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Local News

Community Notices
Sports Business Directory Advertising Buy& Sell Picture Gallery Gallen CS Features

westoffalynewsletter@gmail.com Issue 1 November 2011

LOCAL NEWS

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USEFUL NUMBERS

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USEFUL NUMBERS:
Doctors
Doctors
Banagher Dr Harkings (057)9151247

Gardai
Ferbane (090)6454302 Birr District HQ Birr (057)9169710 Cloghan (090)6457102 Banagher

DENTISTS Ferbane
LocalDental.ie (090)6453864 Dental Services Ferbane Ferbane Co. Offaly (090)6454915

Hospitals
MIDOC GP Out of Hours (1850)302702

Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore (057)9321501 Portiuncula Hospital Ballinasloe (090)9648200

(057)9151310 Shannonbridge (090)9674122

LOCAL NEWS

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COMMUNITY NOTICES

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COMMUNITY NOTICES

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SPORTS

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ADVERTISING

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SPORT

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Were on our way to Euro 2012. Ol, Ol, Ol

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

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BUY & SELL

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All in perfect condition 90 Contact Shane 0857659403

2006 Yamaha yz 85 for sale, big wheel version, one off custom made aluminium tank, tallon hubs, wavy discs front and rear, new brake pads, full racing exhaust, pioneer sticker kit, all original plastics / sprockets & exhaust come with bike, make ideal Christmas present 1299 ono. Contact 0876157818

OFFALY ROVERS

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ADVERISTING

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PICTURE GALLERY

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GALLEN CS

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Canadian Ambassadors Visit

Written by Matthew Murphy

On the 6th of October, the Canadian Ambassador, Mr. Loyola Hearn, visited our school. He came to visit because he curious to see the new school and he was once a teacher himself. When he first arrived, he came to the TYs we gave a presentation. We welcomed him to the school and we told him about all the activities we had done and all the awards our school had won. He got a tour of the school and he also visited the Cluny Suite. As he was leaving, he commented that This school and its students are excellent, so all Gallen students should be proud of that.

FEATURES

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Cloghan Castle
Cloghan Castle is said to have been built originally as a monastery by St. Cronan in 600. In 1203 the Normans fortified the remains of the monastery by building a defensive wall around it, part of this still exists.
Description and History This well preserved tower house is a perfect example of this style of castle. Standing at roughly 15m in height the castle has all the basic features of a tower house, The first floor has collapsed but has been replaced in recent restoration works. However, according to the present owner, the stairs were deliberately destroyed to prevent people accessing the castle when it was derelict The history of this castle is equally as interesting as the building itself. It was built by the MacCoughlan clan the late 15th century and was the first place in Ireland to practice musketry. The castle passed into the hands of the Boleyn family. Henry gave it as a gift to Thomas Boleyn as he wanted to marry Anne Boleyn. In fact, cousins of Anne are buried in the grounds underneath a hawthorn tree. The writing on the stone has eroded away but may still be recovered with a rubbing. The inscription reads: "Here under leys Mary and Elizabeth Bullen, daughters of Thomas Bullen, son of George Bullen, son of Thomas Bullen, Earl of Ormond and Viscount of Rochford." Luckily this castle escaped the campaign of Cromwell and is in relatively good condition. The castle did become ruined but the excellent renovation work of the present owner is slowly restoring this castle to its former glory.

In 1336 Eoghan O' Madden, conquered the territory of Lusmagh, he is thought to have built the present keep. In 1595 the O' Maddens lost the castle during a siege which cost 200 lives.
Between 1651 and 1683 Cromwellian soldiers occupied the castle and added to it by building two towers. During the Williamite Wars the Irish Jacobite Army camped outside the castle in 1689. Originally the estate was 3,200 acre. It is now set in 70 acres of beautiful park land with another 80 acres of ancient woodland, which is a wildlife sanctuary. It is the oldest inhabited home in the country.

FEATURES

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Coole Castle
Coole Castle was built by Sir John MacCoghlan on the banks of the Brosna in 1575. It was the last of the MacCoghlan castles to be built. He erected it as a present to his second wife Sabina O'Dallachain. Formerly there was a mural slab in the castle with a Latin inscription translated in English as "This tower was built by the energy of Sir John MacCoghlan, K.T. chief of this Sept at the proper cost of Sabina O'Dallachain on the condition that she should have it for her lifetime and afterwards each of her sons according to their seniority".

It is unknown where this mural is at present. In his will in 1590 Sir John left Coole Castle to his widow. Over the fireplace, in its original location, in the topmost room of the castle is a plaque written in Middle Irish which reads: SEAGHA MAC OCHL DO TINDSCAIN O SEO SUAS 1575 (Sean MacCoghlan began this building from this date 1575)

FUN PAGES

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World records weird and funny

Last August, Chinas Bao Xishun claimed the title of the worlds tallest man, Bao is 7 feet, 8.95 inches tall. Switzerlands Marco Hort can fit 264 straws in his mouth, more than anyone else. Elaine Davidson, a Brazilian who lives in Scotland, set the record for most body piercings at 4,250 Eric Hahn holds the record of worlds tallest mohawk at 27 inches. 1,253 Smurfs gathered in the high street in the town of Castleblayney in County Monaghan, Ireland on July 18, 2008.

CONTACT US

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If you have any news stories, interesting tales, photographs or want to wish someone well please drop us an e-mail at WESTOFFALYNEWSLETTER@GMAIL.COM And we will do our best to publish it in the next issue