Last week we reported that Conor Duffy had become the fastest marathon runner in Monaghan when he finished 24th in the Berlin Marathon. In doing so he broke the record which had stood for 30 years. Some research during the week revealed that the previous record was actually held by Donal O Mahony who lived on Main Street (O Mahony’s Pharmacy). At the time Donal was running with the Phoenix club in Monaghan town and actually set his record when running in Ohio, USA.

The Camphill community in Ireland is raising money to help upgrade their Community vehicles. They have set up a gofundme page and are encouraging as many people as possible to run or walk 5km this Saturday. The Ballybay event is starting at the Welcome Inn at 4pm and there will be refreshments in the premises afterwards. Free registration and other information is available at https://www.camphill.ie/

Congratulations to former St. Brigids player Shannon Swift who was named the Most Committed Player 2021 at the Western Shamrocks Dinner Dance in Perth Australia on Saturday night last. Shannon who has been in Perth for the past nineteen months was part of the Shamrocks championship winning team.

With a severe shortage of priests in the diocese of Clogher some changes have had to be made to Sunday mass times. For the parish of Tullycorbett this will mean from 31st October mass in Ballintra and Tullycorbett will only take place every second Sunday. Local masses will be as follows: Saturday (Vigil) - St. Patrick’s 6-30pm. Sunday - St. Patrick’s 12-15pm. Ballintra 11am every second Sunday (Oct 31st, Nov 14th, Nov 28th, Dec 12th and Dec 26th). Tullycorbet 9-30am every second Sunday (Nov 7th, Nov 21st, Dec 5th and Dec 19th).

Community outdoor fitness classes continue in the park Monday and Thursdays from 7:30pm.Everyone welcome regardless of your fitness level.

There have been two new arrivals locally in the last week. Congratulations to John, Caroline and Sean Connolly on the arrival of Little son and brother Tiernan last week and congratulations to Drew, Aoife and Tilly Wylie on the arrival of Little son and brother Oscar last week.

The Under 15s now know their opposition for the Championship final. Doohamlet will be the team on the other side in what should be an entertaining game. Match is scheduled for next weekend. Full details to be confirmed next week.

Popular local lady Sadie Mc Dermott celebrated a ‘Milestone’ Birthday on Saturday last. Over one hundred friends sent her Birthday wishes on facebook. The Ballybay News would also like to wish Sadie a very happy Birthday and long and healthy future.

St Pat’s U17 team play Latton in the Div 2 Championship on this Sunday at noon in Drumhowan. All support welcome for the boys.
It was a hard luck story for our under 15 team who lost out to Rockcorry last week after extra time. The club are so proud of how you all played.   Congratulations to Rockcorry on their victory. The boys recorded a good win against Killeevan on Sunday last to book their place in the Championship final and hopefully can go one step further in a few weeks. Thanks, as always to Gerry Mc Elroy for feeding the U15’s after their final.

As the season comes to an end for most of our juvenile teams, we look forward to starting up again in the near future. Thanks again to all the volunteers of coaches and parents for bringing out the little stars week in week out.

The Pearse Brothers juvenile club are holding a flag day on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th September. This is their main fundraiser for the club and a great chance to invest in new equipment for their little champions. Your kind support would be very much appreciated.

Last Saturday evening Stookies Bar celebrated 110 years in business. The weather remained fine and a great evening’s fun was had by all who attended. Speaking to the Ballybay news, Gabie Kerr said, “It was great to see so many family and old friends here on Saturday. I would like to thank everyone who attended, especially the members of the Kerr family who turned up”.

Ballybay fell to their first Championship defeat of the season when they were defeated by Castleblayney 0-13 to 0-11 last Sunday in Pearse Park. Ballybay, who were missing several regulars through injury and a dubious suspension played into a strong wind in the first half. Chris McGuinness opened the scoring and after Blayney responded with 2 points, Shane McGuinness restored parity. Ryan Wylie pulled us level at 3 each with a fisted point and then pointed from distance to give us a 0-4 v 0-3 lead only for Blayney to level at the water break. Ballybay then scored 3 in a row from Chris from a tight angle, Ciaran Galligan from distance and Chris’ third from a close in free following great work by his brother. Blayney closed the gap with 2 points to leave the half time score 0-7 v 0-6 in our favour.
We opened the second half well with Shane McGuinness’ second point but Blayney then gained a grip around the middle and in the next period, reeled off 6 points in a row to give themselves a lead they would never surrender. Shane narrowed the gap with 2 points but Blayney scored next to leave a goal in it and despite a late flurry only a Shane Monaghan point was registered to leave us 2 in the hole at the final whistle.
It is a setback which makes the upcoming meeting with our near neighbours Latton on 2nd October to be a must win game.
Team and Scorers:
A White, A Dixon, T McSkean, B Wylie, S Monaghan (0-1), D Wylie, D Caraher, C Lennon, C Galligan (0-1), R Wylie (0-2), M Hannon, S McGuinness (0-4), C McGuinness (0-3), E McKearney and S McQuillan.
Subs :
T Kerr for E McKearney, D McCann for S McQuillan and P O’Neill for D Caraher

The Cahan’s committee is very grateful to everyone who supports their shop either with donations or purchases. It will remain open from Monday to Saturday from 10am until 4-30pm. If you wish to make a donation of items to the shop can you please do so when its open and do not leave bags for the shop or recycling at the door when closed

The winners of the Ballybay Pearse Brothers National Lotto Bonus Ball draw for Saturday 18th September were Anne McSkean, Ronan Mc Donnell and Peadar Lynch.  Bonus Ball 45 €5 to play – 47 numbers - €80 for winner. Roll over to €100 per bonus ball next week. Contact Barry 087 2589371,  Teresa 086 1691304 or Brian 085 7117215. As Government restrictions ease we hope to have our Tuesday night Bingo return shortly. For this reason the bonus ball will discontinue from 25th September.There are still a few left for the next couple of weeks. The club are very grateful to all who supported the bonus ball during the most recent difficult times.

A Honda 50 Run in aid of Cuan Mhuire will take place on Sunday next 26th September. The run will be 50 miles in distance and admission is €20 and includes light refreshments before and after. Registration takes place at Cuan Mhuire from 10am and the run itself gets underway at 12noon. All types of bikes welcome. Further information is available from Gerry at 0861616434.

The winners of the Ballybay Pearse Brothers National Lotto Bonus Ball draw for Saturday 4th September were Paul Finlay, Barry Mc Skean and Bryan Mc Cabe (Augherlane).  Bonus Ball 6. €5 to play – 47 numbers - €80 for winner. Roll over to €100 per bonus ball next week. Contact Barry 087 2589371,  Teresa 086 1691304 or Brian 085 7117215.

This Sunday at 4pm in Aughnamullen St. Pat’s play Cremartin in the U17 Division 2 Final. St Pat’s go into this game as underdogs and it will require a massive performance to overturn the odds. Can we have plenty of support for the boys with every man, woman and child in the parish in Aughnamullen Sunday afternoon at 4pm.

Anyone interested in joining a fitness class? There are free community outdoor exercise classes every Monday and Thursday at 7:45pm in the Town Park located beside the bowling green.. Bring your own mat, water and work hard.

Cavan Monaghan ETB will be provided 2 classes in association with Ballybay Enterprise Centre. The classes will be an introduction to art and an introduction to computers. Due to covid these classes will be run online. For further information contact 0871967888 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Well done to the under 11s who finished up their league last week. They may have a few challenge games in the coming weeks but a big thank you to Mac, Brian, Austin, Daragh and Shane for their massive effort all year. The under 15s play Rockcorry in the final of the cup next Tuesday 14th September at 6pm in Drumhowan. All support welcome.  Well done to all those you received their leaving certificate results last week. Good luck in the next chapter of your education.

Heritage week may have finished but you can keep up to date with all things heritage on the new website: http://ballybayheritage.com/ This website has some fantastic information about Ballybay and its iconic buildings. The site is a work in progress and will only get bigger and better. Those running the site would love to hear from any one who has old images of Tom Mc Ginnity’s shop.

The Pearse Brothers juvenile club are holding a flag day on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th September. This is their main fundraiser for the club and a great chance to invest in new equipment for their little champions. Your kind support would be very much appreciated.

A range of events have  been organised for people to attend as part of Monaghan Culture Night in Ballybay. And there is something for everyone and all ages to attend so lets shake of the shackles and get involved.

There will be a Youth Arts Workshops in the Youth Centre, Birch Court in Drama, Photography and Film on Friday from 6pm to 9pm.  Contact Kevin at 086 3918505 or Grainne at 087 3753274 for information and application.

‘Give It a Try’ is an arts workshop were you will have the chance to try out different arts including Painting, Dress-Making, Colour & Style Analysis in the SewArty Studio, 40 Main street Ballybay. Contact Catherine at 087 9353182 for further information and booking.


Ballybay Pearse Brothers GAA club are hosting an Evening in the Centre at Pearse Park. It will be a Ticket only event and there will be limited numbers allowed to attend. We want to ensure that everyone attending is safe therefore only people with Covid Vaccine Certs will be allowed to attend. Firstly an exhibition of pictures taken by the legends that was John Mc Aviney will be launched at 7-30pm (see additional article). A Concert of Music, Storytelling and Drama will begin at 8.30pm. The Music of William Clarke, the Ballybay Piper with Tiarnan O Duinnchin and guest Pipers will show of the contribution of William Clarke to Irish Piping heritage. Then there will be - ‘Some stories to Remember’, a performance of original work by local writers and actors with Francis Gerard Duffy, Emma Duffy, David Maine and Brid McCabe.

Tickets for this event will be available in Smyth’s Newsagents Ballybay. All events are Free. Culture Night is supported by The Arts Council in conjunction with Monaghan County Council.

One of Ballybay’s most loved sons, the late John McAviney was a well known photographer, particularly in Sports photography. John left thousands of photographs taken over the years from Club, County and Ulster matches. He was also a regular attendee at Glasgow Celtic matches. John also captured many events in Ballybay life over the years. His son Emmett has digitised many of his photographs and the exhibition is just a small selection from those photographs. John had an eye for ‘capturing the moment’ which is the skill of a great photographer and the Exhibition shows John’s work over the years. The Exhibition will be launched on Friday 17th in Ballybay GAA Centre at 7.30. For further information contact Aidan McQuillan at 086 8507319.

Ballybay Pearse Brothers Seniors maintained their winning record in the Championship with a narrow win over Monaghan Harps last Sunday.
The locals had the better of the early exchanges and points from Paul Finlay and a brace from Chris McGuinness put then a point up when a red card left them down to 14 men for the rest of the game. This didn’t seem to affect last year’s county finalists as immediately points from Dessie Ward, Colm Lennon and 2 from Paddy O’Neill, allied with 2 superb goals by Chris McGuinness gave them a commanding half time lead of 2-7 v 0-3.
However, the Harps came really back into it in the 3rd quarter and by the water break, they had added 1- 7 to just points by Dessie and Chris. Paddy O’Neill’s 3rd point of the game gave some breathing space but almost immediately the home team goaled to leave the bare minimum in it with 10 minutes left. The last 5 minutes were a rollercoaster, the Harps levelled only for Colm restore our one point lead, only for the Harps to level, only for Tommy Kerr to restore a one point lead, only for the Harps to level yet again before Tommy Kerr pointed from near the 50 yard line to give the Pearse Brother the narrowest of victories.
Team and Scorers: A White, D Caraher, T McSkean, R Wylie, S Monaghan, E McKearney, M Hannon, T O’Neill, D Ward (0-2), C Lennon (0-2), P O’Neill (0-3), D McCann, T Kerr (0-2), C McGuinness (2-3), P Finlay (0-1)
Subs: A Dixon for A White, D Drury for D McCann and J Sniauksta for E McKearney.

Cahans Thrift shop at Birch Court, Main Street is seeking volunteers to work in the shop. If you are interested and have a few hours to spare you can leave your name and contact number in the shop. The Cahan’s committee is very grateful to everyone who supports their shop either with donations or purchases. It will remain open from Monday to Saturday from 10am until 4-30pm. If you wish to make a donation of items to the shop can you please do so when its open and do not leave bags for the shop or recycling at the door when closed.

Cahans Meeting House Committee will hold an auction of furniture, assorted lots and other goods at Cahans on Saturday 14 August from 12 noon. As far as possible this will take place outdoors. There will viewing on Friday evening from 7-9pm and on Saturday morning from 10am, and there will be baked goods and home produce for purchase. When necessary indoors numbers will be limited according to government regulations, social distancing will be required and masks must be worn.

On Friday 20th August a brief informal outdoor gathering at 7.30 pm at Cahans will remember the ordination of Thomas Clark, the first minister, in 1751, William McKinley in whose field at Caddagh the ordination took place, the Revd Prof John Rogers, second minister, and an update will be given on the progress of the restoration of Cahans as a meeting house.

The last week’s rain and inclement weather has put a damper on the outdoor bowls. Our Autumn triples competition is still waiting to get underway as soon as we have s break in the weather. The draw for this competition still holds good and as soon as we have a few good evenings we will get the games under way. Monaghan Sports Partnership have organised 6 weeks of bowling. This will take place from the next Tuesday morning at 11am. To register call Paul on 0879425725 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

On Sunday night last there was a very interesting programme on BBC2 called ‘HAME’, about the Ulster-Scots and County Monaghan. Two David’s from Ballybay featured in the programme and both were very articulate as they were interviewed. Firstly David Nesbitt told the story of Cahan’s church and some of its members while David Moen representing the Monaghan Liverpool supporters club told the story of Honest John Mc Kenna from Glaslough who was one of the founding members of Liverpool FC. Well done to both.

Ballybay man Gerry Finlay who lives on Long Island outside New York has written a song entitled ‘Old Ballybay’. A catchy little number it can be heard on the Ballybay and its People facebook page were there is a wonderful slideshow with lots of great pictures of people and places associated with the town. When Gerry posted the song he said, “A wee song I've been writing for some time. Some footage of our old friends. I couldn't include everybody. Next time. Hope you enjoy the song UP BALLYBAY”.

The winners of the Ballybay Pearse Brothers National Lotto Bonus Ball draw for Sunday 7th August were Damien Gilmour and Sally Mc Aviney. There was no winner on the blue sheet.  Bonus Ball 9. €5 to play – 47 numbers - €80 for winner. Roll over to €100 per bonus ball next week. Contact Barry 087 2589371,  Teresa 086 1691304 or Brian 085 7117215.

There are three fixtures in the coming days. Tonight at 8pm our seniors play Inniskeen in the Senior League while also tonight our U15’s are away to Rockcorry – throw in 7pm. Tomorrow evening the U13’s host Cremartin at 7pm.

Three members of the Tullycorbet CCE have had a successful All Ireland Fleadh with one winning and two securing runners up medals. Dervla Treacy won the piano accordion section while Laura Mc Mahon was runner up. In the storytelling Donna Tracey made it a double success for the family as she took the runners up spot. Well done to all three ladies.

Unfortunately, since March 2020, the effects of the restrictions resulting from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic have had a tremendous impact on all our lives.
The restrictions have prevented the usual activities that Tullycorbet Community Centre hosts, such as the annual production of the three-act Play, Coffee Mornings, Music Sessions, and various Dance, Music, Bridge, and Keep-Fit classes, from happening. All the activities that have been cancelled were the primary source of income for the Centre. However, the running costs, like insurance, electricity, oil, and water charges still remain and must be paid.
To continue providing, maintaining, and caring for our Community Centre’s facilities, we are seeking your support towards the running costs at this challenging time.
For this reason, we are launching this 'GoFundMe' fundraiser in the hope of securing some badly needed funds to help keep the Community Centre going, until regular activity returns, post-Covid. Any amount, big or small, that you can afford to donate would be greatly appreciated.
We appeal to you all, near and far, to give as generously as you can to this fundraising initiative. Any and all donations will be very much appreciated so that we can continue to sustain the Community Centre and its surroundings for generations to come.
PLEASE SHARE this 'GoFundMe' link: www.gofundme.com/  with all your family and friends and with people who you feel may have an association or memory of the Centre so we can reach our target.

The outdoor bowls singles will come to a finish when the final few games will be played. Those competing in the quarter finals are: John Mc Caffrey, Brendan Magennis, George Berry and Sean Mc Clave.
This has been a very competitive tournament and the committee would like to thank all those who took part. Our next competition will be the Trips, which will start on Wednesday 4th August, so now is the time to get your name on the time sheet, as it will be limited to 16 teams.
The town tournament is ongoing and it is hoped to get a progress report next week.

Ballybay Pearse Brothers would like to wish  Ryan, Drew and Dessie and the rest of the squad, all the best in the Ulster Final this Saturday. Hopefully Ryan will be bringing the Anglo Celt Cup to reside in Knocknamaddy for the next 12 months. Also wishing the Monaghan Under 20s squad the best of luck in their Ulster Final on Friday evening.

The winners of the Ballybay Pearse Brothers National Lotto Bonus Ball draw for Saturday 24th July were Danny Gorman, Rosaleen Mc Skean and Tom & Tess O Neill.  Bonus Ball 8. €5 to play – 47 numbers - €80 for winner. Roll over to €100 per bonus ball next week. Contact Barry 087 2589371,  Teresa 086 1691304 or Brian 085 7117215.

Ballybay’s B team were beaten by a hungrier Monaghan Harps team in the Platinum Tanks League Semi Final in Gavan Duffy Park on Sunday. Ballybay opened brightly in the searing heat and a Dara Mc Cann goal helped us into an early point lead. However, the home side dominated the rest of the first half and at half time had restored parity at 1-5 a piece.
Ballybay took the lead briefly at the start of the 2nd half but the Harps got the upper hand and although we stayed in touch throughout, we couldn’t get back level and ended up losing by 4 points 1-11 to 1-7, a gap that doesn’t do the lads efforts justice.
Both clubs would like to thank referee Donal Connolly who brought 2 cases of water for both team. This was way beyond the call of duty and was much appreciated.
Of course, football has seemed a little less important this week after the untimely passing of Harps clubman Ogie O Dufaigh. To mark his memory and pay respect to their fallen comrade, Ballybay fielded without Ogie’s jersey and presented a wreath to Monaghan Harps. Ashley White spoke on the club’s behalf about Ogie. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

The Lough Major Walk was named as last week’s Monaghan Tourism walk for the weekend. In their promotion they described the walk as – “Beginning at Ballybay Town Park, this 4.2km looped walk covers around two thirds of the shoreline of the 23-hectare Lough Major. A popular spot for angling, the lake is home to small and medium pike Oh, and those sunsets”.  It look like this hidden gem is now out of the bag.

The last Sunday of July has traditionally been the date for the annual blessing of the graves however for the second year in a row, owing to the pandemic it has been postponed. The beloved dead of the parish will continue to be remembered in all masses celebrated in the parish.

Monaghan Integrated Development CLG in conjunction with DSP are running a Job Club for unemployed people online over 4 mornings from 10am to 11-30am. The Job Club covers C.V. preparation, Cover letter Writing, Interview Techniques and Mock Interviews. For further information please contact Teresa Mc Cahey at 042-9748090/086-8105058 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Cahans Thrift shop at Birch Court, Main Street is open from 10am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday. The shop really appreciate all the community support to date and can assure every donor and shopper that your custom will help Cahans Meeting House Committee in its work to develop Cahans historic Meeting House for future use. At the moment Covid 19 regulations will apply - a mask must be worn, hands must be sanitised on entry, please keep a social distance, and there will be a maximum of three customers allowed at any one time. If you wish to make a donation of items to the shop can you please do so when its open and do not leave bags for the shop or recycling at the door when closed.

Recently a fire destroyed the home of Frank and Patricia Treanor in Loch Mor Avenue, leaving them with no place to live. Gerry West and Michael Keenan with the permission of the Treanor family have set up a gofundme page to help raise funds to rebuild the Treanor family home. Anyone wishing to donate can do so through the link on the Ballybay and its People facebook page. Every donation no matter how small will help. Alternatively you can lodge money in the credit Union. Donation cards will also be available in local shops.

From last Monday Ballybay Library is offering an appointment service.  Each Monday you can avail of a short time slot between 2-5pm and 6-8pm to browse and borrow.  To book a slot, telephone Ballybay Library at 042-9741256 during the following hours: Monday 2-5pm; 6-8pm, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 11am - 1.30pm. Contact and Collect Service has extended to the following days also: Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 11am-1.30pm and pick up between 2.30-5pm. For outside these hours queries, email ballybaylibrary@monaghancoco.ie

The winners of the Ballybay Pearse Brothers National Lotto Bonus Ball draw for Saturday 10th July were David Linden, Mac Sammon and Maruc& Laura Barry. Bonus Ball still available. €5 to play – 47 numbers - €80 for winner. Contact Barry 087 2589371,  Teresa 086 1691304 or Brian 085 7117215.

For the second game running, Ballybay overcame a deficit early in the second half to emerge with the 2 points and are now top of the table in Group One. This victory away in Scotstown was hard won and is a real testament to the squad. Ballybay started brightly and points from Ciaran Galligan, Paddy O’Neill, Tiernan McSkean and Paul Finlay put them 0-4 v 0-1 up after 10 minutes. Scotstown gradually came back into it but frees from Christopher McGuinness and Paul Finlay kept Ballybay noses in front until just before half time when a well taken Scotstown goal left the home side a point ahead at the break, 1-4 v 0-6.
Scotstown took complete control at the start of the second half and extended their lead to 7 points, 2-7 v 0-6. Things seemed bleak and the game was in danger of fizzling out but Paul Finlay, not for the first time, dug us out of trouble. He first pointed a 45 and then rose majestically in the large parallelogram to field the ball, fed Julius Sniaukata who coolly finished to the net, and then scored a mark, suddenly the deficit had been cut to 2. Christopher McGuinness shaved the Scotstown crossbar with a fierce shot to leave the minimum between the sides. Thomas Kerr, who was dominating in the middle, then pointed a 45 to level the scores and after Dara McCann had seen his goal bound shot well saved by the Scotstown keeper, Tommy scored another 45 to put us a point up. Paul then marked a clever pass from Tommy to increase the lead to 2. Christopher was then fouled in the act of shooting and Paul took his total to 0-6 with the free.
Scotstown threw the kitchen sink at Ballybay for the final few minutes but resolute defending resulted in the concession of a single point and the final whistle saw Ballybay emerge victorious 1-13 to 2-8.
Team and Scorers - D Caraher, A Dixon, T McSkean (0-1), M Hannon, M McArdle, B Wylie, S Monaghan, C Lennon, C Galligan (0-1), T Kerr (0-2), S McGuinness, P O’Neill (0-1), P Finlay (0-6), C McGuinness (0-2), D McCann.
Subs - J Sniaukata (1-0) for A Dixon, T Keenan for S Monaghan and T O’Neill for P O’Neill

First up are the U15’s who have a derby game this evening at 7-30pm with Doohamlet. The U13’s are away to Eire Og on Saturday at 12noon.  The Reserve League semi final is on Sunday however the qualifiers will be determined by games played last night.

The Tidy Towns committee has made an application for inclusion in this year’s competition. Due to the Corona Virus pandemic no physical judging will take place so committees interested in entering the competition had to submit pictures along with their application. The local committee have called upon the skills of local man James Flanagan who not only photographed much of the great tidy town work but also put together a video. The short video showing some of the committee’s work can be seen at https://scanner.topsec.com/?r=show&d=1416&t=2d62145d83d8b779b07689c395a239480440174a&u=youtube.com under Ballybay Tidy Towns 2021.

Over 17,100 Premises in Co. Monaghan now have access to Imagine Next Generation Broadband

5G Fixed Broadband solving the problem of poor broadband in rural Ireland with over 40,000 now using Imagine’s service

“With homes and businesses across rural Ireland struggling with poor broadband access, Next Generation broadband is now essential to enable remote working and the rejuvenation of rural communities”.

Over 17,100 homes and businesses across Co. Monaghan now have access to Imagine’s 5G Fixed Broadband service as the company continues the expansion of its network across regional and rural Ireland. This includes 8,679 premises designated as ‘Amber’ or having inadequate access to high speed, high capacity broadband, under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).

Cuan Mhuire Ballybay, are having their annual car boot sale on Monday next 7th June 2021. All cars are € 10. On the day there will also be a range of summer plants, designer & off the peg clothing and books for sale. For anyone attending please remember the Government guidelines re. hand sanitizing, social distancing, etc.

The next event on the Outdoor green will be the singles competition. This will be a singles charity tournament in memory of our great friend Philip Gibson and his dad Jimmy. The tournament will be played over three days (17/18/19 June) so now is the time to get your name down on the sheet in the clubhouse.

The Tidy Towns committee would like to thank Conor Duffy, Brian Brady and Sean Mc Philips for their recent contributions to the tidy town’s efforts. Conor power hosed the Peace Bridge and the stone bridge at the entrance to Loch Mor Avenue (officially known as Corrybrannan Bridge). Brian Brady cleared the pollinator area and then planted some shrubs and Sean Mc Philips has made a new hand crafted sign saying ‘Hello Summer’ which is located opposite Riverdale Hotel.

The winners of the Ballybay Pearse Brothers National Lotto Bonus Ball draw for Saturday 29th May were Brent Wylie, Jamie Mc Entee and John Rutledge . Bonus Ball 26. €5 to play – 47 numbers - €80 for winner. Roll over to €100 per bonus ball next week. Contact Barry 087 2589371, Teresa 086 1691304 or Brian 085 7117215.

The public pathway at the Wetlands Centre will be closed due to construction work from 14th June to 21st June. People who use the path should make note of this and avoid the centre for that week.

Monaghan County Council is committed to supporting local communities to promote, enhance and develop their local area. This commitment is supported by the annual Environmental Funding Scheme.
We are now inviting applications for the 2021 funding scheme.

Click here to download form >>

free Ballybay Ideas Generation Workshop for community groups, individuals and businesses in the Ballybay area. The event takes place on Tuesday 1st June @ 7pm via Google Meet, link to follow – register through the Eventbrite link to receive updates at www.eventbrite.ie/e/ballybay-idea-generation-workshop-innovating-communities-tickets-155782745385

Let us get together to develop solutions to challenges you identify in Ballybay

Through the Innovating Communities project, we can then assist the area by providing a free course to tackle these challenges using Design Thinking (the problem solving method we'll be teaching participants to create solutions). Come along to generate ideas based on local challenges and opportunities that you see in Ballybay and its surrounds.

We will describe the commitment of a 21 hour Sprint Course and the 42 hour Marathon Course and hope to focus your ideas into a Course related to the Challenges you see around you.

The event shouldn't take much longer than an hour so please get involved and let your ideas flow!

For more info, visit www.innovating.ie / contact Collette This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / 087 176 1732

Your support for Cahans Thrift shop is much appreciated. It is open from 10am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday, so why not come to Birch Court, Main Street, Ballybay and look for goods you may need or want. As before Covid 19 regulations will apply - a mask must be worn, hands must be sanitised on entry, please keep a social distance, and there will be a maximum of three customers allowed at any one time. Thank you for taking care.
Also as before please do not leave bags for the shop or recycling at the door especially when the shop is not open. Your custom will help Cahans Meeting House Committee in its work to develop Cahans historic Meeting House for future use. All income will go to this end.

Our first competition of the season went off very well over the past week with 16 teams competing in the Pairs tournament. It was played over 2 weeks on a knockout basis. The winners were Malachy Traynor as lead and Shane Magennis from Clontibret club who was skip. They both played exceptionally well in defeating the Derryvalley Pairing of Raymond and Kenny Steenson. The presentation took place afterwards and Malachy said he was so pleased to be in the enclosure. He also thanked the organisers for their efforts.
We had a local bowling league last year with 16 teams competing for the Jackie Rutledge cup. We hope to have the same this year. If the following teams could let us know if they wish to enter a team of four on a knockout basis – St. Michaels, Clontibret A, B & C, Latton, Derrynoose, Muckno, Derryvalley, Tullyvin, Rockcorry, Scotshouse, Ballybay Maroon & White, Corcaghan, Cootehill and Ardaghey. It is hoped to start play on Tuesday 1st June and it will be a knockout competition.

Ballybay Library reopened this week with Contact & Collect Services.  If you are interested in obtaining a book just telephone 042 9741256 on either Wednesday or Thursday between 10am and 1pm to order your reading material. This will then be prepared for you and made available to collect at an agreed time.

Following the recent announcement from Government, Sunday and Weekday Masses (with numbers limited) will resumed on Monday last. Sunday masses will be Saturday (Vigil) in Ballybay at 6-30pm and on Sunday at 12-15pm. Tullycorbett and Ballintra on Sundays at 9-30am and 11am respectively. Weekday Masses in Ballybay will be on Monday at 7-30pm and Tuesday to Friday at 9-30am. Parishioners are reminded that the wearing of face coverings, together with the use of the sanitizers and co-operation with the 2 metre social distancing arrangements will remain in place. All masses celebrated in the parish are streamed via the webcam facility in each of the three changes by using the following links: St. Patrick’s: https://www.churchservices.tv/ballybay Tullycorbet can be viewed https://www.churchservices.tv/tullycorbet and masses from Ballintra at https://www.churchservices.tv/ballintraballybay
The Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament has resumed in St. Patrick’s on Monday evenings from 5-30pm to 7-30pm followed by evening mass. Anyone willing to commit to a period of time is asked to give their name to Gabriel Traynor 086 3145588.

The winners of the Ballybay Pearse Brothers National Lotto Bonus Ball draw for Saturday 15th May were Teresa Cassidy, Deirdre Duffy and Martin Gleeson.  Bonus Ball 3. €5 to play – 47 numbers - €80 for winner. Roll over to €100 per bonus ball next week. Contact Barry 087 2589371,  Teresa 086 1691304 or Brian 085 7117215.

Monaghan Integrated Development CLG in conjunction with DSP are running a Job Club for unemployed people online over 4 mornings from 10am to 11-30am. The Job Club covers C.V. preparation, Cover letter Writing, Interview Techniques and Mock Interviews. For further information please contact Teresa McCahey at 042-9748090/086-8105058 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

SUMMER NURSERY AND CUL CAMPS
There is exciting news for all children aged 4 or 5 in the coming weeks with the start of the Pearse Brothers Summer Nursery group  (Little Kickers) on Thursday 3rd June from 7pm - 7:45pm. Parents are asked to stay with their child as the coaches deliver some fun games for the boys and girls. For more details check out our Facebook page 'Ballybay Juveniles' or contact Bryan Mc Cabe on 0860757556.
Cul Camps will return this summer. This will be an action packed week for boys and girls aged between 6 and 13 and will take place from Monday 26th July until Friday 30th July. If you would like further information or to book your place, check out https://www.kelloggsculcamps.gaa.ie/

The 9th annual Scoil Eanna ag Rith will take place on the Bank Holiday weekend. Obviously with the continuing COVID-19 restrictions the school have again been forced to rethink how they can facilitate the event. They have decided to hold a virtual 5km run/walk where children, their families, pets, neighbours and friends can take part in a virtual run/walk. The children have adopted the motto, “Walk jog or run – its all a bit of fun”. The school have set up a donation page - www.gofundme.com/f/scoil-eanna-ag-rith and all monies raised will go towards school funds.

Help us 'reuse, recycle, repurpose' when Cahans Thrift shop reopens on Monday 17th at 10am with a 1/2 price sale! Thereafter it will be open Monday to Saturday 10am to 4.30pm.
Cahans Thrift shop is located at Birch Court on Main Street, Ballybay.
Covid 19 regulations will apply - a mask must be worn, hands must be sanitised on entry, please keep a social distance, and there will be a maximum of three customers allowed at any one time. Thank you for taking care.
Thank you also for observing the following in the past, but please do not leave bags for the shop or recycling at the door especially when the shop is not open.
Your custom to help Cahans Meeting House Committee in its work to develop Cahans historic Meeting House for future use will be much appreciated. All income will go to this end.

Most of this week was taken up with the pairs competition which will come to a conclusion on Saturday 15th May. Four games took place on Tuesday night as follows – Geraldine Sherlock v Brendan Traynor, Dennis Mc Elroy v Terry Clarke, Brian Toner v Paddy Mc Elvaney and Seamus Smyth v Kenny Steenson. Tonight, Thursday the following four games take place – Benny Smyth v Shane Mc Guinness, John Brady v Sean Mc Guinness, Ben Duffy v Nan Bradford and Brendan Mc Gahey v Gerry Mc Kerney.
A decision will soon be made on the next competition to be played at the outdoor green but it is likely to be  rinks competition. The members are all very pleased with the f our new seats that Monaghan County Council provided. The Green will be open every evening for the rest of the season at 7pm. New members welcomed.

The winners of the Ballybay Pearse Brothers National Lotto Bonus Ball draw for Saturday 8th May were Conor Duffy and Tom Keenan. Bonus Ball 28. €5 to play – 47 numbers. Roll over to €100 per bonus ball next week. Contact Barry 087 2589371,  Teresa 086 1691304 or Brian 085 7117215.

All Juvenile training returns this week and please check your messages from team coaches for updates and details. The club would like to thank  all the parents and volunteers for turning out for our Membership morning in such bad conditions last Saturday. Those that couldn't make it, not to worry you can still register with your teams coach in the coming weeks before fixtures commence.
Finally if you are interested in helping out in organising community events with the Pearse brothers juveniles can you please contact Bryan McCabe on 0860757556 as we have plans to set up a small committee in the near future with the intention of bringing some joy and fun back to the club's members and wider community.

Well done to the Pearse Brother players who completed the Darkness into Light virtual walk last Saturday. Pieta House are €280 better off thanks to the lads efforts

A  huge congratulations to Roy and Tara Rutledge and families on the birth of their beautiful baby boy Senán last week. We will give him a few weeks to settle into Ballybay before we get his feet measured for boots. Enjoy the special moments.

Two local ladies have taken up the challenge of swimming once a day for the month of May. For the next few weeks Dolores Maguire and Sinead Duffy will take to the waters of Lough Major and other local lakes to raise funds for Cancer. Dolores is taking part in the Irish Cancer Societies ‘Make a splash a day in May’ while Sinead is raising funds for the Ballybay Cancer society. If you would like to support the girls you can contact Dolores directly while Sinead has a gofundme page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-swim-a-day-in-may-for-ballybay-cancer-society . These two brave ladies deserve you help and support.

Local lady Eleanor Wilson plans to walk 10, 000 steps a day in May in aid of frontline patient care at the Mater Hospital. If you would like further information or if you would like to make a donation check out Eleanor's fundraiser for The Mater Foundation on FACEBOOK

New street furniture has arrived in Ballybay and already it’s a big hit with the locals. A number of picnic tables, many suitable for wheelchair users have popped up in the town in the last week. These can be seen in the Square, the Town Park, outside the Soda Barrell, outside Liam Smyth’s and outside Centra. With restaurants and coffee shops closed due to Covid many locals have been using them to consume their lunch and for coffee breaks with friends. The tables are thanks to the Ballybay Regeneration Committee who sourced grant funding for the furniture which in turn was installed by Monaghan County Council.

Youth Work Ireland Cavan/Monaghan  have recently renovated and will be opening a new Youth Centre in Birch Court Ballybay. Their staff will be carrying out Detached Youth Work on the streets of Ballybay (Friday evenings) to chat to young people and see what they need or how they can support them. These youth workers will be noticeable in Red Jackets with a crest and Youth Worker printed on the back. Please do not hesitate to chat to them and let them know how they can help the community.

The club committee would like to thank everyone who contributed to their recent clothes collection. This was a major success. This year the senior team will be amalgamating with Doohamlet. Details on the name, coach, etc will be available later. Registration is due at the moment. Registration for juveniles (U18) is €20, Seniors is €30 and Non players is €15. Registration forms are available in Drury’s Centra. Members should return their forms in an envelope with their name on it and money inside to Centra before Saturday 24th April.

The first evening of the outdoor bowls went off very well on Wednesday last when a nice gathering of members turned up on a beautiful evening. The president was unavailable to hoist the flag on that occasion but its hoped that all will take place this Thursday 22nd April. Once again it’s a huge thanks to Seamus Smyth and Paudge Cassidy for having the green in great shape and the flag pole in the perfect position. The green will be open each Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm and on Sunday at 3 o’clock. Its hoped to get the Town Tournament up and running in May. This will involve the Businesses of the Town so someone will be calling in the next week.

The winners of the Ballybay Pearse Brothers National Lotto Bonus Ball draw for Saturday 10th April were Jimmy Sullivan, Mick Clarke and Dessie Ward. Bonus Ball 16. The winners for Saturday 17th April were Jim Kerr, Jack Mc Aviney and Francis Linden. Bonus Ball 46. €5 to play – 47 numbers. €80 winner. Contact Barry 087 2589371,  Teresa 086 1691304 or Brian 085 7117215.

The Ballybay Pearse brothers would like to offer our sincerest sympathies to the Smyth family Main street on the passing of the great man Tom Smyth and to the Doohamlet club on the passing of Geraldine Casey. May god hold them in the palms of his hand. Rest in peace.

Congratulations are due to two local couples on the recent birth of two beautiful daughters. Firstly to Hannah and Gerard Mc kenna on the birth of their little princess Ella Grace and secondly to Cillian, Aoife and Bonnie Mc Aviney on the birth of their little darling Nessa – a future St. Brigids star no doubt. Ella Grace and Nessa are wished a long, healthy and happy lives.

All Juveniles will be returning to training in the coming weeks and the management teams will be in touch with all groups with more details. A lot of members/volunteers have been working extremely hard behind the scenes to get everything ready for GAA games returning. Your efforts are not going unnoticed. If you are interested in helping out in organising community events with the Pearse brothers juveniles can you please contact Bryan Mc Cabe on 0860757556 as we have plans to set up a small Entertainment  Committee in the near future with the intention of bringing some joy and fun back to the club's members and wider community.

Final call on any old football boots that are in good condition and need a new home. Please contact Bryan Mc Cabe on 0860757556 .

Its been a busy time for the Tidy Towns Committee recently. They have engaged with Flynn Furney Environmental Consultants to draft a Biodiversity Action Plan for Ballybay. The plan will start this year and will run until 2023. The group would like to thank Fearghal Duffy for his photography of local wildlife, flora and fauna for inclusion in the plan. Anyone who would like a copy of the plan should contact Olivia Duffy.
The group also met with Ross Mc Donnell from Stranooden Group Water Scheme. Ross discussed his work which includes source protection of drinking water.

The death Oliver Creegan occurred last Thursday at his home in Cavan.  Oliver and his wife Pat contributed so much to our community during their stay in Ballybay. The Pearse Brothers, Credit Union, St. Vincent de Paul, ICA and many other local groups owe them a great debt of gratitude. May he rest in peace.

The parish is asking parishioners to return their Trocaire Purple Envelopes via the Parish Office. It would also be very much appreciated if coins could be converted to notes. In 2020 €6400 was raised for Trocaire. We will have an update on the 2021 figure in the near future

Monaghan Integrated Development CLG in conjunction with DSP are running a Job Club for unemployed people online over 4 mornings from 10am to 11-30am. The Job Club covers C.V. preparation, Cover letter Writing, Interview Techniques and Mock Interviews. For further information please contact Teresa McCahey at 042-9748090/086-8105058 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Have you always wanted to learn how to line dance? Look no further than our virtual health fair! On Friday 16th April from 1pm-2pm join our free virtual line dancing class. Suitable for all levels and guaranteed fun! Register today at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdOsj458-HwcVs3G1plqDQbykzc1_hYR_PEhgOaqyisXKttOg/viewform

Please note that club memberships are due and should be paid by April 16th to ensure voting rights and entry into EARLY BIRD complimentary membership draw for 2022. Thanks to all those who have already renewed their membership to date on our Klubfunder. We encourage all members to use this option where possible. Other payment methods can be facilitated by contacting the club Registrar or Treasurer .. and thanks to all those who have already done this. If you have any queries regarding membership please contact one of the following committee members. Paul, Registrar (text @ 0873672106 ), Brian @ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (text @ 085 7117215 ) or Teresa @ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ( text @ 086 1691304 )

It is intended to form a committee to facilitate improvements at St. Mary's Church, Latton. One of the projects which needs looking at is the development of new burial ground. If you are interested in being a part of this committee, please contact Damien Hughes at 042-9742621 on or before 16th April.

Local Daffodil Day organiser Brian Carroll has spoken to the Ballybay News about this year’s event. Covid has made things difficult however all is not lost. Brian commented, “We can't be on the streets on Daffodil Day tomorrow Friday, 26 March 2021 -but the community of BALLYBAY and surrounding areas can still make a huge difference. If they could please click on the link below they can donate there https://daffodilday-virtualcollection.blackbaud-sites.com.
Brian Carroll also said, “If you want, please feel free to share to your social media streams, local groups and community pages as this would really help to raise an awareness of this year’s virtual events as well as raising much needed funds to support cancer patients and their families. All donations are welcome, big or small. Once again, thanks for your continued support ... over the years, the BALLYBAY communities both local and afar have been wonderful, and we're very appreciative”.

On the 20th March 1956 St Macartan’s College Monaghan last won the Mac Rory Cup. Three members of Ballybay Pearse Brothers were part of that great team 65 years ago - Paul Flynn, Peader Lynch RIP and Mickey Mc Entee RIP. To mark the occasion a presentation was made last Saturday to Paul Flynn and to Pat Lynch on behalf of his brother Peader. A presentation to the Mc Entee family on behalf of Mickey Mc Entee will take place later in the week. The presentation was made by former Ulster, Monaghan and Pearse Brother great Paul Mc Carthy. The presentation to Paul and Pat can be seen on the Ballybay and its People facebook page.

Two weeks ago we reported that the local Tidy Towns Committee had set up a GoFundMe page in order to raise funds during the current pandemic. As of Monday evening the amount raised was an amazing €4, 575. This is a fantastic amount of money which should help with a number of new initiatives this year. The Tidy Town committee are also interested to hear peoples views on a community garden or allotments area in Ballybay? Funding has been announced under Clar for this. Types of Intervention eligible include Groundworks, Footpaths, Raised Beds, Native pollinator plants, Sensory planting and equipment, Polytunnels, Sheds, Rainwater harvesting tanks, Fencing, Gates, Tools as appropriate, Benches, Picnic tables, Shelters and Outdoor pizza ovens/BBQ areas. If you are interested comment on the Tidy Towns facebook page under the post submitted by Olivia Duffy on 2oth March 2021.

With the country still at level 5 covid restrictions it will not be possible to have people at Holy Week Masses. The parish will be offering on-line Liturgies via the webcam. All masses can be viewed via the following links: https://www.churchservices.tv/ballybay while masses from Tullycorbet can be viewed: https://www.churchservices.tv/tullycorbet  and masses from Ballintra at: https://www.churchservices.tv/ballintraballybay
The Holy Week masses will be as follows:
Saturday 27th – Vigil Mass for Palm Sunday at 6-30pm
Sunday 28th – Tullycorbet 9-30am and Ballintra 11am
Monday 29th – no evening mass instead there will be a short prayer service. There will however be mass at 9-30am.
Tuesday/Wednesday 30th/31st – mass online at 9-30am
Holy Thursday 1st April – Ballintra 6pm and Tullycorbet
Good Friday 2nd April – the Lord’s Passion – St. Patrick’s 3pm
Holy Saturday 3rd April – St. Patrick’s 8pm
Easter Sunday 4th April – Tullycorbet 9-30am and Ballintra 11am.

Ballybay Pearse Brothers juvenile committee have been busy putting management teams together for their various underage teams. The committee would like to thank all volunteers for taking the time to help all our future stars in the coming year.
Under 7's Paul Finlay, Therese Sammon, Enda Keenan, Sarah Deery, Tiernan Mc Skeane
Under 9's Colin Malone, Paul Mc Cabe, Conor Monaghan, Jonathan Rutledge
Under 11's Mac Sammon, Shane Monaghan, Daragh Drury, Austin Curran, Brian Mc Cabe
Under 13's Daniel Caraher, James Kerr, Fergal Smyth
Under 15's Darren Smyth, Daryl Gilmour, Barney McCabe, Damien Gilmour
Under 17's St Patricks Kevin Smyth
The committee are putting plans in place for our annual registration for all juveniles and we will communicate finalised dates and times once the government gives the green light to do so. This information along with other underage news will be available on the ‘Ballybay Juveniles’ new facebook page. Finally thank you to Drew of the Wylies for his handy work on repairing a vital piece of equipment at Pearse Park. Cheers Drew.

The winners of the Ballybay Pearse Brothers National Lotto Bonus Ball draw for Saturday 20th March were Ann Garraghan, Sean Connolly and Sean O Grady. Bonus Ball 32. €5 to play – 47 numbers. €80 winner.
Contact Barry 087 2589371, Teresa 086 1691304 or Brian 085 7117215.

Ballybay Chamber of Commerce have welcomed the news that the Ballybay Branch of Bank of Ireland was not on the list of branches that are to close. On Monday last the Bank announced that it has taken a decision to close 103 branches in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, as the acceleration in digital banking has now reached a "tipping point". The branches are due to close from the end of September. As a result of the closures, the bank's branch network in the Republic of Ireland will be reduced by 88, leaving 169, while 15 Northern Ireland branches will close, leaving 13.
Speaking to the Ballybay News a spokesperson for the Chamber said, “We are delighted that our Bank is to remain open. This is a real vote of confidence in our branch. We are sorry to hear the news that the branches in Castleblayney, Clones and Cootehill are to close however Ballybay is convenient to all these towns and perhaps individuals and businesses might consider moving their accounts to the local branch”.
Work is to start shortly on a car park behind the bank and this coupled with the 24hour ATM will leave the branch a very important asset for mid county Monaghan.

St. Brigid’s LGFC are hosting a Clothes Collection in aid of the club. Now is a good time to do a bit of a spring clean and if you have any old or unwanted clothes or shoes the club will quite happily take them of your hands. Clothes/shoes can be dropped off at Drury’s Centra, Ballybay or Action Adhesives (A75 W862). Items can be dropped off until Monday 8th March.

Mother’s Day Flowers are available at Smyths Newsagents in the Square. You can also have the flowers delivered (Strict Covid-19 precautions will apply). For further information contact Therese at 0876853316

Massive congratulations to Ballybay great Hugh Malone and his lovely wife Andrea on the birth of their beautiful baby girl Annie last weekend. Congratulations to proud grandparents Gerry, Deirdre, Hugh Senior and Kathleen.

The friends and family of Teresa Mc Entee, Shamrock Terrace would like to wish her a very happy Birthday. Teresa who does trojan work for the Ballybay Pearse Brothers celebrated her 50th Birthday on Tuesday.