Walkers Celebrate 10 Years ON THE GO

Live of great men ( and women ) all remind us,
We can make our lives sublime,
And departing leave behind us
Footprints in the sands of time.

For members of Ballinasloe Active Retirement walking group, footprints left
ten years were
revisited at Padraig Pearses Club at Woodmount today.
As near to the 8th May as makes no difference, on this day in 2010, James
Lyons organised,
briefed, and encouraged a group of like-minded individuals who appreciated
that walking can be the most beneficial , and cost effective method of
staying fit and healthy. By combining outdoor activities with indoor floor
exercises, and wedding both to tea/coffee/biscuits and chat, the organizers
had hit on a winning formula for healthy , fit , and above all happy lives.
On Tuesday 8th May 2018, BARA retraced their steps. This trip down memory
lane revived many
many happy memories. Photographs and anecdotes were shared, There was also
sad reflection
on those members with us .
BARA has now moved to St. Grellans G AA Centre in Ballinasloe and to the
new all-weather
athletic track nearby. As with Padraig Pearses, we have been warmly
welcomed by St. Grellans.
We can only appreciate the tremendous voluntary work of both clubs and wish
them continued success in the future.
To the 32 members of BARA walkers who turned up today a very sincere thank
you. A very special thank you to the ladies who prepared the beautiful food
which we enjoyed afterward.
A sincere thank you to James Lyons for his well chosen words in memory of
the occasion.

 

 

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BELFAST APRIL 2018

Sunday 15 th April - .After a long wet, dreary winter it was great to see McGinleys coach

waiting in the Square to take a very large group of us to Belfast for our five day Spring break.

With a very pleasant and obliging Brian McGinley as our driver and guide, we headed north

in bright sunshine . Our first stop was in Kells where we enjoyed lunch in the Headford Arms

Hotel. On arrival in Belfast we booked into the very comfortable Corrs Corner Hotel.

Monday 16 th - After an early breakfast we continued north taking the coastal route through

Carrick Fergus towards Ballycastle. None of us were brave enough to make the terrifying

trip across the famous Carrick -a- Rede Rope Bridge. We continued on to visit the Giant’s

Causeway, one of Ireland’s top tourist attractions which is steeped in myth and legend. The

interactive exhibition in the Visitor Centre helps you to explore the origins and stories of the

Giant’s Causeway. As we travelled through the magnificent scenery along the Glens of

Antrim, Brian entertained us with tales of “Paddy the Pidgeon” . A plaque was erected in

Glenacloy to his memory..We had a brief stop to visit Bushmills Distillery where some of us

enjoyed a free sample of the “good stuff”. After dinner in the Hotel, some stayed on to enjoy

the wonderful entertainment while the card players adjourned to enjoy lively games of “25”

Tuesday 17 th April – We spent some time in Belfast city with a very informative local guide.

We viewed the Albert Memorial, Stormont Castle, the Opera House and the imposing City

Hall. In the afternoon, some went shopping while more went to visit the Titanic visitor

centre, Belfast’s largest tourist attraction.

Wednesday 18 th April – We travelled along the northern shores of Strangford Lough to visit

Mount Stewart, one of Northern Ireland’s most popular National Trust properties. Mount

Stewart is the Irish family home of the Marquesses of Londonderry. It combines the elegance

of impressive Georgian mansion with the 70 acres of beautiful gardens. It houses

Internationally important portraits, stunning silver, sculpture, furniture and many other

family treasures. It was indeed well worth a visit. To finish off our day, we enjoyed some

more retail therapy in an Outlet centre on our way home. Thank you Brian for your

patience.!

Thursday 19 th April - We pack our bags to-day and head for home after breakfast. We

stopped for a welcome dinner in Tyrellspass Castle. A lot of weary, but happy travellers

arrived back in Ballinasloe after another very enjoyable Spring break. Once again, the

weather was kind to us, we found the people in Belfast very friendly and welcoming. It was

nice to see the economy booming once again .

Thanks to all the Social Committee for the time and effort put into organising these trips.

Chris O’Flynn (P.R.O) April 2018

Saint Patrick's Day Parade 2018

The weather forecast during the days leading up to St. Patrick’s Day 2018 was not good.

The weather man talked of heavy snow, chilly east wind and freezing temperatures.

The so-called “son of the beast from the east” was coming our way.

We naturally wondered ifanyone would show up for our parade.

This year’s theme was “Young at heart . In our attempts to dress as teenagers we donned

our wooly hats, scarves and warm jackets. We put our rucksacks on our backs, and complete

with ear phones and smart phones (in typical teenager style) and all our colourful tricolour

gear , 30 brave warriors set off to join the parade.

I must say “good thinking” to the lady who carried her hot water bottle and well done to

Catherine who came along on her bike and had all her slogans written in our native

language..

We were frozen to the bone but we felt it was all worth while as we won 3 rd prize in our

category and gratefully received €100 cheque.

We quickly thawed out in Gullane’s Hotel afterwards with very welcome hot soup, rolls, tea

and coffee.

There was an exciting finish to the day as we watched our Irish Rugby Team beat England in

the grand Slam.

Thanks to all our members who brave the elements and come out year after year to do their

bit for the community and our Active Retirement group.

Chris O’Flynn (P.R.O) March 2018

                                        

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St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2018

 

BALLINASLOE TOP TABLE 2018

                                  

             Chairwoman         Margaret    Brennan

                 Chair  with  Sec.   Ann  Duffy  and  Tres.  Mary  Slattery
    

SOCIAL COMMITTEE 2018

                            Laura Naughton        Douglas  Rafter

      Phil  Kelly   Maura Rafter   Deirdre Hogan  Bridie  Whelan

KNOW YOUR PHONE NUMBERS

 

Many Thanks Chris.

Farewell to Celia McCafferty

We said good-bye this week to a great lady. Celia was one of the first members to join the Active Retirement Association.
 Thankfully,it changed her life for the better as she had been very lonely since the untimely death of her beloved husband Gary.
Her name was first on the list for every outing, play,film, dinner,holiday,whatever. Always well "turned out" and nails beautifully painted, she made the most of every occasion and made many friends. Celia was so appreciative and never ever failed to say "thank you" to the committee  at the end of each trip.
On a personal level I have to say how much I appreciated that little drop of brandy and ginger discreetly left for me as a thank you for being the founder member of the A.R.A. All I can say Celia is it was a pleasure having you along.
I hope you are enjoying your new home in Heaven. Now you can enjoy your "fag" in comfort.
May you rest in peace

Chris O'Flynn. Dec. '17