Tag Archives: Killaloe Ballina Historical Society

A TREASURE trove of old photographs from Killaloe and Ballina have been reprinted in a new publication produced by a local historical society. Instead of producing The Journal, this year, the Killaloe Ballina Historical Society has created The Album. Spanning 150 years from the 1840s to the 1990s, the publication contains more than 100 images of people and places in the Killaloe and Ballina area. The only exception is an old engraving in St Flannan’s Cathedral from 1748 to show readers what this historical place of worship was like before the first tower was constructed. The photographs are based on five main themes – the River Shannon, churches, schools, businesses and people. It was designed and laid out by society secretary, Deborah Dudgeon, who pointed out people love looking at old photographs. “We will probably do the Journal next year and another Album the following year. We have not got two forms of publication that we can alternate. When we …

THE halcycon days of water skiing in Killaloe and Ballina have been recalled this week following memorabilia unearthed by a local historical society. Deirdre Griffin, nee McKeogh, was involved in the first Killaloe Country Club, which was a small leisure facility in the Lakeside Hotel in comparison to the big club, which was subsequently developed. When the small club was in existence for about a year in the early sixties, Ms Griffin remembered the opening of the marina when she was just 16 years of age by Donald Campbell, one of the fastest speed boat racers in the world. “I have very good memories of the small country club. There was a great atmosphere in the small club. I was driving the speed boats for water skiing for about three years in 1962, ‘63 and ‘64. “We had a few speed boats back then. A lot of our skiers came down from Dublin for the weekend. People like the Johnson …

MORE than 33 years ago, Killaloe-Ballina RTÉ Community Radio was broadcast from the Molua Centre in the Green, Killaloe from April 6 to 11, 1987. Recordings from this community project in association with RTÉ are now available on Soundcloud thanks to a new link that has been provided by the Killaloe Ballina Historical Society. The society are so delighted that more than 30 years later, it has the opportunity to share these shows with listeners and hope, whether people are hearing them for the first time or were tuned in in 1987, that they enjoy listening. Resident, Antoinette Ryan came across tape recordings her mother, Mary Ryan, nee Minogue, made during Killaloe Ballina Community Radio Week in April 1987, which includes most of the shows aired over the six days. Often, in the background, listeners can hear Mary pottering about in her kitchen. Pauline Quigley, Grange Road, Ballina, has provided the society with photographs taken by her husband Michael in …