Local Notes: Booking Course, Ballagh Artists, Sunflower Day
Children from The Don NS, Fairymount NS and Tibohine NS who recently received their First Holy Communion. They are pictured here with clergy and teachers. Pic: Breda Durr
Local artists in and around Ballaghaderreen are invited to get involved in the local art exhibition during the Ballaghaderreen Arts Festival in August. The exhibition will open on Friday, July 31st and will run from Saturday, August 1st until and including Sunday, August 9th in the big hall in Phoenix Youth Centre. The Community Art Group Ballaghaderreen is organising this on behalf of the festival organisation. Artists who are not involved yet and would like to be included, please get in touch as soon as possible but by June 22nd at the latest via the art group's Facebook page or email comartgroupballagh@outlook.ie. All artists from Ballaghaderreen or close to the town are welcome.
The Shambles Ballaghaderreen will hold a course on how to book flights or manage bookings on your smartphone, subject to interest. If you are interested, please call The Shambles on 0949862565.
The Kilmovee Community First Responder group has been operational with the National Ambulance Service (NAS) since November 24th, 2025 and hopes to have an official launch evening for the group towards the end of September 2026. This is a volunteer group trained to attend certain types of emergency calls within the area/community. The operational area is a 6 km radius from Kilmovee village. The areas covered include Kilmovee, Urlaur, Tavraun, Lisacul, Loughglynn, Gorthaganny, Brosna, Castlemore to the outskirts of Ballaghaderreen town. The group responds to emergencies 24/7 having been dispatched by the National Ambulance Service (NAS) on receipt of 112/999 calls into the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC). The aim is to reach a potentially life-threatening emergency in the first vital minutes to preserve life until the ambulance reaches the patient. The role is to help stabilise the patient and provide the appropriate care until the more highly skilled ambulance crew arrives on scene to take over the treatment. This care includes the use of CPR & defibrillation in the management of a cardiac arrest call; the assessment and treatment of heart attacks or strokes and the relief of choking incidences. Currently the group has four fully trained responders who, for the past seven months, once activated by NAS, have attended numerous emergency callouts within the operational areas. The group is running a free community first responder training course for anyone living/working in the operational areas on Saturday, June 20th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Kilmovee Community Centre, F45WY80. Anyone in the community over the age of 18 can become a volunteer lifesavers by training to become a community first responder. If you wish to participate then please contact either by Watsapp, text or -email, Gerry Regan, co-ordinator on mobile 087 6815009 or email kilmoveecfrg@gmail.com LIBRARY OFFICIAL OPENING Ballaghaderreen Library at Dillon House has been officially reopened by the Minister for Rural and Community Development following extensive renovation works, with the building having previously been closed since 2020. The upgraded library, which reopened to the public last year, now offers modern seating areas for children and teenagers, study and reading spaces, a community meeting room, state-of-the-art IT systems and a range of new technologies. Local Councillor Micheál Frain welcomed the reopening, saying the facility is now much more than a library, describing it as a modern community space where people of all ages can learn, meet, explore technology, and celebrate culture, music and creativity. Ballaghaderreen Library is also the first in the county to introduce the “My Open Library” concept, which will allow members to access the facility for extended periods. For more, see pages 30 & 31.
A sincere thank you to everyone who supported the hugely successful Tractors & Tea Family Fun Day held at Tibohine Community Centre on Sunday, June 14th. The event brought the community together for a wonderful day of tractors, tea, refreshments, family entertainment and fun, with all proceeds going in aid of Tibohine N.S. and Sunflower Children’s Hospice. A special word of thanks goes to the organisers, volunteers, sponsors, participants, families and everyone who donated or helped in any way. Thanks also to the talented Chloe Sweeney for providing wonderful music and adding so much to the atmosphere on the day. Your support and generosity helped make the event a great success and is very much appreciated.
Community Art Group Ballaghaderreen: All artists from Ballaghaderreen or close to the town are welcome to join the art exhibition during the upcoming Ballaghaderreen Arts Festival in August. Contact via the Art Group’s Facebook or email comartgroupballagh@outlook.ie before June 22nd at the latest. Exhibition opening: Friday night, 31st July. Duration: Saturday, August 1st to Sunday, August 9th. Venue: Phoenix Centre, Ballaghaderreen.
The Mayo/Roscommon Support Group in Ballaghaderreen would like to sincerely thank everyone who contributed to the hugely successful Sunflower Days for Hospice collection held on Friday, June 12th and Saturday, June 13th. The annual fundraiser once again received tremendous support from the people of Ballaghaderreen and the surrounding areas. Despite showers and windy conditions, the volunteer collectors were out in various locations throughout the town, giving their time and effort to support this very worthy cause. A heartfelt thank you goes to all who donated, helped, collected, organised, or supported the event in any way. Your generosity helps support vital hospice services, providing care, comfort and dignity to patients and families when they need it most. The Mayo/Roscommon Support Group is deeply grateful for the kindness shown over the two days. Your support made the event a great success and is very much appreciated.
Creative Places Ballaghaderreen is inviting applications from creative practitioners for the Teacher Artist Partnership+ (TAP+) 2026/27 programme. The closing date for applications is Friday, 5th June. The initiative provides an opportunity for artists and creative practitioners from all disciplines to expand and develop their practice through professional development opportunities and participation in an in-school residency programme. For further information, interested applicants can contact Joanna Hopkins, Co-Ordinator of Creative Places Ballaghaderreen, on 086 8372921. This programme offers a valuable opportunity for creative professionals to collaborate with schools, develop new skills, and contribute to creative learning experiences within the community
Roscommon SPCA Charity wish to express their sincere thanks for the generous donations received at their recent street collection in the town, with all monies going directly to animal welfare in the county. A special thank you to Supervalu/Post Office, Durkins Bar & Restaurant and McLoughlin’s filling station for allowing us to collect at their premises. Amount raised €1,197.79 SLIGO ROVERS SUMMER CAMP Sligo Rovers Summer Camp is coming to Ballaghaderreen FC this July, running from Monday, July 6th to Friday, July 10th. The camp is open to children aged 7 to 13 years and costs €85 per participant. All participants will receive a Sligo Rovers top and a complimentary match ticket for The Showgrounds. Bookings can be made online through the Ballaghaderreen FC Clubforce page at https://ballaghaderreenfc.clubforce.com/products/membership.
Would you be interested in a free paediatric first aid course running on a weekday between 9 am and 1 pm? The course will cover infant and child CPR and AED, along with how to manage common injuries, fractures, burns, allergies and seizures. It is open to parents, guardians and grandparents only, and not for those working in a professional childcare setting. Anyone interested can email lauryn@ridc.ie to book a place, subject to numbers.
The dates for Year 4 of the Ballaghaderreen Arts Festival have been announced as August 1st to 9th, 2026. Further details on acts and ticket information will be released at a later stage, and updates will be shared on the festival page.
Grow mental health peer support group every Wednesday, 7.30 pm - 9.30 pm at the Ozanam Centre, Oak Grove, Ballaghaderreen. Online group available from 6:30 pm on Grow.ie/peer-support-mental-health.
Draw held on Sunday night, June 14th at Mannions Bar, The Square. Winner of the jackpot of €551 is Thomas Hamilton Aughalustia. Selling agents: Saturday night team. Next draw on Sunday night, June 21st at the Old Forge Inn, Cloontia.
Many thanks to all our sponsors for this weekends fundraising classic. Thanks to all who played over the weekend. The weather was great as was the course. Well done to the winners. 1st: Joe McCann, Christy McCann, Joe Dowling, Declan McGarry - 104; 2nd: Brendan Cox, Cathal Cox, Eoin Buckley, Mark Frain -103; 3rd: Martin Duffy, Isaac Duffy Mick Towey, Ciaran J Lavin – 103; 4th: Paul McLoughlin, Sean McLoughlin, Maeve McLoughlin Pat O’ Connell – 100; 5th: Joe Hurl, Matthew McDonagh, Sam Johnston, Brenda Johnston – 97. Ladies Team: Mary Cunniffe, Breege Flanagan, Anne Meagher Eithne McGarry. Many thanks to all our sponsors.
The Ballaghaderreen Notes is a space for the community — if you have local news, a story worth sharing, an upcoming event, a fundraiser, a milestone, or anything happening in and around Ballaghaderreen, feel free to send it in so it can be included for others to see. Contact Erik Nielsen at ballaghaderreennotes@gmail.com
