Celebrity Wedding Reception for Lough Rynn
Lough Rynn Castle Hotel, outside of Mohill, and in the Parish of Gortletteragh, will host a celebrity wedding later this year. Famous sportsman and Ireland rugby captain, Brian O’Driscoll, and his fiancee, Amy Hubberman, will hold their wedding reception in the hugely popular South Leitrim venue. The Gortletteragh Parish Priest will marry only members of his congregation, so there has been much speculation about where the couple’s wedding ceremony will be performed. Other local churches in the area are located in Mohill, Cloone, Bornacoola and Aughavas. There are strong rumors that the vows will be taken in Aughavas’s St. Joseph’s Church in July.

It has been said that another well known Irish sportsman, Galway Gaelic footballer, Padraig Joyce, will also be having his wedding reception at Lough Rynn this year. Since opening it’s doors to the public almost four years ago, Lough Rynn has become an extremely popular wedding venue with couples coming from every county in Ireland and further far afield. Last year alone, the hotel hosted on an average of three weddings a week, and this year looks to be even busier.

Mohill Woman’s Highly Rated Show
Mohill woman Katherine Lynch’s third television series “Single Ladies” was one of the most watched programs on R.T.E. over the winter. Like her two previous “mockumentaries”, Katherine’s latest offering is, again, raw and close to the bone. One of Katherine’s characters, once again, is Liz Hurley, trainer of the Mohill Ladies G.A.A. Team, and lead singer with Mohill’s AC/DC tribute band, 50/50. The scenes are all shot around Mohill, and Katherine’s mother, Maureen, also plays the part of Liz’s mother. Katherine’s friends, Dolly Reynolds and Imelda Donnely, have also been featured on the show in Mohill’s answer to “The Golden Girls”. A few other local people have also made brief appearances on the show.

Three in a Row for Murphy’s Food Store
Laura Institite, who lives in Anville Court, St. Bridgid’s Street, Ballinamore, made it a hat-trick for Murphy’s Food Store and Newsagents, when she became the third contestant from their store to appear on the popular “Winning Streak” program on R.T.E. television at the very end of January.

Leitrim “A Well Kept Secret”
The ninth edition of the “Lonely Planet” tourist guide has described Leitrim as a well kept secret. Despite criticism of the county, in general, lovely Leitrim receives a good review from the hard hitting publication. Carrick-On-Shannon is described as a charming town with a great music and art scene. Costello’s Church, the smallest church in the world, Hartley Manor, the Old Courthouse, and the Market Yard all get a special mention. The guide advises people to visit Cryan’s and Moon River for nocturnal entertainment, and Flynn’s Bar to savor it before it is modernized. In the Mohill area, Lough Rynn Castle gets a favorable mention. In other parts of the county, Oiche Hostel, Hollywell Country House, and Cluin House are also recommended as places to spend the night. Creevelea Abbey, Ard Na Hoo Parks Castle and Rossinver Organic Center, also rated a mention. On a more lighthearted note, the guide says that there is so much water in Leitrim that land is sold by the gallon, not by the acre. That article was written before the big floods in November and December.

Goal Mile Raises Euro 9,657 for Charity
The Sixth Annual Goal Mile, held in Dromod on New Year’s Day at the Bornacoola G.A.A. grounds, raised the sum of Euro 9,657 for charity, despite the current economic climate, as well as the severe weather on the day. Guests were well known Irish singers Mick Flavin and Declan Nerney. Both men hail from Drumlish, just over the Co. Longford border, as well as the O’Neill School of Irish Dancing located in Bornacoola.

Tasty Leitrim
Leitrim’s restaurants, shops and food producers have received great acclaim in the latest edition of the “Bridgestone Food Guide”. The following businesses received favorable mention: Hollywell Country House, Cluin House, the Market Yard Farmer’s Market and The Oarsman Bar and Restaurant, all in the Carrick-On-Shannon area; Timmy Faughnan’s Dromod Boxty, in Dromod; The Cottage, in Jamestown; Dromahaire Cheese and Cannabo Confectionery in Ballinamore; Jinny Bakery in Drumshanbo; The Courthouse Restaurant in Kinlough; Manorhamilton Co-op Shop, Eden Plants and Organic Center in Rossinver.

Minister Visits Schools
The Minister for Education, Balt O’Keefe, visited a number of schools in the county on Friday, February 5th. The Minister’s first port of call was the recently refurbished Fenagh National School. He then traveled to officially open the new Mohill Community School, as well as the new National School in the town.

A Loaf, A Pint and A Coffin
'A Loaf, A Pint and A Coffin' is the title of a collection of short stories from the pen of Mohill man James Rogers, or Jim as he is better known locally. The book contains fiction, science fiction, children’s stories and fantasy. The author lives in New York City with his wife, Sue, and children. Jim is a lecturer at the United Nations International School, where he teaches computer programming and math. He is also an electronics engineer, lecturing over the internet at his former place of employment, Sligo Regional in Ireland. 'A Loaf, A Pint and A Coffin' can be purchased at Paul’s Newsagency in Mohill.

Supporters Club Launch in Dublin
The 2010 Leitrim G.A.A. Supporters Club was recently launched in the Herbert Park Hotel in Dublin. The Supporters Club is the brain child of Mohill native, and my old school mate, Eamon Duignan, who is the current chairman of the committee. The club has acted as a fundraiser for the Leitrim G.A.A. for the past number of years. This year’s club was launched by Gortletteragh native and former Leitrim footballer, Joe Sorohan.

Graduation
Congratulations to Niall Walsh from Gortfadda, Mohill, who recently graduated from Dublin City University with a masters degree in Business Studies, first in his class in Human Resource Management. Niall is a past pupil of Mohill Boys National School and Marian College, Mohill. He is the son of Mary and Gerry Walsh. Niall is currently employed in a production management position with Rangeland Foods. Niall has played in all grades of football with the Mohill G.A.A. club.

Success for Leitrim at Scor Na n’Og Finals
Leitrim had two winners at the recent Connacht Scor Na n’Og finals in Banada Abbey. The Glencar Manorhamilton Figure Dance Team and Drumkeeran’s James Haslett, in solo singing, coming up with triumphs on the day.

Silver for Leitrim Walkers
Leitrim’s two top class walkers, Mohill A.C.’s Laura Reynolds and Ballinamore’s Colin Griffin, both delivered outstanding performances to each take home a silver medal from the All-Ireland Indoor Championships in Belfast in early February.

Sports History
The history of the G.A.A. in Leitrim is the focus of a major history project about to be carried out. The G.A.A. oral history project is one of the biggest ever undertaken and it hopes to leave a huge legacy for future generations. The project is being commissioned by the G.A.A. and being carried out by a team based at Boston College, Ireland. Already, hundreds of interviews have been taken with a collection of photos and documents being put together. They are looking for posters, songs, poems, letters and videos to include. They are also interested in photos of people going to a match on a train or bus, or of any G.A.A. related social events.

Club Rynn
Club Rynn recently opened its doors to the public at Clarke’s of Main Street, Mohill. This new night spot has, to date, been drawing the punkers, according to reports.

Big Weekend at Clarke’s
The northwest popular radio station 102/104 FM celebrated it’s second birthday in Clarke’s of Mohill on Valentine’s weekend. The event kicked off on Friday, February 12th, at 4:00 PM, when Fergal Darcy broadcasted his “Go Home Army” live from the newly re-opened Spirit Bar. From 7:00 PM there was an outside broadcast; from 9:00 PM the station took over Club Rynn with Leitrim woman, Mary McGill, Josh Clarke, Louise McSharry providing alternative music from room 2; while in room 1, Lisa Brady, Darcy and Dave O’Connor pumped up with chart music. There was also a fancy dress party with people coming dressed as one half of a celebrity couple. There were also promotions on the night with plenty of 102/104 FM hoodies and Club Rynn merchandise on display. The next morning, Lisa Brady broadcast live from Spirit from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Later that night, there was a Valentine’s disco with D.J. Fergal Darcy. All local B & B’s and other accommodations were booked for the weekend.

Hairdresser of the Year
Young Mohill woman, Harriet McCrann, has beaten hundreds of other contestants to make her way through to the semi-finals of the Hairdresser of the Year competition.