Hello all,
If you were here for the holidays you'd see that there
are changes in Clifden. James Sullivan has re-opened his shop on Main Street
-- it's really a supermarket now, with a number of things you would have
had to get from Galway, before. The seven houses that Kevin Barry is building
next to the Old School are roofed and plastered. John Sweeney has begun
clearing the site for the hotel and houses he is to build -- that would
be along the Galway Road coming into Clifden, where the old motel stands.
And leaving Clifden on the Westport Road, opposite Doctor John's, there
will be some houses built.
The paving of the footpath along the interior side of
Market Street and Main Street is nearly finished. The cost of that work
is met by the town lottery, and I've paid for a good many of the bricks
myself. The numbers are drawn at a different pub each week, and last Monday
eight of us went to Lowry's for the occasion -- including Donal O'Scanaill,
his daughters Deirdre and Niamh, and Niamh's friend Samantha. There was
a good crowd there, over a hundred I'd say, but no winner of the grand
prize, which was increased by £250 and is now at £3000. Samantha
was one of 19 people who made three numbers, so she walked away with a
tenner for the night.
Christmas really began here two weeks ago, when the Irish
Countrywomen's Association gave their annual Christmas dinner for the elderly
of the community. There were more than 70 guests, a few more than last
year, with music provided by Peter Carey, from out the Beach Road, and
plenty of singing and dancing.
Do you remember last Christmas, when Santa arrived in
Clifden by the RNLI lifeboat, down at the quay? Well, this year he road
into town and up Market Street on a Connemara pony. The annual Christmas
bazaar was being held at the town hall -- this was last Sunday -- and he
rode up the steps to the town hall, dismounted, and came in to give sweets
to the children.
The house is well decorated. We got a tree from the Boy
Scouts, as in the past. Mary Kirby, from out the Westport Road, brought
us some holly laden with berries, from her place. Your Mom and Mary Hession
went out to Ballynahinch and got some boughs and cones from the tall fir
trees there, the trees along the field that have been taken down by the
recent winds, and used them, with the holly, to make wreaths and decorations
for the fireplace mantles.
Yesterday I went to the two carol services in the churches
in town. It had been calm and clear the night before, with a bit of frost
in sheltered places, and the whole day yesterday stayed bright and clear.
The first carol service was at 4 PM, just sunset, at the Church of Ireland.
This was congregational singing, well done and thoroughly enjoyable. We
came out at 5 PM and walking down the hill to town in the twilight could
see the full moon an hour high above the Twelve Bens. I got to the Catholic
Church just as they began their 5 PM carol service. The children from the
National School sang carols and presented a Nativity play, and the adult
choir sang some carols as well. Two different approaches to celebration,
and you would have wanted both, to know the meaning of Christmas.
From Tullyvoheen, good night and God bless you.
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