the East Galway Pony Club taught me almost all I know about horses. John Jordan was a fantastic coach too in the Ballinasloe Swimming Club.", she concludes. For consumers who love home-made crafts, Cherry Pedlar has moved her store Colourful Things Gift Shop a few doors down on Dunlo Street. The new larger store stocks design, and unique products by artists and crafters from the area. Currently the store stocks stunning bespoke hand-crafted items from 14 local crafters.
Owner, Cherry Mullins, is a Clare native originally, but is no stranger to the town of Ballinasloe. Since marrying her husband Aidan and moving to Kilconnell, Cherry successfully held two separate Christmas Pop-Up shops on Society Street. Before opening her store in 2019. Cindy Byrnes is one of the crafters that sells her pieces in the store. She lives in a small village near Killimor, and Colourful Things is the only shop you can purchase her crafts in. She currently up styles old furniture. This involves collecting old furniture and repainting and upholstering them, bringing the furniture back to life. Cindy has been crafting all her life but only began selling them in 2017. “People look for quality crafts which looks like they can see in their home and something that is a little bit different, quirky, and colourful. There has been an increase in interest in my designs since Covid; as people are more aware of recycling and re-using products”, explains Cindy. If people are interested in purchasing any of this furniture, they can buy it in Colourful Things or on her Facebook and Instagram pages “Vintage Design by Cindy”. She also does commission pieces as well. Cindy’s work had been in Cherry’s first shop, and she is still stocked in the new store. She found out about the store as she used to shop in it and when she saw a Facebook post by Cherry, they met and decided to work together. Kasia Kucharska is another artist who sells her work in Cherry’s store. For now, the shop is the only place where you can buy her earrings with different charms but she plans to set up a website in the future. She is from just outside Ballinasloe. She was always a creative person and loved making colourful things, this attracted her to crafting. She believes that the more colourful and sparkly an item is the more it stands out to people. Post Pandemic she has had more of an interest in her crafts as she had more time to think about it and plan her designs. Kasia has only started stocking in Cherry’s store this year. She heard about the store through a friend. Once she found out, she thought it could be a good way to make money from her crafts. She has been working on her jewellery craft for two years. This shop is an ideal place to get thoughtful, home-made Christmas presents while also supporting local crafters. egular Opening hours are Daily apart from Wednesdays and Sundays from 11.00 am to 5.00 pm. Find Colourful Things on Facebook! Despite the difficulties of the past few decades - Kathleen’s Fashions on Dunlo Street celebrated 30 years in business this year. A testament in some measure to the owner Kathleen Connelly who has had to be resilient and adapt to change. She has said this achievement has “surpassed my expectations considering the downturn in 2008 and changing times regarding fashion and online shopping for the past number of years.” Hailing from the Parish of Killimordaly – from a family of five brothers and one sister, Kathleen is married to Mattie Connelly and living in the neighbouring parish of New Inn/Bullaun. The store is run by Kathleen who works full time, alongside her part-time staff and nieces Kathy and Colleen who are an enormous help and support. The business was originally opened in September 1992 opposite Haydens Hotel which was very successful, and businesswoman Kathleen decided to move to a larger premises in Dunlo St in 2013. Prior to that Kathleen worked for many happy years for Irene and Harry Lyne in O'Beirne's Gift Shop whom she says were an incredible support to her. In recent years, businesses had to be quick and adapt to change. Kathleen says “It was difficult going through both the Town Enhancement and Covid closures, but it taught me to be resilient and the importance of social media and Shopballinasloe.ie which are brilliant platforms and a great help to all businesses. I am grateful to be part of ShopBallinasloe initiatives and we accept the Ballinasloe Town Vouchers.” The shop currently has special offers which include 40% off Joseph Ribkoff and 50% off Occasionwear. To celebrate their accomplishment of 30 years in business they had a wonderful evening of food, fashion, and Fun in the Shearwater Hotel and Spa organised by the Fair and Festival Committee which they were delighted to be part of, thanks to many local ladies who showcased their Autumn/Winter Collections. Currently in store they have labels ranging from smart casual to dressy available in sizes eight to 26. They also stock Italian label Peruzzi, Robell trousers & jeans, Marble Knitwear, Castle knitwear, Lighthouse Rainwear, Normann Coats and Jackets, Christina Felix coats and jackets, Brandtex Jeans and Knitwear, Sunday Knitwear, Coco Doll Dresses, Kate and Pippa Tops, Dresses and Jumpsuits, as well as a beautiful range of Absolute Jewellery, scarves, wraps and handbags. Shop owner Kathleen has this advice for anybody considering starting a new business: “Find a niche in the market and do your research! You must enjoy what you are doing, and I feel blessed as I really enjoy what I do and love styling all my clients." ”I would like to thank my many valued customers for their friendship and support over the years, special thanks to my staff for their dedication and help, my family for always being there for me and lastly my husband Mattie for his unwavering support and for being my rock from day one”, concludes Kathleen.
Tony Cunniffe of Cunniffe Electrical has recently taken over ‘Fletcher’s’ store on Society Street. This is their third outlet and according to Tony Cunniffe “when we heard that Sean Fletcher was thinking of retiring form his family shop, we thought that this would be a natural progression to our business.”
Whilst all may be familiar with the Fletcher's story - Cunniffe Electric was started way back in 1975 by the late Noel and Paddy Cunniffe. Hailing originally from Killimor, Noel’s first taste of the electrical retail industry was as manager of Tara Electric here in Ballinasloe in 1971 before moving to Galway and eventually opening the first Cunniffe electric store with Paddy in the Galway shopping centre in 1975. Eoin (Paddy’s son) and Tony (Noel’s son) now look after the business. A big attraction for Cunniffe to set up here was the talented work force already employed by Fletcher’s. The current staff have all been kept employed. Tony feels very lucky to have Norbert, Sarah, Dermot, Stephen in store as well as Donald and Sean looking after warehousing and deliveries. The store is going to continue trading under the Expert Electric umbrella group which is Ireland’s biggest brand for electrical retail. This will continue to help locals from the town and surrounding areas to get the best prices. Consumers will now also have a larger selection to chose from as there will be more brands available and goods can be supplied from warehouses in Ballinasloe and Galway. One big advantage of bringing Fletcher’s into the Cunniffe group is that there will be a bigger selection of brands to chose from. They stock all the major brands in domestic appliances including Siemens, Neff, Bosch, Miele, Aeg, Electrolux, Zanussi, and Whirlpool. They also have leading brands in home entertainment such as Samsung, LG, and Sony. Some of the new brands they will stock include Dyson, Miele, Dimplex, Kenwood, Delonghi, Ninja, and Sage. The store will have plenty of offers for Christmas and Black Friday. Their Christmas club is now open, by simply placing a deposit on any product you pay it off and collect it in time Christmas. They are also going to have unbeatable Black Friday offers this year, including TVs, coffee machines, tablets, and cordless vacuums to name a few. Follow them on social media or check in store or their website cunniffeelectric.ie for details. The store will continue to operate under the same opening hours from Monday-Saturday 9:30 am-6pm. However, you can now shop their wide range of products on the website cunniffeelectric.ie, for click and collect or to avail of their home delivery and installation service. The aftercare sales service will remain the same as it was under ‘Fletcher’s’ as this is one of the things, they were renowned for. The transition from Fletcher’s to Cunniffe’s went smoothly and trading has continued to be very good over the summer period. Mr Cunniffe’s message for locals is “we intend to improve on the great name that Fletchers have established in the last 60 years in Ballinasloe and bring a lot of the big brands. We also offer our price promise that we will not be beaten on price or service.” |
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May 2024
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