Visiting choir from Ohio visited and sang at St Mel’s 26th June Sunday 10am Mass.

The Ukulele festival went down a storm enjoyed by many, fantastic line up and new young local talent. I captured some of the last fun times. The YouTube video, was copyrighted trimmed sadly but that’s how these things work

Taste of the Ukulele festival in Longford Town, this was a free event in Louis Herterich’s Pig Market Lane

I use to write limericks and short prose years ago, just messing about nothing of a critical level just a bit of fun. And just for fun I wrote short prose about the canal I use every other day.

“Longford towns stretch of Royal Canal”

The banality of the canal belies its turbulent energies… layers …in its bed, of flowing waters

How many cycles of duck has it fed, boats that brought it’s breath and more, sustaining life itself nobody knows today.

Walkers runners with fears of it, dogs bikes and many benches, the bowsers, the cans and sometimes friendly how are ya’s.

This stretch of banal canal by the town itself hides herself well …too many a story to tell.

Now with its overgrown reeds… newly laid out tarmacadden… pole to pole of lights and life saving bouys, that make ya wonder her depth …up to your knees.

The tall trees small trees bushes wild flowers and colours seasonal, birds forever homage to our maker …bring us all back… time again… to our royal banal canal. 

Michael Croghan (25th June 2022)

Longford Scuba (search and rescue) & the County Council helped clean up part of the Camlin near town 23rd June 2022. Five years since the last time they had done it due to covid, the scuba divers club is centered in town, but made up of members from other counties. They all came voluntarily to help with the clean up. In the space of them five years, quite a gathering of rubbish of all kinds found its way into the river, bikes, trolleys, manhole cover, table and many household items of furniture and the usual cans. well done to each and everyone of them, and bring on the restoration of this end of town.

Zbigniew Majer a security guard that looks after some of Irelands prized art collections in the Hugh Lane Gallery Dublin, this is more than just a job to him. Learning culture, talking to all kinds of people, catch a bit of reading time, he takes great joy in what he does. Walking around the gallery and bumping into Zbigniew was a delight, a friendly smile and kind and very helpful to anyone.

Did you know Teffia (Teabhtha) was what Longford was known as first, thanks to a high king of Conmaicne in 85AD, also parts of Westmeath and Leitrim. The now Teffia Park, a residential area with a large green and lovely trees, celebrated its 70th year last in 2021. I captured today two of the nicest neighbours one could have, having relatives in Teffia since I was born. Tom Brady and Theresa Fagan.

All the way from Mauritius, Somoo Vydelingun has come to see his daughter Ange, who lives in between Cavan and Navan, working as a beautician. The fourth time now he has visited, has been awhile since the last time because of Covid restrcitions, they came into Longford on the last bank holiday Monday 6th June 2022 for a flying visit. Somoo is a retired police assistant commissioner, and he tells me very pleased with his daughter on how she is building a life for herself here in Ireland of which he has come to be very fond of it too.

Marys Meals has a dedicated charitable shop in town, the entrance building in the former army barracks. 93cent out of every euro goes to children that need it the most, 18.30e can feed one child one full meal a day for a whole school year. The vision is that every child is not just schooled but also get the chance to have that meal. The Longford branch is all volunteered, all funds go directly to Marys Meals. Help them out, volunteer, donate, buy something for yourself or a gift for someone close to you. They have in stock some great items of clothing straight from a clothing store, you never know what special items they may have in store. As it stands, they are open on a Friday and Saturday only due to volunteers, starting from 10.30 to 5.30.

Eamon Kiernan, I photographed this gentleman few years back where I met him first at the bottom of Croagh Patrick. Eamon tells me that so far today he has climbed Croagh Patrick 59 times, and hoping to make it 60 next Reek (Garland) Sunday. He remembered the first time, with a few colleagues from his Shroid GAA days when he was around 15. He climbed alongside, Mick Dunn, Brian and Michael burns, also Ronnie Whelan