On Sunday last Santa Claus did a tour of the town and the surrounding housing estates. Santa had been in touch with the Ballybay Fire & Rescue and had requested their assistance. The local lads were only too happy to oblige.

Eve Mc Crystal and Katie George Dunlevy have been crowned ‘Team of the Year’ at the RTE Sport Awards. The award comes after the duo won three medals, two of them gold at the Toyoko Paralympic games. The two cyclists were up against serious competition which included the Leinster Rugby Team, the Limerick Hurlers, Tyrone footballers and Paul O Donovan and Fintan Mc Carthy who also won in Toyoko. Eve has a connection with Ballybay having been based at the local Garda Station

A massive thanks to everyone who has supplied news and information to the Ballybay News Correspondent in 2021. Without your input it would not be possible to have a Ballybay News page. Thanks again – Paul.

Confessions will also be available after 9-30am masses on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd December and on Christmas Eve at 12noon.
There will be mass in St. Patrick’s on Christmas Eve at 8pm. On Christmas Day the masses will be as follows: Ballybay 12-15pm, Ballintra 10am and Tullycorbet 11am. There will be no vigil mass on Christmas Day. On Sunday 26th December there will be mass in Ballintra at 11am and Ballybay at 12-15pm.

The Ballybay Pearse Brothers were well represented at the annual County Board awards, picking up four. Pride of place went to Teresa Mc Entee who was named Senior Club Official of the year. It’s hard to imagine how the club would run without Teresa’s contribution. Not withstanding  her role as Secretary which is as time consuming as it is onerous, she is also one of the first there and one of the last to leave at many of the games hosted by the club this year. Her role is a huge commitment on her free time but she helps out without complaint. Teresa is a very deserving of this award and all who know her would like to congratulate her on this achievement.
Jason Mc Andrews was recognised for officiating the county senior final between Scotstown and Truagh. It was widely remarked on the day that Jason had a fine game.
Both Dessie Ward and Colm Lennon were picked on the Senior championship team of the year. Dessie finished 5th highest scorer from play with 3-5 despite only playing 2 and a half of the five games Ballybay played. His second goal against Latton was probably goal of the season. Clom was head and shoulders the best player Ballybay had all year. His ball carrying ability consistently put Ballybay on the front foot and he was hugely influential in very game he played.
Congratulations to the quartet.

Congratulations to Ballybay Community College player Coleen Hughes who has been selected as an Ulster Ladies PPS All Star for 2022. Coleen was selected on Thursday last after attending trials in Cloghan and Cookstown. Her position in the squad will be revealed after the team play challenges against Carrickmacross and Derry in January.

Congratulations to local man Shane Mc Quillan  and county ladies star Ellen Mc Carron who were married on Saturday last. Their family and friends wish them a long, healthy and happy life together.

Ballybay Pearse Brothers will launch their new club draw on Monday  next and then every Monday thereafter. Tickets will cost €5, 3 for €10 or €100 gets you one ticket every draw for a year. The weekly jackpot will be determined by how much is in the weekly pot. There will be a guaranteed winner every week.

On Sunday 2nd January there will be a vehicle run from Drumhown Community Centre for tractors both big and small, Trucks, Vintage Cars, Honda 50's and Bicycles. The route will take the vehicles from the Community centre towards Tullycorbet and then back to the Centre. Entry is €20 per vehicle with proceeds to the car park development. Registration is available from 11am and the run  Starts at 12.30pm. There will also be refreshments and a raffle afterwards in the Community Centre.

Individual confessions will be available in St. Patrick’s on Saturday next 18th December at 12noon and 6pm. Confessions will also be available after 9-30am masses on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd December and on Christmas Eve at 12noon.
There will be mass in St. Patrick’s on Christmas Eve at 8pm. On Christmas Day the masses will be as follows: Ballybay 12-15pm, Ballintra 10am and Tullycorbet 11am. There will be no vigil mass on Christmas Day. On Sunday 26th December there will be mass in Ballintra at 11am and Ballybay at 12-15pm.

The death has taken place of Pat Gilmour Derby, England and formerly of O Duffy Terrace, Ballybay. Pat is survived by his wife and family and his brothers John, Brian and Robert.

There is an amazing four minute clip of the 1959 county final between Ballybay and Clontibret on the Ballybay and its People facebook page. The colour footage was shot by Canon Terry Kirke and has been digitized by Murphy Video Services, Emyvale. The short clip shows both team line ups, the pre-match parade and scenes from the spectators and the match itself. Its well worth a watch.

Ballybay Central School would like to thank all who contributed to the Cash for Clobber clothes collection. €272 was raised for the school.  It was great to see past parents and people from the local community contributing also. On Monday 20th December all the children will complete the Christmas Walk to School and thereafter will contribute €2 to the Ballybay Cancer Society. On arrival at school the Parents Association will provide breakfast for everyone.

With Christmas just a few weeks away the local Chamber of Commerce are appealing to everyone to shop local and support local business at this difficult time. Local Town Vouchers to the value of  €10 and €20 can be purchased at Smyth’s Newsagents and can then be spent in local shops. These vouchers would make great presents for anyone.

Local quiz expert Stephen Duffy has another Christmas family fun quiz book out called ‘Quizmaster’. This fun filled quiz book is suitable for all the family and is excellent value at just €10. Available in local shops it would make a great stocking filler.

Santy and Mrs Claus visited the Clubhouse in Ballybay on Sunday last to see all the good girls and boys and hear what they wanted for Christmas. This was a great occasion and was a huge success. The Club would like to thank Santy and Mrs Claus and their 2 elves. They were so kind and attentive to the children. Also thanks to everyone who was involved in the planning of this event. There are too many to mention, which is why it was so successful, but you know who you are!!!! Hopefully this will be an annual event because the children and parents both seemed to have a great time and we were able to showcase what great facilities we have in Pearse Park.

Three students from Ballybay Community College participated in the second round of trials for the Ulster Ladies U20 Schools All Stars in Cookstown today. Erin Cassidy, Kellie Sullivan and Collen Hughes had been selected from the Cloghan trial which featured students from Monaghan, Cavan and Fermanagh, for the final trial today. Fingers crossed the girls performed well and will make the final 30 players who will be presented with their awards in March.

The Pearse Brothers club will soon launch an ONLINE weekly 50/50 draw. Tickets will cost €5 and the weekly jackpot will be determined on how much is in the weekly pot. So, one weekly price, one lucky weekly winner therefore "The more that's in, the more you win". The draw will be every Monday night. It'll be well advertised in advance of the first draw so stay sharp and watch out for further updates over the coming few days in all local retail, public outlets and on our clubs social media streams.

As we head into the depths of winter the local St. Vincent de Paul conference is concerned about people who will face impossible choices this year. Some will struggle with the decision of heating the house or having a Christmas dinner. The SVP conference will be holding their annual collection at local masses as follows: Ballybay and Ballintra – Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th December. The local branch would encourage parishioners to use the envelopes which are available in al the church porches. If you are in need of assistance  you can contact SVP by writing to them C/O Confraternity Rooms, St. Patrick Street, Ballybay or by telephoning freephone 1800 677 777 before the 10th December.  In either case a SVP volunteer will be in touch to see how best they can assist you. Please only seek help if you are genuinely in need of it.

As we head into the depths of winter the local St. Vincent de Paul conference is concerned about people who will face impossible choices this year. Some will struggle with the decision of heating the house or having a Christmas dinner. The SVP conference will be holding their annual collection at local masses as follows: Tullycorbet - Sunday 5th December, Ballybay and Ballintra – Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th December. The local branch would encourage parishioners to use the envelopes which are available in al the church porches. If you are in need of assistance you can contact SVP by writing to them C/O Confraternity Rooms, St. Patrick Street, Ballybay or by telephoning freephone 1800 677 777 before the 10th December. In either case a SVP volunteer will be in touch to see how best they can assist you. Please only seek help if you are genuinely in need of it.

Last Friday the Hillsborough County Historical Advisory Council & Community Leaders, with assistance from the city of Tampa’s Archives and Records Division unveiled and dedicated a new historical marker to honour John and Ellen Jackson. John Jackson was born in Ballybay in June 1809 to Hugh and Ann Jackson. He emigrated to Canada in 1841 and shortly after moved to New Orleans. In 1843 he was employed by the Federal Government to survey a large tract of land in Florida. In 1847 he married Ellen Meagher a native of Tipperary. The Jackson travelled all over Florida and ended up settling in Tampa where John was a surveyor, general merchant and politician. He served as Mayor of the city and one of the three maps which he produced is still used today. John and Ellen were devout Catholics and were instrumental in having a priest sent from Savanah Georgia to Tampa. They also had five children who became the first to be baptised in the city. The John and Ellen Jackson: Tampa Pioneers marker was unveiled at the corner of North Franklin and East Zack Streets, and was sponsored by their 99-year-old great-granddaughter, Lula Joughin Dovi.

The Pearse Brothers Annual General Meeting was held in the Clubhouse last Friday evening. It was well attended and the various reports were well received. Outgoing Chairperson, Barry McSkean did not seek re-election and his successor is his former teammate and popular local businessman, Darren Smyth. Darren was a main stay in the Ballybay sides of the mid 90’s to the late 00’s. He won Junior and Intermediate Championships with the club and his taking the Chair position means that there will be another “Sharp Dressed Man” heading the club! Rory McAtavie will be Vice Chair. Brian Carroll and Teresa McEntee will continue their fine work as Treasurer and Secretary respectively. When Barry McSkean took the Chairperson’s role in late 2019, he couldn’t have foreseen the 2 tumultuous years that Covid have brought. This was made even harder when Barry’s job took him overseas which made his position as Chair even harder. Yet Barry managed to keep on top of things with Zoom calls and during his frequent visits home, the cub was his first concern. It was a great effort on his part against mounting obstacles. Many thanks Barry. Sympathy: The club would like to extend its condolences to Shane Farrelly and his family for the sad passing of his wife Emer. May she rest in the peace she deserves.

Santa Fun Day is only 10 days away and Santa, Mrs Clause and their helpers are excited to meet all the children from Ballybay. The event starts at 2pm-5pm with lots of fun activities for all ages. Sunday 5th December at Pearse Park. There will be a draw on the day for 2 Ed Sheeran tickets plus many other spot prizes so please support by purchasing a line from local shops or on the day. Lines cost 10 euro.

St.Brigid’s AGM will take place on Sunday 28th November at 6.40pm in Ballybay Pearse Brother Centre. Everyone welcome.

The Ballybay Juveniles under 15s team will continue to train on Thursday nights at 7pm in our Astro turf. If your child would like to join please contact Bryan mc Cabe on 0860757556.

All involved with the Ballybay Pearse Brothers would like to wish Robin Mc Donnell a speedy recovery after his recent operation. Robin is a die-hard Pearse brother.

Congratulations to Brian, Emma and Evie on the arrival of their little princess Sadie. Your friends, family and all involved in Ballyay Pearse Brothers wish you a lifetime of happiness as a family.

It is with deep regret that we record the sad passing of Emer Farrelly (nee Connolly) 16 Culbrennan, Ballybay. Emer passed away on Wednesday 17th November in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda surrounded by her family. Deeply regretted by her husband Shane, her daughters, Shauna and Aine, her sons Phillip, Dylan and Darren, her brothers Paul, Stephen and Pauric and her sisters Bláthnaid and Anna, her daughter in law Mikayla and her grandchildren, Lola and Aidan. Emer’s funeral mass was held in St. Patrick’s last Saturday and was followed by cremation afterwards. May she rest in peace.

Innovating Communities is a free training and mentoring project designed to empower local people and groups to work together and overcome challenges facing their areas. A Training Course for Ballybay is available at the link below for anyone to register their interest. https://www.innovating.ie/courses/61-designing-ballybay-s-future

The turning on of the Ballybay Christmas Lights will take place on Friday 26th November. Santa will not be present this year however our younger community members will have a chance to see the big man at Pearse Park on 5th December. The Committee have being doing a fantastic job in ensuring that the town looks so well at Christmas time. This year they plan to extend the lights even further, so with this in mind they have set up a gofundme page (Ballybay Christmas Lights 2021). The public have been very generous in previous years and it is hoped that you will continue with your brilliant support. Any donation no matter how small will be very much appreciated. Donations can also be made in the Credit Union Ballybay, Account number 5229.

The annual Latton Bawn Historical Group calendar is now on sale for only €5.00. It is available in McElroys shop Latton, Lynchs Lisnalong, Smyth Newsagents &  Corner Shop Ballybay, Shannon's, Aghnaskew Post Office and  Hannigan's Cootehill.  It is also available from all committee members. You can also contact Catriona at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you want to order some. The calendar would make a wonderful Christmas present especially for locals who live elsewhere. It can be posted worldwide.

Suicide Prevention Training will take place in The Conference Room, Latton Resource Centre on Saturday 4th December, commencing at 10am and finishing at 4pm. The training concludes with Certification. It will be delivered by Ray Cullen, CEO of QPR and a guest speaker will be the founder of Monaghan based LA519 - Barry Aughey.
All interested are requested to register/book a place by contacting Alice Forde 042-9742682/087-7457493, Lynda Lennon 086-8065665 or Seamus Coyle 042-9742255/087-6814067.
QPR were founded in County Wexford to respond to rising numbers of Suicides. The title QPR stand for, Question, Persuade and Refer. Three simple steps to learn to help save a life. Their slogan being LIVE&LEARN-change your thinking. QPR have delivered Suicide Prevention Training over a lengthy period, with all who have attended describing it as a stimulating, thought provoking and a rewarding experience.

The Ballybay Juveniles are delighted to announce a free fun Santa Day for all children in the community on Sunday 5th December from 2pm-5pm at Pearse Park centre. Events on the day include meeting Santa, Mrs Claus and their elves, a children disco by DJ Joe, cookie decorations, writing a letter to Santa, colouring, beverages served among other surprises. We hope to see you all there for what will be a great event. Many thanks to the main sponsor Gerrys take away for his continous support. Any volunteers that would like to help with this event please contact Bryan Mc Cabe on 0860757556.

Locals have welcomed the return of full time hours at Bank of Ireland. From Monday last the bank has returned to full time hours and will be open everyday to 4pm. This is great news for the town when you consider that the bank recently closed a  large number of branches nationwide.

The Juveniles club will be running a draw for 2 Ed Sheeran tickets for his Croke Park concerts plus many more fantastic spot prizes. Tickets will be on sale in many shops around the town and from club coaches. Lines for the draw will be €10 and please leave your name and number. The  draw will take place at our Free Santa Day on Sunday December 5th. Many thanks to everyone who contributes for the benefit of the juvenile club.

The annual November prayer service for the dead will take place on Sunday next 21st November in St. Patrick’s Church, Ballybay at 3pm. Everyone is welcome however for those who can not attend the mass can be viewed on https://www.churchservices.tv/ballybay

The Ballybay Christmas Lights Committee have being doing a fantastic job in ensuring that the town looks so well at Christmas time. This year they plan to extend the lights even further, so with this in mind they have set up a gofundme page (Ballybay Christmas Lights 2021). The public have been very generous in previous years and it is hoped that you will continue with your brilliant support. Any donation no matter how small will be very much appreciated. Donations can also be made in the Credit Union Ballybay, Account number 5229.

Ballybay have been chosen to host this year’s Junior Championship Final between Toome and Sean Mc Dermotts on Saturday 6th November at 2-30pm.   The fact the grounds have been selected is testament to the facilities available at the Pearse Park site and the clubs ability to steward and host large games.

The St. Pat’s U17 side were narrowly beaten in a thrilling final last Saturday in Aughnamullen. The locals were beaten by a Toome/Corduff amalgamation. Hard luck to the players and management.

All welcome to the Faith Mission monthly Gospel Meeting Friday 5th November 2021 at 8pm in Rockcorry Presbyterian Church  kindly granted (instead of hall).  There will be a visiting speaker.  Organised by Brian and Hazel Parker Faith Mission Area Workers Cootehill.

The Annual General Meeting of the Pearse Brothers will be held on Friday 19th November in the Club House at 8pm.

There was bitter disappointment for the Pearse Brothers as they bowed out of the County Championship at the semi final stage on Sunday last. A strong Truagh team beat the local side 2-10 to 1-7 and will now play Scotstown in the county final. The club would like to thank the players and management for their commitment and effort during this difficult season. Full report on the sports pages.

Ballybay have been chosen to host this year’s Junior Championship Final between Toome and Sean Mc Dermotts on Saturday 6th November. A few weeks ago the club hosted the Monaghan Ladies final between Donaghmoyne and Emmet Og. The fact the grounds have been selected is testament to the facilities available at the Pearse Park site and the clubs ability to steward and host large games.

A fundraising draw in aid of the Treanor Family, Ballybay will take place in the Welcome Inn on Saturday 30th October at 9pm. First prize in the draw is a Limousin Heifer while second prize is a drinks hamper. Tickers are priced at €20 each or 3 for €50. The draw will be followed with live music so why not make a night of it for a great cause.

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 30th/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).

Cahans Thrift shop at Birch Court, Main Street is open from 10am to 4.00pm 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. 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. A variety of second hand books is available at Cahans Meeting House by appointment with Elizabeth (086 1093394) or David (042 9756945). Books include a large selection of cookery books, children's as well as novels, thrillers and others. There are also items of furniture and other goods for sale such as paintings and pictures we have no room for in the shop.

St Pat’s are in the Division 2 U17 championship final on Saturday next in Aughnamullen at 1-30pm. They play a Corduff/ Toome amalgamation. Both clubs wish the lads and their mentors well in the decider.

Suicide Prevention Training will take place in The Conference Room, Latton Resource Centre on Saturday 4th December and Sunday 5th December. The training concludes with Certification and will be delivered by Ray Cullen, CEO of QPR. The training commences at 9am, and concludes at 3.30pm and is 1 day only either the Saturday or Sunday.
All interested are requested to register/book a place on either of the days by contacting Alice Forde 042-9742682/087-7457493, Lynda Lennon 086-8065665 or Seamus Coyle 042-9742255/087-6814067.
QPR were founded in County Wexford to respond to rising numbers of Suicides. The title QPR stand for, Question, Persuade and Refer. Three simple steps to learn to help save a life. Their slogan being LIVE&LEARN-change your thinking. QPR have delivered Suicide Prevention Training over a lengthy period, with all who have attended describing it as a stimulating, thought provoking and a rewarding experience.

The Ballybay Juveniles will be holding a special trick or treat night on Halloween night (Sunday 31st)  from 5pm-6pm with some treats, music and special appearances from super heroes. Everyone welcome and we look forward to seeing all the spooky costumes.  Venue: Outside Smyths Newsagents, The Square.

Ballybay Central School is doing a collection for Cash for Clobber on Wednesday 3rd November. Bags of clean clothes, towels, bed linen, pairs of shoes, etc can be left at the school between 3 and 5 pm on Tuesday evening (2nd) or early on the Wednesday morning. Your support is much appreciated and all money raised goes towards resources for the children in the school. Many thanks to all who supported the collection last year. NO DUVETS OR PILLOWS ACCEPTED

Would you know what to do in a medical emergency?

Did you know that four out of five heart attacks or cardiac arrests occur at home? Not only that, but many victims of heart attacks or sudden cardiac arrests appear healthy and may not have any known heart diseases or risk factors.
Anyone can learn how to perform CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation), and everyone should, as performing CPR promptly may save the life of someone you love because it helps keep blood and oxygen flowing in the body and brain and dramatically increases the chances of survival.
Quickly shocking the heart with an automated external defibrillator (AED) can save a person's life after cardiac arrest. An AED is a device that a bystander can use. It checks the heart rhythm and can send an electric shock to the heart to try to restore a normal rhythm.
CPR and AED classes will equip you with the tools and the confidence you need to transform yourself from the role of bystander to lifesaver. CPR and AED certification will give you the necessary training to make the right decisions in the event of a cardiac emergency.
So, if you wish to learn the skills of CPR and use an AED at classes in the Ballybay area, please contact Sheila Linden on 086 8319459 to book a place on a course.
If you wish to learn the skills of CPR and use an AED at classes in the Tullycorbett area, please contact Una Tomany on 086 7963890 to book a place on a course.

The Ballybay Juveniles are delighted to announce a free fun Santa Day for all children in the community on Sunday 5th December from 2pm-5pm at Pearse Park centre. Events on the day include meeting Santa, Mrs Claus and their elves, a children disco by DJ Joe, cookie decorations, writing a letter to Santa, colouring, beverages served among other surprises. We hope to see you all there for what will be a great event. Many thanks to the main sponsor Gerrys take away for his continuous support. Any volunteers that would like to help with this event please contact Bryan Mc Cabe on 0860757556.

The Juveniles club will be running a draw for 2 Ed Sheeran tickets for his Croke Park concerts plus many more fantastic spot prizes. Tickets will be on sale in many shops around the town and from club coaches. Lines for the draw will be €10 and please leave your name and number. Tickets are on sale from today (Thursday 28th October). The  draw will take place at our Free Santa Day on Sunday December 5th. Many thanks to everyone who contributes for the benefit of the juvenile club.

The Under 15s will continue to train on Thursday evenings starting October 28th from 7pm-8pm in the Astro turf  for the coming winter months. Please wear astro footwear, no steel studs allowed and dress for the weather. Any under 13 players that might be interested in making the step up to under 15 are welcome.

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.