The grandson of Galway grandparents discovered a shocking secret when he started to dig into his family roots — revealing the truth that his grandmother had spent 42 locked away, for becoming pregnant with his father outside of marriage.

Frank Brehany further discovered that his grandfather was prosecuted for his ‘crime’, leading him to turn his grandparents’ story into a remarkable new book, entitled A Magdalene Rose, which he will launch at two separate Galway events that are integral to the story.

It’s the unvarnished story of two people whose lives were turned on their head when the woman became pregnant — and the shocking and emotional story of how they were persecuted by the Irish state.

Mary Julia Breheny was born in Portumna and lived in the townland of Ballyhanry, close to the homeplace of Patrick Cleary in the townland of Coolnageeragh.

They were neighbours and, as local people described, had been ‘sweet’ on each other for several years. But Mary became pregnant, and they were refused permission to marry.

Instead, in 1930, Mary ended up in a home in Loughrea before moving to the infamous Tuam Mother and Baby Home and then to the equally notorious High Park Laundry in Dublin, where she was to live until her death in 1972.

Patrick was ostracised but discovered that he had a son. Following Mary’s departure, he was charged before the Portumna District Court in 1931 with being a putative father; according to his grandson Frank, he never denied his fatherhood.

“Their son — my father — was born in Galway and transported to Tuam with Mary. After Mary left the home, he stayed there until he was five years of age and was then boarded-out to a family in Glenamaddy,” says Frank.

“My father’s experience of being boarded-out was a much happier experience than many other children and he stayed with the family, working in the town, until he left for England,” he adds.

And love blossomed because Frank’s father met the woman who was to become his wife — and Frank’s mother — in Glenamaddy before they emigrated to England.

Frank Brehany, a retired police officer and solicitor, was born in England and now lives in Wales with his wife.

Over the years, he has written extensively on consumer and human rights issues and continues that advocacy through international consumer forums.

In 2021, he published his first non-fiction book, Gaspers — Clean Air for Passengers?, with the second edition also due this year.

But in 2010, Frank began a journey to discover his family’s roots, culminating in A Magdalene Rose.

And because Glenamaddy and Portumna are key to his grandparents’ story, Frank will launch A Magdalene Rose in both towns.

“I found the first clue to my book in 2010, in Portumna, and from that point, it has led me to discover the many wonderful people and places of south-east Galway,” he says.

“Equally, the town of Glenamaddy was simply a word in our family’s vocabulary, that is, until I discovered more about my father’s ‘official’ journey. From that point, I have again discovered the wonderful people of that town.

“I have since 2010 visited both locations many times and have enjoyed the generosity and hospitality of the people I have met.

“As much as the four people in my book held onto their secrets, so too did the people of Portumna and Glenamaddy, holding those secrets close, including small mementos of my family’s lives; that is until they met an extended family member of those they once knew.”

A Magdalene Rose will be launched at the Courthouse in Portumna on Saturday, September 13, at 5pm, and Frank himself also features in the Shorelines Arts Festival programme.

There will also be a launch at Jim Pete’s pub in Glenamaddy at 8.30pm on Tuesday, September 16, at 8.30pm. And all are welcome to both events.

Pictured: Author Frank Brehany.

More than 60 heritage enthusiasts gathered last week for a captivating Guided Heritage Walk of Medieval Loughrea, led by archaeologist and historian Dr Christy Cunniffe.

The event, last Thursday week , began at St Brendan’s Cathedral and explored the rich architectural and cultural history of the town.

Participants were treated to an engaging and informative tour that brought to life the medieval origins of Loughrea, its ecclesiastical landmarks, and its role in shaping the region’s heritage.

Dr Cunniffe’s expert commentary offered unique insights into the town’s development, its built environment, and the stories embedded in its streets and structures.

The walk was part of National Heritage Week 2025 and was funded by Galway County Council and The Heritage Council, reflecting a shared commitment to promoting public engagement with local history and heritage.

“Events like this help foster a deeper appreciation of our local heritage and connect people to the stories that define their communities,” said Marie Mannion, Heritage Officer with Galway County Council.

“We’re delighted with the turnout and the enthusiasm shown by participants.”

Pictured: Dr. Christy Cunniffe leading the Loughrea guided heritage walk as part of the national heritage week

A 59-year-old American whose great great grandparents came from Connemara has an even stronger connection now with the land of his forefathers.

Douglas Berg from Wisconsin was the winner of a magnificent 3-bedroom luxurious duplex apartment when the Win a Home in Clifden fundraising draw was held.

His was the first ticket out of the drum at the big finale in the Clifden Station House Theatre on Thursday night last.

“I just couldn’t believe it when I got the call. It’s a fantastic apartment in such a beautiful location. It’s always been a dream of mine to buy a property in Ireland,” said Douglas.

His great great grandfather was Robert Barry from Carna and great great grandmother was Barbara Conneely from Lettermullan. His great grandfather was William Barry from Inverin.

Douglas has been to Ireland numerous times over the years and is a regular visitor and friend of the Emigrants and Diaspora Centre in Carna which is run by journalist Máirtín Ó Catháin — who is a cousin of the winner and was in the audience for the big draw finale.

In just over four months, Connemara Chamber raised more than €1.8 million which has proved to be one of the most successful fundraising draws ever to take place on this Island.

Winner: Douglas Berg from Wisconsin.

“I just want to thank everybody who supported us and bought tickets since we launched our campaign last April. The response locally, nationally and overseas has just been incredible,” said John Sweeney, Chairperson of Connemara Chamber and the Win A Home in Clifden project.

All proceeds from the draw are going towards the development of a state-of-the-art community and enterprise hub in the centre of Clifden, a project led by the Connemara Chamber.

The hub will provide vital professional resources and support to local businesses, fostering efficiency, productivity and innovation, and creating new opportunities for the entire community.

“I’d also like to thank our members and all the local businesses that helped us along the way. But a special word of thanks to the brilliant team who worked tirelessly on this draw in Terry O’Toole, Damien Joyce, Simon Ashe, Conall Joyce, Sadhbh O’Gorman, Bernie Collins, Nicole Bann, Michelle Price, Aidan Brady (Aidan Brady & Co Ltd), Cormac Donoghue (JEL Marketing) and Paul Byrnes Media,” added John.

Tickets were bought in all 32 counties and in 40 countries around the world including the UK, across Europe and Asia. Tickets were also sold in Australia and in all 50 American states. The full draw and details of all the prize winners are on the website www.winahomeinclifden.com

Pictured: Drawing the winning ticket in the Win A Home In Clifden promotion are (from left)  Aidan Brady, special guest  Fr James Ronayne, PP Clifden, and external reviewer Declan Mannion, Mannion Lochrin & Co.

By Leona Gilmore

It’s all down to Ed Sheeran really because seeing him live in Limerick was the lightbulb moment that made Portumna singer/songwriter John Luke realise this was the road for him too.

True to his word, a year after seeing Ed in Thomond Park he had his first single out while still in his teens. That was in March 2023; the song was called Already been Told – and ‘it’s just been go, go, go since’ admits the 20-year-old.

Or as he puts it: “It’s been a journey so far, I’m still nowhere near where I want to be but I’m just so excited”!

More recently, on July 18, John Luke released his latest track called Green Eyes. It’s a song that will resonate with anyone who has ever had an idealised perception of someone and then later finds out the picture in their head doesn’t quite match the reality.

“It’s about being with somebody, and it’s gotten to that stage where they’re actually not making you feel good about yourself at all, and you’re putting this perfect picture in your head about this person”, John Luke describes.

This song explores the theme of emotional neglect. “You think that this your ideal person, and then you kind of slowly realize they’re just not anything that you’re imagining, and they’re actually just not good for you”, he adds.

John Luke’s most recent music reflects this new period of his life.

“It’s been a lot of pop songs, love song, I’m starting to feel a lot happier and it’s coming into the music which is really nice”.

And he traces it all back to that evening when he saw Ed Sheeran perform live at Thomond Park in 2022 –when he realised that he wanted to pursue a career in music.

“The more I wrote, the more I learned, and I got better at hooks and stuff like then I released Already Been Told. I went to a writing camp in Wicklow, and I met five producers and ten artists, and we just worked with each other every day – that kicked off me writing loads”, John Luke reflects.

Another big stepping stone was his first time playing at the iconic Whelan’s in Dublin, when he supported Galway singer/songwriter Jamie McIntyre.

“I had supported a few artists, but it was my first time playing Whelan’s – so that was very exciting, I was the first person on for that so it was like I was only warming up the crowd”, John Luke says.

That’s why opening for Donegal singer/songwriter Mark O’Donnell felt a bit different. “This time I was the second person on, and the crowd were feeding off me; I had them singing back my own song City Lovin’.”

And in keeping with his upward trajectory, last month he announced that he will be bringing his music to life on the big stage for his first-ever headline shows – playing in Monroe’s Galway on October 24 and upstairs in Whelan’s on November 1.

“I’m stoked, I’m starting rehearsals in my band now next week and it’s so nerve wracking but I just can’t wait to hop on the stage because I have so many unreleased songs,” he says.

“I have my debut EP coming out in October as well, which should come out on October 11, and it’s called Comical Romance VI…. it’s all exciting”, he says – as he builds on the fire lit by Ed Sheeran on his own way towards the top.

To keep up to date with John Luke’s musical journey and upcoming gigs, see @johnlukemusic on Instagram – and to listen to his music, his Spotify handle is @johnluke.

Pictured: John Luke…new single out with headline dates to follow.

An international team of astronomers, co-led by researchers at University of Galway, has made the unexpected discovery of a new planet.

Detected at an early stage of formation around a young analog of our own Sun, the planet is estimated to be about 5 million years-old and most likely a gas giant of similar size to Jupiter.

The study, which was led by Leiden University, University of Galway and University of Arizona, has been published in the international journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The ground-breaking discovery was made using one of the world’s most advanced observatories — the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) in the Atacama Desert in Chile.

To coincide with the research being published, the Observatory has released a stunning image of the discovery as their picture of the week.

The new planet has been named WISPIT 2b.

Dr Christian Ginski, lecturer at the School of Natural Sciences, University of Galway and second author of the study, said: “We used these really short snapshot observations of many young stars — only a few minutes per object — to determine if we could see a little dot of light next to them that is caused by a planet.

“However, in the case of this star, we instead detected a completely unexpected and exceptionally beautiful multi-ringed dust disk.

“When we saw this multi-ringed disk for the first time, we knew we had to try and see if we could detect a planet within it, so we quickly asked for follow-up observations.”

It is only the second time a confirmed planet has been detected at this early evolutionary stage around a young version of our Sun. The first one was discovered in 2018, by a research team also involving Dr Ginski.

Pictured: New planet: image shows the discovery to the right of the centre ring.