Season’s Greetings s the year draws to a close, we know that the Annagh Magazine will shortly be available. With it will come information on Athe past and the present. Turning the pages of Annagh will give readers a profile of our parish, our parishioners and a pic- ture of the way we live our lives today and the way people have done so in the past. It will speak of things that mean a lot to the people of this parish and to all who have any connection with the parish and for this we thank the editorial committee who have devoted so much time and energy to compiling the magazine. This year we are happy to record that we had a very successful two week parish mission last February. Every house in the parish was visited by a mission team; other teams spent most of the first week in both the Community School and Scoil Iosa and made a big impression on both teachers and students. It was a great experience for the parish and could not have been done without the involvement of the Parish Pastoral Council and so many volunteers. We would like to thank all of those, the people who provided accommodation, who organised catering, who acted as guides and provided transport for visitation. We thank also choirs, Ministers of the Eucharist, Readers, Mass servers, Sacristan for con- tributing to such a memorable occasion. This year we said farewell to Fr. Kieran Burke who left us after five years to take up a new position as Parish Priest of Leenane. We thank him for his work in Ballyhaunis and we pray that God will bless his work in his new appointment. He has been replaced by Fr. Benny MacHale and we wish him every blessing and happiness in Ballyhaunis. I thank Annagh Magazine for giving me the opportunity to wish all Ballyhaunis people, at home and abroad, a very happy and peaceful Christmas and every blessing in the New Year. The board members of Ballyhaunis Social Housing Ltd. photographed with President McAleese and her husband Martin. Back, L-R: Tom Colleran, Dr. Michael Cleary, John Griffin, Eugene Carney. Seated, L-R: Nell Rochford, Maura Patterson, President McAleese, Martin McAleese, Anne Cunnane (Manager Ballyhaunis Social Housing) and Mary Smyth. Glynn’s Photography, Castlerea. Disclaimer The views expressed in this magazine are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Annagh Magazine Society. While every care has been taken to ensure that the information contained in this magazine is up-to- date and correct, no responsibility will be taken by the Annagh Magazine Society for any error which might occur. Front cover showing the Abbey Pattern 2008 Contents Season’s Greetings . Editorial . .02 News Review 2008, . .Mike Byrne . .03 Willie’s Story, . .Bill Delaney . .05 Ballyhaunis Priest celebrates Golden Jubilee, . .Mike Byrne . .07 A Sri Lankan Experience, . .Cian Higgins . .08 Brackloon Ball Alley – Restored, . .Mary Finan . .09 A Very Short History of Ballyhaunis and District . .Paul Waldron . .10 I Walked Beside the Evening Sea, . .Siobhán Laffey-Gibney . .12 Earliest Memories, . .Tony Carney . .14 Extracts from “The Good Samaritans – Memoir of a Biographer”,Anthony Jordan . .16 Fatal Rescue Attempt, . .Patricia Byrne . .18 Ireland, . .Hannah Mitiku . .19 Annagh Members Honoured . .19 Interesting Extracts, . .Michael F. Waldron . .20 My Memories of Joe Dolan, . .Jimmy Fleming . .25 “Only The Finest Lagnours Supplied”, . .Henry Murdoch . .28 Ballyhaunis Was His Kingdom, . .Keith Duggan . .30 A Vision Fulfilled, . .Christy Ruane . .33 The Golden Anniversary of the Weissenbergers, . .Mark Weissenberger . .34 Patrick Roger Grogan 1912-1941 - Lost At Sea, . .Anthony Jordan . .35 The Old Domestic Plan, . .Tony Carney . .37 Almost Forty Years of Service to Local Education, . .Mike Byrne . .38 Sports Broadcaster of the Year, . .Mike Byrne . .39 Music and my Roots . .Paddy Joe Tighe . .39 Gracenotes - Musical Year, . .Moira Stratford . .48 Ask Me My Lifetime..., . .Samantha Chapman . .49 Ballyhaunis Fire Station - Over Fifty Years of Service . .52 In the Slipstream of the Flight of the Earls, . .Grahame Cleary . .52 My Croation Chronicle, . .Johnny O’Shaughnessy . .54 Ballyhaunis Golf Club, . .Kevin Henry . .55 Ballyhaunis and District Gun Club, . .Flan Moroney . .57 The Star Cinemas, . .Martin Kirrane . .58 Ballyhaunis Chamber . .60 Back at the Mart Again, . .Jimmy Cribbin . .62 A Christmas Carol, . .Jimmy Cribbin . .62 Ballyhaunis District Community Council, . .Paula Grogan . .63 Ballyhaunis Tidy Towns, . ..