The Monaghan Ladies minor team lost their All Ireland A final to Cork on Monday last. The scoreline certainly did not reflect how close the game was. Monaghan trailed by 3 points ten minutes into the second half when St. Brigid’s Jane Drury was taken down however no penalty was awarded and Cork went up the other end and scored a goal. The seven locals involved Jayne Drury, Michaela Linden, Caoimhe Brennan, Megan Millar (St. Brigid’s), Jane Duffy, Clare Duffy and Emile Culleton (Latton) can all be very proud of the fine year that they have had winning Ulster and reaching the All Ireland A final.

This Saturday 10th August will see the qualifying game of the champion of champions rinks team. This will take place on the bowling green starting at 10-30am and will be played to a finish. Afterwards there will be a presentation of prizes to the singles, pairs and rinks winners. We are very thankful to Gabriel Traynor for sponsoring the prizes for this competition this year. The winner of the singles is Seamus Smyth with Jockey Gibson and Brendan Mc Gahey winning the pairs. They will all go forward to the final in Enniskillen on Saturday 7th September. The final of the local league is due to take place next week with Derryvalley playing Corcaghan for the Jackie Rutledge cup. Tonight (Thursday) will see Corcaghan play St. Michael’s of Cootehill in the outdoor cup quarter final. The Town Tournament got underway during the week with a few qualifying games between Paul Carragher and Darren Smyth and Murnanes taking on last year’s winners the Soda Barrell.

To facilitate priests covering Sunday messes between parishes during the summer holiday time it is necessary to make adjustment to the Sunday Mass schedule on two upcoming Sundays. It will mean the cancellation of the 9-30am Sunday Mass in Tullycorbet on Sunday 25th August and the cancelation of the 11am Sunday Mass in Ballintra on Sunday 8th September.

Gerry Finlay is hosting the annual Kieran Finlay Golf Tournament on 9th September at Wind Watch Golf and country Club, Hauppage, Long Island, New York. Since the annual tournament started the organisers have donated over €15, 000 to Ballybay Pearse Brothers and Ballybay Cancer Society. If you know anyone from the Ballybay area who is living in New York or if you have golfing friends in the Big Apple why not let them know that this tournament is on. As well as the golf there will be a lavish buffet afterwards in the Shandon Court, East Islip, Long Island.

A workshop by Robert Thompson on the identification of damsel and dragonflies will take place in the Wetlands Centre on Thursday 15th August starting at 10am. During this workshop we will look at the features used to identify Ireland’s Dragonfly and Damselfly species, where to find them, and helpful suggestions on identification resources. The morning will consist of a short introduction to the Dragonfly Ireland 2019 – 2024 project, followed by an illustrated talk with particular emphasis on key identification features. In the afternoon we will explore Ballybay Wetlands to practice field skills. This workshop is suitable for beginners and those wishing to refresh their identification skills. The event is being organised by The National Biodiversity Data Centre and Monaghan County Council. If you would like more information on this event check out the County Monaghan Heritage Office facebook page.

A coffee morning in aid of St. Luke’s Hospital Dublin will take place at the home of Clodagh Mc Entee, Knocknamaddy on Saturday 31st August. Tea, coffee and refreshments will be served from 10am until 3pm. Everybody welcome.

Good luck to the local ladies who will be part of the Monaghan minor squad this weekend as they take on Cork in the final. This is the first minor final Monaghan have reached in twenty years. Those involved are Jayne Drury, Michaela Linden, Caoimhe Brennan, Megan Millar (St. Brigid’s), Jane Duffy, Clare Duffy and Emile Culleton (Latton). In the Ulster final they beat Donegal and then Meath in the All Ireland semi-final.

The annual Culture Night will take place on Friday 20th September. Plans for the evening will be available shortly so you may want to keep it free for what should be a lovely evening.

The opening of the Muckno/Ballybay Triathlon club in the park was a huge success and was attended by several hundred people. The committee of the Bowling Club had the green open and we had lots of visitors during the evening so we hope to reap some rewards with some new members. This week sees us play Letterkenny in the Border League of which we are leading by 4 points at the moment.
The Town Tournament is starting this week with Murnanes v Soda Barrell and Darren Smyth’s meeting Paul Carragher. Other games will be arranged in the coming weeks and all games to be played on the bowling green in the Town park.
Tonight Thursday will see the semi final of the local league when St. Michael’s of Cootehill play Derryvalley and Ballybay Maroon take on Corcaghan. These should be two good games and would be well worth a visit.

The annual Cuan Mhuire Novena starts on 7th August and will run until the 15th. More details next week.

All are welcome to come and hear a visiting speaker Colombian Pastor Luis Miguel Hernandez at Corlea Presbyterian Church (Eircode A75 W682) on Sunday 11th August at 4pm when he will speak on his journey, “From Street Child to Pastor”. Our friends Joe and Sadie Law of Mission Possible will give an update on their work with the orphans and abandoned street children of Bogota, Colombia. An offering will be taken up for this worthy cause.

The Ballybay-Clones Fianna Fáil Comhairle Ceanntair wish to very sincerely thank all those who assisted in making the recent Local Elections 2019 Fundraising Draw a great success. The Ticket Sellers, Prize Sponsorers, McCaughey Fuels (Clones), Senator Robbie Gallagher, Cllr. Seamus Coyle, Brendan Smith T.D., Niamh Smyth T.D. and Mike & Martina Durkan. To all who purchased tickets thank you for your generosity. Congratulations to all Prize Winners:

1st Prize-Michael Reilly, Carrickatee.
2nd Prize-Brendan Duffy, Rockcorry.
3rd Prize-Eileen Deery, Tullynahinera.
4th Prize-George McCabe, Drumhowan.
5th Prize-Fiona Keenan O’Brien, Doohamlet.
6th Prize-Anna Smith, Ballybay.
Thank you to all who assisted in making the Comhaile Ceanntair Local Elections 2019 Draw a great success particularly Martina & Mike Durkan who organized the Draw which helped the party campaign greatly in the Ballybay-Clones L.E.A. with the record breaking vote achieved by our candidate, the Cathaorleach of Monaghan County Council, Cllr.Seamus Coyle.

Gerry Finlay is hosting the annual Kieran Finlay Golf Tournament on 9th September at Wind Watch Golf and country Club, Hauppage, Long Island, New York. Since the annual tournament started the organisers have donated over €15, 000 to Ballybay Pearse Brothers and Ballybay Cancer Society. If you know anyone from the Ballybay area who is living in New York or if you have golfing friends in the Big Apple why not let them know that this tournament is on. As well as the golf there will be a lavish buffet afterwards in the Shandon Court, East Islip, Long Island.

Tullycorbett CCE had a very successful Ulster Fleadh. Several members won medals and a number of members qualified for the Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann in Drogheda in August! The medal winners were as follows:

Flute 15-18 - 2nd Mark Ó Tomanaigh, Piano Accordion 12-15 - 1st Laura McMahon, Piano Accordion 15-18 - 2nd Dervla Ní Threasaigh and 3rd Orlaith Brennan, Piano 12-15 - 3rd Laura McMahon, Flute Slow Airs 15-18 - 1st Emer Ruddin, Full Set Ladies U12 - 2nd Tullycorbet, Full Set Ladies 12-15 - 2nd Tullycorbet, Full Set Ladies 15-18 - 1st Tullycorbet, Full Set Mixed U12 -3rd Tullycorbet, Half Set Mixed U18 - 1st Tullycorbet, Sean Nos U12 - 3rd Mary Walsh, Comhra 11-13 - Q Muireann Ní Fhearchair, Comhra 15-18 - Q Dervla Ní Threasaigh and Q Donna Ní Threasaigh, Storytelling 15-18 - 1st Niall Grogan and 2nd Donna Ní Threasaigh, 8 Hand Ladies 15-18 - 1st Foirne Rince Mhuineacháin (Annmarie Lavelle, Aoife Lennon, Sinéad Grogan, Sinéad Duffy), 4 Hand Ladies 12-15 - 1st Foirne Rince Mhuineacháin (Laura McMahon, Rachel, Shauna Lennon), 4 Hand Ladies 15-18 - 2nd Foirne Rince Mhuineacháin Foireann B (Annmarie Lavelle, Aoife Lennon, Sinéad Duffy, Sinéad Grogan), 4 Hand Mixed 12-15 - 1st Foirne Rince Mhuineacháin (Shauna Lennon), 4 Hand Mixed 15-18 - 1st Foirne Rince Mhuineacháin (Annmarie Lavelle, Niall Grogan, Sinéad Duffy), 4 Hand Mixed O18 - 1st Foirne Rince Mhuineacháin (Niall Grogan).

A number of local girls will be in action for Monaghan this weekend as the Farney ladies meet Meath in Kingscourt in the All Ireland minor semi-final. Jayne Drury will captain the side and will be joined by her St. Brigid’s club mates Michaela Linden, Megan Millar and Caoimhe Brennan. Latton ladies Jane Duffy, Clare Duffy and Emile Culleton make up the local contingent. Good luck to all them and their colleagues.

If you are in need of assistance, you can contact St. Vincent de Paul in writing. Letters should be left in the Confraternity Rooms, Ballybay or telephone freephone 1800677777. In either case a SVP volunteer will follow up with a short visit to see how best the charity may assist.

Next up for decision will be the champion of champions pairs which will take place on this Saturday 20th July starting at 10-30am at the outdoor green.

The annual mass at Carga Rock will take place on August 11th at 9-30am. There will be no Sunday mass in Tullycorbett that day. Everyone is welcome.

Monaghan Sports Partnership are looking for the thoughts of people from Ballybay and surrounding areas on what physical activity programmes/sessions/events you would like to see run in the Ballybay area. The Partnership which is based in Ballybay have devised a survey and everyone who completes the survey form will be entered in a draw for a €100 voucher for Mc Dermott’s Sports Centre. The for is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/J8R8LFW

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service Mobile Unit will be located at the Sports Centre, Rear of Community College, Ballybay on Thursday 25th July from 4-30pm until 8pm. They will welcome regular donors however they would also like to hear from new donors. 1 in 4 People Will Need a Blood Transfusion At Some Point In Their Lives. If you are fit and healthy, aged 18 to 65 (between 65 and 70 years if you have donated in the last 10 years), over 7st.12 lbs (50kg) and have not donated in the last 90 days, please make a special effort to come along. Please eat at least a light snack in the 3 hours before donating.

The Community Foundation for Ireland has launched a fund for community organisations to develop projects related to creating sustainable communities through the Circular Economy and sustainable consumption and waste, which may be of interest to community groups. See link for more details:

https://www.communityfoundation.ie/insights/news/100000-in-grants-to-encourage-sustainable-communities

Welcome to the July monthly service in Corlea Presbyterian Church on Sunday 14th July 2019 at 4pm. The speaker for this service is the Rev. Gerry Clinton. Come along and bring a friend.

Last month, a group of girls from the St Brigids Ladies Team took on the VHI Women’s Mini Marathon in order to raise funds for the club. The total amount raised was €731. The girls would like to thank everyone who sponsored them.
Special thanks to all the senior girls and local businesses who helped us in raising the money by filling their own sponsored cards. The money raised will be used to help fund buying new gear for the Minor and Senior panels.
The winner of the €50 One4All voucher was Lily Thomson. Well done Lily.

It will be soon that time of year again when local man Joe Sullivan leaves his nest in North County Dublin to entertain his friends in Ballybay with his annual 80’s disco. The event of the year will take place in Pat O Brien’s on Saturday 27th July. Joe is happy to play requests has even promised to play some BROS and some Stock, Aitken and Waterman. There is no cover charge however any donations paid at the door will be given to local charity.

Ballybay GAA Club are hosting Kelloggs GAA Cúl Camps from Monday 15th July to Friday 19th July. Book online at www.kelloggsculcamps.gaa.ie You need to book before the 21st June to guarantee kit for camp and to enter the early bird prize draw.

The champion of champions qualifiers took place on Saturday last on the outdoor bowling green. In perfect weather conditions a great day was had by over 20 competitors. The outright winner was Seamus Smyth who now goes forward to the final in Enniskillen on the first Saturday in September. Next up for decision will be the pairs which will take place on 20th July starting at 10-30am, so now is the time to put your name on the timesheet in the clubhouse. The rinks (fours) will be held on the 10th August. The club is still in top spot in the Cross Border League and we hope to maintain that position after our away game in Enniskillen this week. Don’t forget the draw for the outdoor cup was made and posted in the club house so now is the time to get it played.

The 10am Saturday mass in St. Patrick’s will not take place during the months of July, August and September. It will be reviewed at the end of the summer.

Preparations are continuing for this year’s Tractor run which will take place on Sunday 21st July. The run will start from the car park at the Sacred Heart at 2-30pm sharp with registration from 1pm. There will be refreshments before and after the run. Anyone who wishes to donate sponsorship contact Dominic Harte, PJ Forde, Angela Geoghegan Duffy or any Vintage Committee member. Everyone welcome.

Monaghan County Council have installed a new defibrillator on the wall outside the Library. The Eircode is A75 TR79 (put this in your phone). The defibrillators can be accessed 24/7 by Health Service Executive (HSE) First Responders.

We would like to sincerely thank Seamus Fitzpatrick, Niall Fitzpatrick, Seamus Duffy and Mark Hughes for supplying the teleporter and clearing gutters along the Main St. last week for the Tidy Towns. It was a great job and greatly appreciated. As the weather has been so bad we left the planters indoors in Charlie Friel’s Garden Centre. Thanks to Cathal for his work on these. The planters will be put out next week. Thanks to Padraig Lennon and CE participants for their help with this. Thanks also to Cuan Mhuire who supply flowers for other flower beds around the town. They will need water to survive and Martin Smyth and Padraig Ward and Padraig Lennon have agreed to help out with this. Hopefully the town will be looking well with all this work in a few weeks. We are urging all property owners to do their bit to keep premises in good repair. Remember also that there is a prize this year for best residential property and best kept business, sponsored by Gerry McElroy. We would also like to thank Michael Leonard from Leonard Engineering for his work on a new decorative hanger for hanging baskets which will be erected at the Bridge at Loch Mor in the next few weeks. We are lucky to have all these people in our town willing to help and give up their time to make Ballybay a Tidy Town.

Congratulations to Leah Rice Mc Cabe who was awarded a Certificate of Merit from Principal Joanne Gormley, Scoil Mhuire, Latton for outstanding attendance. She never missed a day in her 8 years of National School. Leah is a daughter of Gabriella Mc Cabe, Ballybay.

Over the coming months Latton GAA are hosting a series of fundraisers. One of the more interesting ones is a draw for a Charolais Bull Calf. The draw will take place in Liam Smyths on Sunday 4th August. If you are interested in buying a ticket for the draw you should contact either Ashling 0863450512 or Dympna 0877924887.

Best Wishes to Drumhowan U14s Féile Peile na nÓg Team who will be travelling to Co. Galway next weekend with their families and Club Mentors to compete in this year’s tournament, where they’ll be hosted by Northern Gaels in the Parishes of Glenamaddy, Glinsk and Williamstown. The squad is Jason Clarke, Francis Conlon, Conor Curran, Eanna Curran, Tom Doherty, Tristan Duffy, Fuard Harpur, Jerome Lavelle, Jonathan Lavelle, Cian McAdam, Darragh McAdam, Killian McAdam, Nathan McDermott, Eoghan McEntee, James McEntee, Pete McGuirk, Martin Quinn, Oisin Quinn, Tiarnan Reilly, David Traynor, Caolan Treanor and Evan Treanor. This is the first time Drumhowan have qualified for this tournament in the Club’s history.

After a brief lul in the outdoor bowling for the past two weeks its back to normal and indeed catch up on games that were deferred. One of those games was our own Borer Counties game away to Letterkenny which had to be postponed because of the weather. We also have a game with Omagh when they visit us during the week. Ballybay are in 3rd place in this league so its important we get maximum points when playing at home. The league standings are as follows:

The annual Blessing of the Graves will take place on Sunday 28th July 2019. In Tullycorbett it will be after 9-30am mass, in Ballintra it will be after 11am mass while in Ballybay it will take place at 3pm.

What a great day it was on Monday last for the Scoil Èanna Annual Fun Run which raised an amazing €3640. A massive thanks is due to the teachers and staff who have been preparing the children for the past few weeks for the big run. Local athlete Conor Duffy who is well known in Irish athletics circles launched the run and Ballybay Fire Brigades Daryl Gilmore helped lead the run.

The run set of up the Main Street getting great support from all that came out to support the children and parents on the run. The run finished off with a lap of the local park before all participants headed back up to Scoil Èanna to get their well-earned refreshments. A special mention to the Corner Shop, Ballybay who donated all the water for the children and also Drury Centra Ballybay for donating all the lovely fruit.
Big thanks goes to all the parents and friends who turned out to help. A big thank you to all the children and parents who raised over€3000. Looking forward to see you all again next year.

Friday 21st June is International Yoga Day and a number of specific classes and demonstrations have been organised for the Wetlands Centre. This is a day for helping and supporting others. All classes and events are ‘FREE OF CHARGE’ however donations can be made and these in turn will be provided to the Ballybay Cancer Society and Camphill. There are events for everyone starting at 6am and running all day until 8-30pm. First up is a special class from 6am until 8am. This will consist of a very traditional Indian practice called Surya Namaskar (Sun Saluation) which is practiced with the rising sun 108 times. This number has a lot of meaning and is very symbolic in Yoga. It is a beautiful and incredible experience. A class for children and teenagers will take place between 12 noon and 1-30pm. In the afternoon between 2pm and 4pm there will be a session called “understanding and exploring the traditional practice of yoga plus its mental and physical health benefits”. This session will include demonstrations. Yoga for the older person will be between 5pm and 6-30pm and the day will finish with an adult yoga class between 7pm to 8-30pm.

Doohamlet Childcare are having a free family fun day on Sunday 30th June between 2pm and 6pm. Amongst the attractions will be a mobile pet farm, magic show, total wipeout and an obstacle course. This event is suitable for children of all ages and should be a great afternoons fun.

The Ballybay News has been contacted by a local resident who witnessed the misuse of the pedestrian crossing in the town recently and asked if we could remind people that the pedestrian crossing is not a zebra crossing and that pedestrians should wait until the lights turn red before crossing. The responsible resident had seen a child run straight across the road as if they were using a zebra crossing. Pedestrians should push the button on approach to the crossing and only cross when the traffic lights turn red and it is safe to cross.

An Al Anon Public information meeting will be held in Cuan Mhuire, Ballybay on Saturday the 6th July 2019 at 3pm. Al Anon has only one focus to help and support families and friends of problem drinkers. Anyone whose life is or has been affected by someone else's drinking may attend an Al Anon group.

An Open day will be held at Camphill’s Robb Farm, Clones Road, Ballybay on Saturday 29th June from 2pm until 5pm. Admission is free and on the day there will be numerous attractions including weaving, a cake stall, bric-a-brac, bouncy castle, craft sale, home produce, candles, face painting, a barbeque and refreshments. Donations of cakes and bric-a-brac would be very much appreciated. Further information is available at 042 9748197.

Ballybay Golf Society’s annual President’s Day take place on Saturday next in Clones. Tee times are from 11am until 12-30pm. Good luck to all

Donna and Ciara Mc Adam would like to thank everyone who supported their recent Bake sale especially anyone who baked and provided food. The amount raised was €1425 which will go towards supporting Lourdes Youth Helpers.

Friday 21st June is International Yoga Day and two local charities will benefit from a series of yoga classes which will be held in Ballybay on that day. The day will be a celebration of yoga and an opportunity to help and support Camphill and the Ballybay Cancer Society. More information next week.

Congratulations to Katie Glynn representing Tullycorbet who won a silver medal in the 100m sprint at the County Community Games Athletics Finals in Clones last Saturday.

Children are invited to register for Summer Stars and be part of the adventure by reading as many books as they can over the Summer. All participants will be given a Summer Stars reading card to record and track their own progress. All children will receive a certificate and medal on completion. To reserve a place call in or phone Pauline on 042/9741256.

Ballybay GAA Club are hosting Kelloggs GAA Cúl Camps from Monday 15th July to Friday 19th July. Book online at www.kelloggsculcamps.gaa.ie You need to book before the 21st June to guarantee kit for camp and to enter the early bird prize draw.

An Al Anon Public information meeting will be held in Cuan Mhuire, Ballybay on Saturday the 6th July 2019 at 3pm. Al Anon has only one focus to help and support families and friends of problem drinkers. Anyone whose life is or has been affected by someone else's drinking may attend an Al Anon group.

A massive thank you to everyone who either helped out or contributed to our flag day last weekend. The amount raised was a fantastic €1680-75. Congratulations to Chairman Jason and Secretary Odelle on the birth of their daughter Zoe Marie.

An Open day will be held at Camphill’s Robb Farm, Clones Road, Ballybay on Saturday 29th June from 2pm until 5pm. Admission is free and on the day there will be numerous attractions including weaving, a cake stall, bric-a-brac, bouncy castle, craft sale, home produce, candles, face painting, a barbeque and refreshments. Donations of cakes and bric-a-brac would be very much appreciated. Further information is available at 042 9748197.

Kiran Young Wimberly and the McGrath family, will return to sing and play in Cahans Meeting House at 8pm on Friday 14 June. The evening will include songs from their latest CD - Rest in the Shelter - and will also feature Kiran's versions of Psalms set to Irish and Scottish traditional and folk melodies from their earlier CDs. Cahans with its acoustic qualities provides a unique setting so much so that they included a photo of the group performing at Cahans on their CD. There will be no charge but donations to cover expenses will be welcome. If you want a sneak preview of what to expect then check out http://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=6600&d=up_13PMpm5R0rnOqedqmtI7e1x9StU6z6jKnJ-eGaw&s=393&u=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2ecelticpsalms%2ecom for lots of information about the group and samples of their recordings.

In the coming weeks the Tidy Towns committee will be putting out planters with flowers around the town in anticipation of judging which will take place in June. The committee would appeal to everyone to ensure that their properties are spick and span. Weeding, litter picking, painting, etc should all be done asap. The committee are particularly appealing to landlords and owners of derelict properties to do their bit. Gerry Mc Elroy will be sponsoring a prize for the best kept premises so please get to work and help impress the judges who will be here soon.

Drumhowan GFC are holding a Breakfast morning on Sunday June 16th as a fundraiser for their U14 teams upcoming trip to Feile in Galway. Breakfast served from 8-30am till 12-30pm and all support appreciated.

The Faith Mission Monthly Gospel Service will take place on Friday 7th June 2019 at 8pm in Rock Corry Presbyterian Church hall (kindly granted). The speaker will be Andrew McCullough. All Welcome - Refreshments afterwards.

All welcome to Summer Praise in Corlea Presbyterian Church on Sunday 9th June 2019 at 4pm led by Rev Dr Jean Mackarel and choir members - come along and bring a friend.

The next Social day in Cuan Mhuire is on Friday 14th June at 11am. Everyone welcome.

The official opening of the new dining room at the Community Creche will take place on Saturday next 8th June at 2pm. The Creche have led on lots of entertainment for the children including bouncy castles, disco, nail art and face painting. There will be a special guest appearing on the day. Everyone welcome.

Our cross-border team travelled to Letterkenny last night. The game was played on grass were points are hard to get but we will be hoping that we got a share of the points. More details next week. The local league is progressing well, and back matches have been cleared up. The first of our Saturday games will be played this weekend when we play for the Gibson Trophy, starting at 10-30am. The dates for the champion of champions will be arranged next week and a full list will be displayed in the club house. These will include singles, pairs and rinks.

Sessions in the House is a Northern Ireland based studio who provide a platform for new talent to have their time in the spotlight. Check out Ballybay and its People facebook page where you can see a performance at Sessions in the House by Ballybay’s very own Joanne Lynch. The talented singer songwriter is seen performing one of her own songs called ‘Lean Living’. Its worth a watch – you will not be disappointed.

Ballybay Pearse Brothers would like to thank everyone who helped or contributed to their recent annual juvenile flag day. The total raised was a fantastic €2,539.50.

Good luck to Katie Glynn who is competing in the Under 14 100m at the County Monaghan Community Games Athletics Finals in Clones next Saturday 8th June.

Last Saturday the Parish of Tullycorbet celebrated the 65 years of Priesthood and 90th birthday of Monsignor Gerard McSorley, retired PP of the parish and former Prior of Lough Derg. The highlight was a Mass of Thanksgiving at St Patrick’s Church, Ballybay, at which Bishop Larry Duffy presided. The mass was attended by numerous priests from the Clogher diocese. This was followed by refreshments in the Cuan Mhuire Centre.

In April 2018, Monaghan Co. Council appointed The Paul Hogarth Company to prepare a Public Realm & Economic Plan for Ballybay, funding for which was provided under the Town & Village Renewal Scheme.

The Ballybay Public Realm & Economic Plan was adopted and officially launched at the Ballybay Regeneration Committee Meeting held in the Ballybay Civic Offices on 11th April 2019.

Ballybay Public Realm & Economic Plan >>

Tullycorbet Drama Group will stage ‘Wigs on the Green’ one final time in Tullycorbet Community Centre next Sunday 26th May at 8-30pm sharp. This is a fundraiser in aid of the search for Seamus (Shay) Lawless, husband of local girl Pamela Mc Dermott. Seamus managed to climb to the top of Mount Everest however on the descent he fell and is missing on the mountain. Funds are currently being raised in order to mount a recovery mission to bring him home to Ireland. There is no cover charge for this event however donations can be made at the door. All donations accepted.

Kiran Young Wimberly and the McGrath family, will return to sing and play in Cahans Meeting House at 8pm on Friday 14 June. The evening will include songs from their latest CD - Rest in the Shelter - and will also feature Kiran's versions of Psalms set to Irish and Scottish traditional and folk melodies from their earlier CDs. Cahan’s with its acoustic qualities provides a unique setting so much so that they included a photo of the group performing at Cahan’s on their CD. There will be no charge but donations to cover expenses will be welcome.

Monaghan County Councils, Library Services, Sports Partnership and Road Safety Sections have teamed up to host a design a bookmark competition for Bike Week. The competition is open to primary school children in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th class. Entry forms are available in Ballybay Branch Library. Children can draw their bookmark design on the entry form and then return it to the Library before Friday 31st May.

This week sees the outdoor bowling club travel to Fivemiletown to play the stars team in the Border Counties League. With both teams having 10 points from their two previous fixtures it will be all to play for this week.
In the local league Shercock got the deciding points when they played Derryvalley last week but its still Corcaghan that is riding high with twelve points at this stage.
On Sunday evening last we had two bowling coaches from the Crumlin Bowling Club in Dublin on our green to coach 8 of our young bowlers that were in attendance. Our thanks to Francis Farmer and Paul Greenan for organising this event and also the junior classes that they supervise each Tuesday on our green starting at 7-30pm Anyone wishing to take up the game of bowls should just come along any evening and they will be made very welcome.
A reminder that the Jimmy Gibson memorial trophy will take place on Saturday 8th June at 10-30am. Make sure you have your name on the timesheet in the club house. Our thanks to those who helped with the painting of the club pavilion and also Seamus for spraying the moss – a great job done by all.

A mass of thanksgiving to mark Mgr. Mc Sorley’s 65th Anniversary of his ordination and his 90th Birthday will take place in St. Patrick’s Church, Ballybay at 11-30am on Saturday 1st June. This is a very important date in this year’s calendar so please put it in your diaries. The mass will be followed by refreshments in Cuan Mhuire. Mgr. Mc Sorley asks for a remembrance in your prayers at this time and he does not want any gifts.

Confirmation will be celebrated in the parish on Sunday next 26th May in St. Patrick’s Church at 3pm. Bishop Larry Duffy will be the chief celebrant. 37 boys and girls received their First Holy Communion on Saturday 11th may.

A new yoga class taught by Patricia Drum who has over thirty year’s experience has began in the Wetlands Centre. The classes are aimed at locals regardless of age, gender or physical ability. Classes are available at three different times during the week. Anyone interested in taking part can contact Patricia on 0872839288. Classes are Monday’s 6-30pm to 8-30pm, Tuesday’s 9-30am to 11-30am and Tuesday 7pm to 9pm.

The new surface on our outdoor bowling green did not prove rewarding when we played Fivemiletown during the week in the Mc Gurk memorial shield. Needing 13 shots to win in the second round we could only manage 8 and so its Fivemiletown that go on to meet Dungannon in the next round. This week we play Enniskillen on our home patch in the cross-border league so we hope to make amends for last week’s slip up.
The next competition on our green will be the Jimmy Gibson memorial trophy which will take place on Saturday 8th June at 10-30am. Time sheet will be posted in the club house so get your name on it in good time.
This week will see Derrynoose start their league games when they take on Ardaghey during the week and Muckno will play Ballybay maroon. A list of point standings will be published next week.

Monaghan minor ladies were crowned Ulster champions on Sunday last when they defeated Donegal 0-13 to 1-6. Congratulations are due to the seven local girls four from St. Brigid’s and three from Latton who were involved. Jayne Drury captained the side and despite being doubled and sometimes triple marked she managed to score three points from play. Clare Duffy had a fine game between the sticks and had no chance with the Donegal goal. Caoimhe Brennan was solid at corner back while Jane Duffy also turned in a fine defensive performance. Michaela Linden came on in the second half and made a wonderful block to deny a Donegal score. Megan Millar and Emile Culleton were not used on this occasion.

Students who attended the Vocational School in Ballybay from 1966 to1971 are cordially invited to a reunion that will take place in the school on Thursday May 23rd between the hours of 4.15pm to 6.00pm. If you can attend please contact the school on 0429741093 between the hours of 9.00 and 3.30pm Monday to Friday. All welcome.

A six weeks course – learn to jive for children and teenagers will commence in Tullycorbett Community Centre on Monday 20th May from 6-30pm until 8pm. Booking for this course is essential. If interested you can contact 086 0887786.

Monaghan Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) announces the launch of the Community Enhancement Programme for 2019

Deadline for receipt of applications is Thursday 30th May 2019 at 5pm

Community Enhancement Programme Application Form 2019 - Word Doc.

Community Enhancement Programme Application Guidelines 2019 - Word Doc.

A Ecumenical Multidenominational Choral Festival will be held in Christ Church, Aughnamullen on Sunday 12th May at 7pm. Ballybay Community Choir will be participating on the night. Everyone welcome.

A jobs club for unemployed people in Ballybay and surrounding areas will commence on Monday 20th May at 9-30am in Cuan Mhuire, Ballybay. The club will cover such topics as C.V. preparation, cover letter writing, job searching, interview techniques and mock interviews. For further information please contact Teresa on 042 9748090 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. BALLYBAY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES CD LAUNCH Members of the Presbyterian Churches of First and Second Ballybay, Rockcorry and Drumkeen have been recording a Gospel CD over recent months, and it will be launched in Second Ballybay church, Clones Road, Ballybay on Friday 10th May at 8pm. The CD is entitled “Come, Praise the Lord” and has 20 tracks including 7 solos, 2 duets, 2 trios, a quartet, the churches praise band and choir, and the Sunday School children. There are 2 instrumentals and a variety of different types of music including traditional hymns, modern praise & worship songs and country & western songs. All the artists will be taking part on the night and most will be singing/playing the songs they have recorded on the CD. The program includes a puppet show arranged by Monaghan girl Bethan Hill. Admission is free and we invite everyone to come and join us for this special occasion. A light supper will be provided in the church hall afterwards. CDs at €10 each will be available for purchase on the night.

The annual First Holy Communion in the parish will take place on Saturday next in St. Patrick’s at 11am.Because of this there will be no 10am mass Saturday.

A mass of thanksgiving to mark Mgr. Mc Sorley’s 65th Anniversary of his ordination and his 90th Birthday will take place in St. Patrick’s Church, Ballybay at 11-30am on Saturday 1st June. This is a very important date in this year’s calendar so please put it in your diaries

Congratulations to Sean Mc Cabe who won €1400 on Friday night last when he found the ‘ACE’ at Stookies Bar ‘Chase the Ace’. The craic begins again this Friday night at 12am when everyone will have another chance to win.

Congratulations to our local swimmers, Aisling Duffy, Conor Curran, Daithi Lynch, Eanna Curran, Neasa Doherty, Ruadhan Curran, Sadhb Doherty, Tara Reilly, Tiarnan Reilly and Tom Doherty who gave excellent performances at the County Finals last weekend. Ruadhan, Connor and Eanna Curran, Tom, Neasa and Sadhb Doherty won gold medals and have qualified for the National Community Games Finals in Limerick 25th & 26th May. Aisling Duffy also won silver a medal. Well done to all of you. The proposed provisional date for area athletics finals is Wednesday 15th May @ 6pm if sufficient interest. For further details contact Sharon 087 2332882 or Maire 086 0826103.

Expressions of Interest are being sought for Town and Village Renewal Scheme 2019.

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme 2019 provides funding for rural towns and villages for delivery of projects in 2019 and 2020.

Successful proposals will demonstrate close collaboration between communities and business interests in the design and delivery of proposed projects and must have the support of the Local Authority.

All interested Town/Village Groups/Community Groups/Development Associations should complete the Expression of Interest form and return to the Community Development Section, Monaghan County Council, County Offices, The Glen, Monaghan, Co. Monaghan H18 YT50 or email completed Expression Of Interest to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than 5pm on Friday 24th May 2019.

It is essential that project promoters consult with the relevant Municipal District Office of Monaghan County Council while preparing an Expression of Interest and prior to its submission.

2019 Town and Village Expression of Interest form - Word Doc

2019 Town and Village Scheme Outline PDF

Members of the Presbyterian Churches of First and Second Ballybay, Rockcorry and Drumkeen have been recording a Gospel CD over recent months, and it will be launched in Second Ballybay church, Clones Road, Ballybay on Friday 10th May at 8pm. The CD is entitled “Come, Praise the Lord” and has 20 tracks including 7 solos, 2 duets, 2 trios, a quartet, the churches praise band and choir, and the Sunday School children. There are 2 instrumentals and a variety of different types of music including traditional hymns, modern praise & worship songs and country & western songs. All the artists will be taking part on the night and most will be singing/playing the songs they have recorded on the CD. The program includes a puppet show arranged by Monaghan girl Bethan Hill. Admission is free and we invite everyone to come and join us for this special occasion. A light supper will be provided in the church hall afterwards. CDs at €10 each will be available for purchase on the night.

The organisers of the Unicef Syrian/Yemen collection would like to thank everyone who donated and everyone who helped collect. The amount raised was €1077-40c.

The outdoor bowling club had their first league game on Wednesday 23rd April away to Omagh but despite our best efforts we went down 6 points to 2. This week sees us travel to Fivemiletown for our first game in the Mc Gurk memorial shield which is played on a home and away basis. The home game will be on Wednesday 8th May and the combined score will count.
Our first game in the local league took place on Friday evening last and it was between Ballybay Maroon and Balllybay White. It finished four points to two in favour of the maroons.
The Vincent Cup was played for on Saturday last in Fivemiletown on a windy but mainly dry day. The winners on the day were Bertie Latimer and Benny Smyth along with Matt Livingstone and Harold Nelson. The cup and prizes were presented at a meal in the golf club afterwards. It will be Ballybay’s turn to host the cup next year.

Keep free Friday May 3rd at 7.30pm in Cuan Mhuire.
You’re all invited... spread the word... this event is funded by Monaghan County Council and Ballybay ICA. Baking by Astrid Moffett and Floral Demonstration by Martina Kavanagh of Tina’s Floral Arts... admission is FREE, we will be raffling the Floral arrangements, proceeds in aid of Cuan Mhuire. Refreshments served so please let us know if you can make it.

The Dorinda Carnew memorial sponsored walk in aid of MS Ireland (County Monaghan Branch) will take place in Ballybay on Thursday 9th May at 7pm. The event will start at the Ballybay Inn. Anyone seeking sponsor cards should contact 087 2206703. This event has drawn hundreds of people to Ballybay over the years and your continued support would be very much appreciated.

The Faith Mission monthly Gospel Service will be held in Rockcorry Presbyterian Church Hall on Friday 3rd May at 8pm. The speaker will be the rev. Dr. Gerry Clinton. Everyone is welcome and there will be refreshments afterwards.

Local Fianna Fáil election candidate Seamus Coyle has this week requested Eir to clarify why the town of Ballybay has been excluded from its recent announcement of Broadband rollout focused on Urban Centres, saying “Surely I welcome the fact that four towns in County Monaghan are to be included in the proposed rollout to urban centres, Clones, Castleblayney, Carrickmacross and Monaghan, but I’m very disappointed that Ballybay is excluded. It’s another example of Ballybay being left out. While EIR is a private consortium, they are subject to government regulation which implies they must deliver equal service to all areas of the country. I firmly believe if the current government is serious about the regeneration of rural Ireland it must apply to providers of Telecommunications infrastructure i.e. Broadband, Mobile and Fived line Communications, a Universal Service Obligation which would mean all providers would have to service the country equally and not what is happening at the moment where they are required only to provide cover to a percentage of population which leaves them only providing cover where it is financially lucrative that is the bigger urban centres.

Thank you to everyone who contributed so generously to our collection. Thank you also to everyone who assisted with the collection. Your help was very much appreciated. €836 was collected.
Indoor Soccer
Well done to Tullycorbet Community Games Under 13 Indoor Soccer Team who reached the county semi-final only to lose out narrowly to Inniskeen. It was a great effort by all the panel Eoin Brady, Eanna Curran, Simon Du Plessis, Stephen Duffy, Jerome Lavelle, Martin Quinn, Eoin Sheridan and Sean Ward, their mentors Martin Sheridan and Peter Ward.

Well done to our local gymnasts Andrea Quinn, Tara Reilly, Anna Leonard and Illia Mc Ardle who gave excellent performances at the County Gymnastics Finals in Carrickmacross last weekend.

Congratulations to our local swimmers, Aisling Duffy, Conor Curran, Daithi Lynch, Eanna Curran, Neasa Doherty, Ruadhan Curran, Sadhb Doherty, Tara Reilly, Tiarnan Reilly and Tom Doherty who gave excellent performances at the County Finals last weekend. Ruadhan, Connor and Eanna Curran and Neasa Doherty won gold medals and have qualified for the National Community Games Finals in Limerick 25th & 26th May. Aisling Duffy and Tom Doherty won silver medals.

Athletics and Cycling closing date is 24th May. Contact Maire 086 0826103 / 042 9748955 or Sharon 087 2332882 / 042 9748110

The annual first holy communion in the parish will take place on Saturday 11th may in St. Patrick’s at 11am. Confirmation with Bishop Duffy will also take place in St. Patrick’s on Saturday 26th May at 3pm.

Monaghan County Council Culture Night 2019 - Funding Call to support events

Culture Night is an annual all-island public event that celebrates culture, creativity and the arts. This year, it will take place on Friday 20th September 2019 between 5pm and 11pm. On Culture Night, arts and cultural organisations and venues of all shapes and sizes, including the National Cultural institutions, extend their opening hours to allow for increased access to the public. Special and unique events and workshops are specifically programmed at participating locations and everything is available free of charge.

Click here to see full list >>

Thanks to all who contributed to the recent collection for Emigrants. It amounted to €1090.

The AGM of the Ballybay Outdoor Bowling Club took place on 25th March in the Bowling Pavillion. There was a good attendance of members and all were delighted at the upgrade of the bowling green which was needed after 13 years of use. The Chairman Uel Gamble was in charge of proceedings and thanked all the members for all their help during the year. There was also much praise for all the teams that participated in the various competitions which also included our team which won the Border Counties League in 2018.
The minutes of the last AGM was read and approved. Both secretary and treasurer gave their reports and all was in agreement that it was good to see our financial situation in a healthy state after spending almost €18000 on the new underlay and improvements to the green. After the chairman’s report we had the election of officers for the coming year. President Malachy Mc Skane. Chairman Uel Gamble who agreed to take the chair for another year but said it should rotate at least every 2 years. Vice Chairman – Brendan Magennis. Secretary – Cora Smyth. Assistant Secretary – Philip Gibson. Treasurer – Benny Smyth. Assistant Treasurer – Bertie Latimer. PRO – Benny Smyth. The selection committee who meet every Monday at 7pm is George Berry, Malachy Mc Skane, Seamus Winters and Benny Smyth. It was agreed under AOB that we will have much the same programme of events as last year and its good to see more local teams entering the league. At the moment we have 16 teams entered which will be played in 2 sections. The draw will be made this week and distributed in the coming days as we hope to start the games on the final week in April. In the chairman’s closing remarks he thanked all the members for all they done for the club and hoped that there will be lots of new members joining in the coming season.

There will be a pop-up charity shop in Toners old shop beside the Bank of Ireland this weekend. All proceeds from the sales will be distributed to a number of charities. Items on sale include jewelery, glass items, antiques, curtains, china, clothes and lots more. The shop will be open on Friday and Saturday and it’s a case of first come first served so the advice is get into the shop on Friday if you are after a bargain.

Ballybay Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a Civic Reception at 7pm on Thursday 11th April for the All Ireland winning Ballybay Community College team and Special Olympian Jamie Hughes. Guest of honour on the night will be county team manager Malachy O Rourke. This event is supported by Monaghan County Council and is free to everyone.

The Parish of Tullycorbett and surrounding areas wish to acknowledge and give thanks for the years of service given by the “Ballybay Nuns” over many decades. With changes in the ownership and administration of St. Joseph’s Nursing Home, it was felt that this is an opportune time to thank the Daughters of Our Lady of the Scared Heart for their sterling commitment. To mark the occasion, our new bishop, Larry Duffy, will be the chief celebrant of a mass of Thanksgiving in St. Patrick’s Church, Ballybay on Saturday next 6th April at 11-30am. After the Mass refreshments will be served in Cuan Mhuire.

Last Saturday was a very proud day for the Ballybay Community College senior football team as they won an All-Ireland title and the Edmund Ignatius Rice Cup. Massive congratulations are due to the players and management for such a wonderful achievement. There is a full match report in the sports pages. Ballybay Chamber of Commerce are one of the many groups in the town and surrounding areas who would like to congratulate the team on their amazing success. The chamber plan to have a civic reception for the team in the very near future.
Paul Mc Aviney of the Ballybay and its People facebbok page has asked if everyone could all please send a message by the good old postal service and congratulate the team and the school on this very very special occasion. On the page Paul said, “Let's all commit to spending more than 3 seconds sending an electronic message and instead LETS ALL SEND A CARD OR A LETTER TO TELL THEM ALL HOW PROUD WE ARE OF THEM. Just address it to 'The All Ireland Champions, Ballybay Community College, Ballybay, County Monaghan, Ireland”.
Frankie Wright who spent a number of years in Ballybay and is himself a former Pearse Brothers player was so delighted with the success that he has invited the team to Lilliput Adventure Centre for an overnight on us in recognition of their amazing success.