Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Update 20th December




Australia
Ciaran Conlon and family/ Paraic Sweeney & Sarah/ Conor Nangle/ Enda, Jacquie and Emer O’Callaghan/ Seamie Gallagher/ Damien Keenehan/ Ciaran Keenehan/Clodagh Egan from Green St. in Sydney/Ger. O’Gara and clan including Joan and honorary Boyle man, Sean Casey/ Joseph Moran in Sydney/ Jenny Jessop (O'Dowd) from Abbeytown/ Dr. Timothy O'Dowd/ Benny Sheerin, Sydney.

The U.S.
Damien Dooley/ Frankie Flaherty/ Marcus Kennedy/ Joseph Mahon/ Brendan O’Callaghan/ Chris O’Dowd/ Doirbhle O'Dowd/ Austin and Paraic Beisty/ The Spellman family x Forest View/ Pat and Margaret Lavin also x Forest View now/ Niall Mc Crann  /Pat and Peter Nicholson/ Arnold Gaffney, Boston/ Hillary and Kenneth Beirne.  (I’m sure there are many more but….)

Canada
Tadgh Egan/ Sean Mullaney/ Miss Compton/ Dearbhaile Mac Namara in Toronto/ Dr.Patrick Nicholson, formerly Sheegora now in Toronto.


England
Caoimhin Young/ Killian (with a K) Egan/ John Harrington/ Gary Tiernan/ Nicky Emmett/Sarah Mullaney/ John O'Dowd from Abbeytown/ Niall Greenan/ Christy and Jim Toolan, London.

Scotland
Liam Young & family /Rory Nangle.

Belgium
James Candon in Brussels

Germany and Belgrade
The Gannon family Belgrade/ Michael and Maria Kelly and family in Munich/ Gareth Gilmartin.

Spain
Sean Young & family/ John & Joan Gallagher and family, thanks again for your hospitality in October./ Gavin, Declan and Anthony in various places.

Portugal
Mattie Scott in sunny Portugal.

Dubai
Paddy Conlon stationed in The Gulf temporarily/ Darren Dockery, the Gulf!/ Neil Nangle in Bahrain.

Abu Dhabi
Ronan Smith and Gratiana Lyons, Maple Drive (home for Christmas)

South Africa
Carmel Finneran.

Brazil
Fr. Tony Conry.

Japan
Kate Gilmartin coming home for Christmas.

Singapore
Catriona Moran and family. 

New Zealand
Elisabeth Hemi Taute (Sweeney) husband and son Cian in N.Z. 

                         Christina Marnell daughter of Marie Paul also in New Zealand.

(Above is just a guesstimate as to Boyle people in far flung places. We would like very much to have a comprehensive list so if people let us know we will add names to the record).

Boyle Celtic Back on Track Connacht Cup Boyle Celtic 4 Galway Hibernians 2 at Lecarrow.
Boyle Celtic with a very good second half performance on Sunday last showed many of the qualities which were so evident last season. This was a key game being in the knock-out tournament the Connacht Cup against Galway Hibernians in Lecarrow. At half time things were still problematic as Hibernian pushed forward with determination and led by 2 goals to 1 at half time. The Boyle goal came from an excellent header by Ml. Corrigan. Shortly into the second half the switch of Martin Doherty to the right side, the introduction of Jake McCrann and the more forward role of Dylan Edwards saw Boyle come good. A cracking long range goal from Gerard Mc Dermotroe levelled things and Boyle were going up the gears. Dylan Edwards added a third goal with a brilliant mazy run which would have graced any level, 3 : 1 to Boyle. While Hibernian tried hard to get back in the game Boyle secured the points in emphatic fashion with a fantastic goal from a free by Gerard McDermotroe close to the end. Gerard had shown this great dead ball skill regularly last season.
So they now break until the new year when, if they can repeat the quality of their second half performance, they should certainly be more consistent than heretofore.  

"Banged Up Abroad"
Many of you will be familiar with the series of that name or at least what it means. On Monday’s online edition of the Independent there was a telling story of Tyrone footballer Dean McNally on a stag party in las Vegas and what happened to him. I’ll just suggest that you check it out as it is too long to sum up here.  

An Post   
There are confusing reports coming from An Post these days. On the one hand there is a surge of package mail through online shopping and a fall-off in letters due to email. I am a regular user of An Post for letters/books etc. and I find that An Post have contributed themselves to the downturn through charges which are steep. I sent a medium sized book to Dublin a couple of weeks ago and it cost me 8 or 9 euro. A tad dear I would have thought. I believe in doing that rather than having the said book getting a sun tan inside the back window of the car for months waiting until I meet up with the person.
Christmas cards to the U.K. and U.S.A. €1.35 I think. The same price and so on. The post has been a huge community service for over a century and a half so it is a pity that it is under pressure.   

Roscommon People Highlights
On last week’s Roscommon People there was a series of mini interviews with a number of people regarding their favourite sporting moment of the year, sportsman of the year and so on. Now if I was nominating such I might have followed Athleague Camogie player Kelley Hopkins (a new name in Athleague to me) who nominated Kerry’s  precocious Gaelic player at minor level David Clifford. I have seen some young Gaelic stars in my time and until this summer I had Michael Finneran aged 16/17/18 of Ballinagare as my number one but David Clifford was majestic this season. 

I digress to cricket here. When the Olympics went to Sydney in 2000 there was a case to have cricketer Don Bradman light the Olympic Torch because he was Australia’s greatest ever sportsman. Cricket of course was not an Olympic sport. In nearly all sports there are arguments regarding the number one-Messi v Ronaldo- but what put Bradman on the lunar pinnacle is that he stands so far ahead of the second person.  Bradman’s Test batting average stands at 99.94 runs in tests while in second place is the Indian god of cricket Sachin Tendulkar who stands at 55.44. Why I go to that analogy is that David Clifford similarly is so far ahead of any player his age that I’ve seen. I look forward to him in the future. He carries a huge expectation.  

Miriam Kerins Columnist
Since I have referenced the Roscommon People one of the most energetic columnists that I tune into from time to time plies her trade there. Last week Miriam covered Mister Jack Brennan’s telling contribution on the RTE programme on the challenges facing Carers. Miriam Kerins tells it as she sees it in a very forthright manner. A couple of weeks ago she reminded us that Mel Gibson was not the benign character he seems in ‘Daddy’s Home 2’. And so it goes. 
So if I was chairing say Brendan O’Connor’s ‘The Cutting Edge’ and was in charge of the panel for a week or so Miriam would be there with Joe Brolly, Gerry Emmett and Eamonn Sweeney. It’s a sports ‘Edge’ that week Miriam so I hope that is ok with you.  Being a Dub. I imagine it would.  

The Season of Dickens
I often associate many of the books of Dickens with Christmas. In the magical ‘A Christmas Carol’ there is an enduring relevance in the character of Ebenezer Scrooge. Indeed in every book of Dickens there are memorable characters. The list would include;

Ebenezer Scrooge (A Christmas Carol)/Uriah Heep (David Copperfield)/ Estella (Great Expectations)/ Joe Gargery (Great Expectations)/ Bill Sikes and Nancy in Oliver/Pip in Great Expectations/ Mr Pickwick (The Pickwick Papers)/Micawber (David Copperfield)/Miss Havisham (Great Expectations). 
There are many more. From my list there are four from my favourite of all books Great Expectations. I suppose my favouring of Great Expectations is reinforced by my exposure to it as the classic film by David Lean in the late forties. Dickens was the greatest ever story teller. The most popular early representation of a coach and horses on many Christmas cards, which I well remember and continues a little, may have been inspired by his writing.  

Great Sports Books
We are really spoiled with a selection of great sports books this year. It is a bit of a mantra of mine which says if  book does not carry you on, then leave it as there are millions of books that will. We have had a number of banal sports books of course where top names like Coady, Shevlin and perhaps The Gooch this year trade on their names and profiles and produce  disappointing books. However at this year’s end there seems to be, if the widespread reviews are valid, some riveting sports books.     

I’ve mentioned the sports books of the year some weeks back and it seems as if the ones that are getting the top reviews consistently include ‘The Choice’, Philly McMahon with Niall Kelly (Gill Books). A gripe here is that Philly gives no credit or mention to the ‘ghost’ writer Nially Kelly. 
A book that is getting rave reviews is ‘Centaur’ and is a possible William Hill Sports Book of the Year. It is by jockey Declan Murphy who was close to death after a fall.
“Coping with your own death, when you are not yet dead, is a strange thing... This is a story of triumph, fear, love and loss, by turns primal, heart-breaking and inspirational, and ultimately, it is the story of hope, and of life”.
The one I will probably go for initially is ‘The Warrior’s Code: My Autobiography, Jackie Tyrell with Christy O’ Connor. O’Connor wrote an award winning book called The Club some years ago. This one is the first real glimpse inside the Kilkenny hurling dynasty and I am tuned into that. 

Other worthy titles include The Ascent: Séan Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, Barry Ryan (Gill Books); Form: My Autobiography, Kieran Fallon with Oliver Holt (Simon & Schuster UK) and The Pursuit of Perfection: The Life, Death and Legacy of Cormac McAnallen, by Donal McAnallen, published by Penguin Ireland.

An Irish Political Leonardo da Vinci 
In googling through Ministers and Junior Ministers for a quiz question for next week I came across an astonishing Irish politician -who I had never heard of- by the name of Pat Breen. Pat is listed as;    
‘Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise and Innovation, the Department of Employment and Social Protection, the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Justice and Equality with special responsibility for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection’.

Not since Ray Burke, in the final days of Brian Cowan, have I seen such capability and range! 

The passing of two Boyle Ladies.

Mary Daly R.I.P.
Surrounding Christmas is always a particularly sad time for a family bereavement. There were two such bereavements in Boyle within the last week.  
The death occurred last week of Mary Daly of Plunkett Avenue. Mary was predeceased some time ago by her husband PJ. I remember Mary as being an activist with Boyle Scouts of which her sons were members. I was told that she was also a member of Foroige and a Boyle Celtic supporter.  I met her  down the years when she worked in Mick Gilmartin’s Three Counties and in Feighan’s Newsagents. She was always a pleasant and courteous lady. She will be sadly missed by her sons Martin and Phillip, who I have known for many years, and her extended family.

Frances McGee R.I.P. 
The death also occurred of Frances McGee (nee Beatty). Mrs. McGee with her husband Paddy was a founder of Marians Fashions, an iconic Boyle ladies fashion outlet, in 1954. I came to a bustling busy town which was Boyle in 1972. Marians was known the country over and had a top reputation for ladies fashion for all occasions. Boyle, particularly then, was a great shopping town and had a wide catchment area. Marians contributed greatly to that. That reputation has stood the test of time by consistently retaining the highest standards and presentation.
I always saw her as ‘Marian’ personifying her own place and not Frances. She was an iconic figure as she walked the short distance from her home on the Crescent to her shop. She was a formidable lady, a great innovator and supporter of the town. The Chairman of Boyle Chamber of Commerce, Michael Keville, pays Mrs. McGee a worthy tribute in the Boyle Notes of the Roscommon Herald. 
My sympathy to both the Daly and McGee families at this time.  

News Headlines
The story of the questionable reading and now review of over 40 thousand scans in a Tralee Hospital is top of the news this evening Wednesday. Now I have a question? How was it that a single (it appears) radiologist in a Tralee Hospital had over 40,000 scans to work on over a period of I think 18 months, March ’16 to July ’17. As they say in the U.S. ‘do the Math.’ 40. 000 divided by 18 months = 2,222 i.e. 555 per week. Even our Da Vinci, Pat Breen would be challenged with that. 
The other constant theme is to do with homelessness - 8,100 including 3,000 children; tracker mortgages, rising rents, the lack of prospect of young people buying a house, especially in Dublin.
Now if I am here in Dec. 2018 I doubt that this housing story will be much different. Perhaps Eoghan Murphy will do a runner as Simon Coveney did. 

I’ll leave it at that for now.           

I wish you all a Happy Christmas and 2018.

Drink Responsibly. Drive Safely. Never Drink and Drive.




Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Update 12th December

THE QUIZ
It’s that time of year…. again.  Boyle GAA Quiz will take place on Wednesday Dec. 27th in St. Joseph’s Hall from 8 (sharp) to 10.15 not so sharp. There will also be some presentations to Snr., Jnr and U 20 Players of the Year and ‘Hall of Fame’.  Do whatever the ‘Whats Apping’ thing is re. spreading the word. 

Boyle Celtic: Connacht Cup….Sunday next at Boyle at 2 against Galway Hibs

The Big Freeze
The Met office personnel have become the new kids on the block and ‘celebs’ of the T.V. screen this winter. After their win with Storm Ophelia they are out front again with the freeze of the week-end. While it not possible to quantify they have in all probability saved lives. The warnings and recommendations are out there early now, loud and clear. So the Met. Service does just that with good direction for coming days. So no need to watch which the goat is facing. And if there are people who wish to ignore them- as at Salthill during Storm Ophelia- then there isn’t much more that can be done.

The Morning Car Challenge
Keeping the car ready for morning take-off is a challenge. Over time I have adopted a few practises that help. From the bottom up they would be; (c) instead of newspaper on the windscreen try a plastic turf/fertiliser bag. Lock it in place with upright windscreen wipers. That will give a visual windscreen but the rest will have to come with car heating (b) the windscreen foil cover which is available in many shops. This will give you a full as opposed to partially clear windscreen with the plastic bag. It can be locked on with the doors closing over the flaps. (a) the real deal is the full car cover which looks after all windows and gives full visibility when taken off. It may be a bit of a struggle for one person to place this over the car and secure on mudguard points but with two it is a breeze. The frost and snow will keep it in place but it is unlikely to stay on board with wind. But then there should be less need for it in those conditions. Sin e. Terms and conditions of course apply to any recommendation. 284

Trip to South Roscommon
Visiting the fine memorial remembering Roscommon’s great footballer and hurler Gerry O’Malley in Brideswell, South Roscommon.  Gerry died in early 2016 and is buried in the nearby cemetery of Cam. Left to right: Charlie Finneran, (Chairman of the Memorial Committee and proprietor of the very impressive Derryglad Museum); Michael Costello; Paddy Cummins (Roscommon GAA stalwart, Killina); Tony Conboy

In growing older in Fuerty/Athleague there were parts of Roscommon which were just not on our radar for social activities such as dances etc. My first time through Boyle was in FCA uniform on the way to Finner Camp between Bundoran and Ballyshannon in the mid-sixties. Later it was the Fleadhs which put Boyle on our map. While we in Boyle visit Roscommon town with regularity for matches, meetings, car tax in the past, courts(!), marts and so on it is rare enough to see a Roscommon town person on the streets of Boyle. Through GAA activity I have been to most corners of this county. ‘God’s County’ as Jimmy Murray used to refer to it.  
Anyway in October a committee in Brideswell unveiled a memorial to probably Roscommon’s greatest ever footballer, Gerry O’Malley and I attended of course. It was a crowded busy evening. A senior friend of mine Paddy was to come with me but to his great disappointment he was hospitalised for a number of days and was unable to be there on the occasion. I promised to take him up when all the stars were in line and that happened a couple of weeks ago. With another senior friend I collected Paddy en route and set off a little like the group in the lovely television series ‘Last of the Summer Wine’. I tried to take a short cut via Athleague-for exploratory and show-off purposes - but going against my pretty good directional instincts at a crossroads found myself out near Knockcroghery on a regular road.
On arrival in Curraghaboy we picked up Charlie Finneran, Chairman of the Gerry O’Malley Memorial Committee at his Derryglad Museum, more about which anon. Then we went to Gerry’s Memorial in Brideswell and a very fine one it is. There to meet us was Sean Kilbride of St. Brigid’s club out of respect for our effort in travelling from North Roscommon to the deep south. An appropriate record in pictures of our visit was easily facilitated in the quiet village where Gerry spent his childhood and never forgot. Then we called to see the famous little field -O’Malley’s Field- or The Stand as it is referred to where he first began to develop his skills as a footballer. Our last homage to Gerry was to call to Cam Graveyard, within sight of his original home, where he was laid to rest in 2016. The Gaelic warrior had returned, as he always said he would, to his native shore. We too, a little like the traveller in Walter de La Mare’s evocative poem ‘The Listeners’ had done our duty; 
“‘Tell them I came, and no one answered,   
   That I kept my word,’ he said.

Duty done we returned with Charlie Finneran to his labour of love, Derrglad Museum, and his generous welcome and hospitality. If any group wish to do a journey back in time and nostalgia many of the benchmarks of our youth are on display here. With over 6000 items on show it is a gem of an award winning museum. It includes dedicated ‘rooms’ such as a classroom of the fifties, an excellent Sports Section on Roscommon with Gerry O’Malley at the heart of it, a ‘Medical Hall’, Photography Room, a representation of a bar cum grocery, a broad collection of farm implements including a 1951 Ferguson T20 TVO. It is growing collection but the dedication and commitment that Charlie and his wife Bridie have put into it is hugely evident in its detailed presentation and depth. It is a location to visit and revisit and I highly recommend it. With the Gerry O’Malley Memorial it is sure to welcome many more Roscommon people and groups next year and beyond. 
E-mail: info@derrygladfolkmuseum.com 
 web site http://derrygladfolkmuseum.com

Television Review
Since I watch a good deal of T.V. I might as well get a return on it here. 

‘The Vietnam War’
I’ve already mentioned my top programme of the recent times as being ‘The Vietnam War’. It is a war that many in the United States are still trying to come to terms with. This is represented by the contributions of veterans. It is not all about the war but about the muddied politics surrounding it where the next election dominated and the attendant lies were an ongoing thread. For a history of the United States from the mid-fifties to mid-seventies this is a text book requirement. Like that of ‘Band of Brothers’ the fine World War 2 series the music soundtrack is haunting. The series is close to the greatest war series by Channel 4 in the seventies covering the Second World War titled ‘The World at War’ with the eloquent narration of Laurence Olivier.

David Brophy’s Choir of Ages
While I just tinkered initially in watching this series I got engaged with it. It had a number of positives including the presenter himself. It is about putting together a choir from groups of people from Leitrim and Dublin. There are two groups in each constituency one senior and one national school children. So it coalesces the senior and young people plus the rural and urban. A first outing in Leitrim looked as if this was fraught with the giddy youngsters irritating a serious senior lady. But all was resolved and it is a positive experience that those involved will remember long into the future. There are many stand-out characters but a wee girl who has come to Leitrim with her returning parents from Australia was a star. The series concludes on Thursday 14 at 10.15 on R.T.E. 1.

Prime Time: Carers in Crisis
This was a telling picture of a nearly underground movement of people who care for their loved ones in their homes. It was good that Miriam O’Callaghan choose to go to the frontline herself on this one. This she did in a sympathetic and empathetic way. It is just incredible in a wealthy country that it takes such a battle (not always successful) to get basic support in the home for those who care for relatives who need it. It is widely accepted that care in their own homes is what senior people and people with disability desire. It is also accepted that it is cost effective. Now there will be exceptions to the axiom of course. The Minister responsible Finnian McGrath -like Ministers dealing with homelessness- said all the right things about reports, strategies and financial allocations but little changes. The penny pinching in terms of care worker visits of 30 and 45 minutes and the restrictions on what they are actually allowed to do would make one pull ones hair out. I am a little aware of a senior connection of mine in England who manages to remain is in his own home with considerable issues because of the input from the NHS agencies there. So this is probably the number one issue of the frontline issues that deserve resolution.

The Chaotic Court Service
Last night (Monday) we saw the chaos in another very important area of Irish civil life provision i.e. the court service. It is too big a question to even touch on here but again it is a bad story of mismanagement and is just a mess. Again the politician Fergus O’Dowd, Chairman of some committee or other made all the right noises about looking into this and that but of course come back in say five years time and nothing will have changed.     

‘My Astonishing Self’ 
I just recorded this programme dealing with Ireland’s first of four Nobel Literature winners George Bernard Shaw. He is the only writer who has also received an Oscar.  George Bernard Shaw won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925, and an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Pygmalion) in 1938. 
The only other ‘writer’ to do that was Bob Dylan who won the Nobel prize in Literature in 2016, and an Academy Award for Best Original Song (Things have Changed) in 2000. 
I have never tuned in to George Bernard who always struck me as an Irishman who would have qualified to play for England. 
This week’s television writer is James Joyce on Wednesday night on R.T.E. 1 at 9.35. 

Blues Sisters
This was a documentary form a short time ago on RTÉ called 'Blues Sisters' which followed the fortunes of the Dublin Ladies Football team on their way to All-Ireland glory this year. It is worth tracking down. The rise of Ladies Gaelic Football is really something with the final Dublin v Mayo being drawing the biggest crowd to a ladies sporting event forever perhaps. 

Say Yes to the Dress
If ‘Carers in Crisis’ was a major insightful programme which should awaken consciousness, who comes up with such a trite ‘series’ for 9.30 pm. viewing on RTE 2 titled ‘Say Yes to the Dress’? I presume it will be followed by a series on ‘The Suit’, ‘The Shoes’ the possibilities are all there!     

Irish interest in Golden Globes
Congratulations to a number of Irish nominations with their Golden globes nominations. First to Cartoon Saloon and its co-founder Paul Young whose production ‘The Breadwinner’ supported by Angelina Jolie is nominated in the best Animated Film category and carries on the tradition of ‘The Secret of Kells’ and ‘Song of the Sea. 
Carlow born Saoirse Ronan has received her third nomination for her role in ‘Lady Bird’ . Perhaps this is her year (2018) to get the top gong Oscar.
Daniel Day Lewis who is said to be retiring from film making is also nominated as is London Irish writer-director Martin McDonagh and a lady I am not familiar with Caitriona Balfe. 
So the Irish are performing at the top level in the toughest trade.

Last Sunday’s Independent
There were a number of sports articles in the Sunday Independent which engaged me. Eamon Sweeney came through with a gem (again) article on County final winners especially first time winners. There are several references in this collector’s item. Too many to mention here.  One of the most unlikely was that Liam Mellows from Renmore in Galway City winning the Galway hurling final for the first time since 1970. Hurling has not been a big thing in Galway but this should give it a real shot. One comic story involved St. John’s Antrim keeper getting a red card following an altercation with an opposing Lámh Dearg forward who kicked his tee away. They were brothers! The keepers manager was cool about the incident in a post-match interview as he was …the father of the duo!
The heroic sporting incident to look for on You Tube is that of Kerry jockey Kennedy staying aboard his horse with the result…..I’ll let you go there to find out. Magic. 
In the Sunday Indo if Eamonn was tops Brolly and O’Rourke were interesting also.      

The Premiership on Television  
I had nearly given up on watching premiership games on television a couple of months ago because I was getting to feel it was mundane. However in the last month or so it has blossomed. There have been classic games, performances and classic goals. As the Spanish dominance in the entertainment stakes has declined the English Premiership has taken centre stage. This now has Man City/Man Utd./ Spurs/ Liverpool and Chelsea in the final 16 of the Champions league and Arsenal in the hardly worth mentioning Europa league. There have been classic games like Arsenal v Manchester Utd. when David de Gea produced a performance of relentless brilliance in goal for Utd.  Liverpool’s 7 goal fest against CSKA Moscow. Wayne Rooney’s hat trick for Everton v West Ham with a sensational goal from his own half. There are many more goals in this past 6 weeks or so also. While the destination of the League title looks pretty much decided in Manchester City’s favour the role of English clubs in The Campions League will be intriguing. In the last 16 they line up as follows; Chelsea v Barcelona/ Liverpool v F.C. Porto/ Spurs v Juventus/ Manchester Utd. v Seville and Manchester City v Basel. Still the top game is Real Madrid v Paris P.S.G. Those should keep things boiling in early February.   

Boyle Celtic Struggle
I was amongst a dozen spectators at most who saw Boyle Celtic 0 go down to Shiven Rovers 2 on Sunday Dec. 3rd at a bleak Celtic Park.  It was a game that Boyle would have been expected to win but failed similar to some others they have lost this season. Conditions were poor with the pitch itself which is understandable because of the weather and the number of teams now playing on the single pitch available. In that way Celtic are a victim of its own success and expansion at under-age level. A questionable pitch means that games may have to be postponed which are not always allowed as seen with St. Peter’s. So in that case it can mean conceding home advantage. League winning possibilities, while still alive, are receding. So the one competition which they will certainly want a good run in is the Connacht Cup. This will get a good test on Sunday next at Boyle at 2 against Galway Hibs.
Boyle GAA Club are in a similar position regarding demands on limited space. In my opinion what is really needed is a Community area which both Boyle Celtic and Boyle GAA can develop  grounds with ‘regulatory alignment’ as the speak of the moment goes. It is said that there are considerable grants available for such ‘community’ developed facilities. This would be necessary as both clubs are challenged to meet current expenses. I hope the energy and personnel are there and willing to take on such a challenge. 

Patrick Kavanagh - the 50th Anniversary of his death.
In my last post here I missed referring to the 50th anniversary of the death of Patrick Kavanagh. Mea culpa, mea culpa.  So rather than some commentary I post one of his memorable poems. I don’t know of course if any former students remember but I tried to imbue in them respect and regard for that most significant lady in their lives. I wonder. Many senior people, if you have got this far in a too long blog, will identify with the Kavanagh’s imagery, sentiment and feelings in this collection of pictures from a bygone age.   

IN MEMORY OF MY MOTHER. Patrick Kavanagh.

I do not think of you lying in the wet clay 
Of a Monaghan graveyard; I see 
You walking down a lane among the poplars 
On your way to the station, or happily 

Going to second Mass on a summer Sunday - 
You meet me and you say: 
'Don't forget to see about the cattle - ' 
Among your earthiest words the angels stray. 

And I think of you walking along a headland 
Of green oats in June, 
So full of repose, so rich with life - 
And I see us meeting at the end of a town 

On a fair day by accident, after 
The bargains are all made and we can walk 
Together through the shops and stalls and markets 
Free in the oriental streets of thought. 

O you are not lying in the wet clay, 
For it is a harvest evening now and we 
Are piling up the ricks against the moonlight 
And you smile up at us - eternally.




Friday, December 1, 2017

Update 1st December

Storm Frances

It was a close run thing. I think that was said by Wellington after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. The Frances Fitzgerald storm has passed but it was also a close run thing. I had a headline in my head for this blog topic at the week-end. It was ‘Outrageous’. Outrageous in the sense that causing an election at this time would be so. We are apparently on the brink of a decisions which will impact on future generations in this country. This may take place at a meeting regarding Brexit in a couple of weeks.
Frances Fitzgerald was holding firm on her mantra and holding the country to ransom. ‘I did nothing wrong’ with the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar endorsing that while Michael Martin was looking for a victim. I readily accept that I am not an expert and what I say can only be an opinion of what I assess from the evidence. This is presented from evaluating the media commentary and sentiment that comes my way. In all things that is all I can do or be.
Had there been an election the sentiment that would have prevailed would have been a plague on all your political houses. I am a collector of phrases with messages. While the election was averted, just about, and the former minister may get credit for her stepping down especially in her Dublin constituency the phrase that comes to me ‘something given at first asking is twice given’. The then Tánaiste went to the wire and a lot of damage was done. Perhaps the phrase that ‘a week is a long time in politics’ and that this storm will be forgotten soon obtains but the incident highlighted the political instinct to survive whatever the cost.
Nobody wanted an election was the cry yet it nearly happened and the feather of a late email tipped the balance. Simon Coveney was still batting for his colleague late on Monday night saying that everyone should wait until a tribunal beginning in six weeks and reporting God knows when would clear it all up.  Fintan O’Toole suggested that the electorate would be apoplectic and you cannot get more upset than that.
I wondered how I might vote in a possible election and the options were not at all inviting. So an election before Christmas would be a like very  upset child tipping his jig saw in the air and see how it settled when gravity prevailed.   
Now that storm is over and we are safe and well, for now. The next spat will see confidence and supply in short supply.

The Bord Gáis Energy, Irish Book Awards on RTE.
I tuned into the Irish Book Awards presented by Keelin Shanley and Evelyn O’Rourke on RTE last night, Wednesday. I have always loved books and will be in Heaven (hopefully….I have John Joe on speed dial!) a good few years before I have all the books I have collected read. I do not read enough now. I used to. Even when I was say fifteen or sixteen I used to read quite a lot. The fact that the county library was located across the road from the CBS in Roscommon was a great help. My topic then was World War 2! In recent times I have gravitated towards sports books. I think Camus wrote that all he learned about life he learned from sport. Some of the greatest sports books come from the U.S. dealing with sport there especially Baseball. It is a game I got the bug for when in New York in the summer of ’69, The Year the Mets lost place and won The World Series defeating Baltimore. The Amazing Mets. Others I have read The Summer of ’49 which was the battle between The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox and ‘The Boys of Summer’ relating to the Brooklyn Dodgers and the emergence of the first black star of the game Jackie Robinson. I am going to arrange to get a tv channel which broadcasts baseball next year to see if the appetite is still there.  

There are other great sports books such as those by tennis player Andre Agassi and Manchester Utd. player Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Gaelic games has quite a number including my favourite ‘Fairytale in New York’ relating to Cavan's great adventure and win in the All-Ireland of ’47 in New York’s Polo Grounds. Another was ‘The Club’ by Christy O’Connor, a raw telling of a Clare hurling club over the course of a year.

In last night’s awards the Nominated Sports Book of the Year Were;

The Choice, Philly McMahon with Niall Kelly (Gill Books)
The Ascent: Séan Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, Barry Ryan (Gill Books)
Shay: Any Given Saturday, The Autobiography- Shay Given (Trinity Mirror Sport Media )
The Warrior’s Code: My Autobiography, Jackie Tyrell with Christy O’ Connor (Trinity Mirror Sport Media)
Gooch: The Autobiography, Colm Cooper with Vincent Hogan (Transworld Ireland)
Form: My Autobiography, Kieran Fallon with Oliver Holt (Simon & Schuster UK)

The winner was ‘The Choice’ by Dublin footballer Philly McMahon with Niall Kelly. The story is not really about football but about the decline of his brother into drug addiction and early death. The book is a great achievement for Philly from Ballymun and is a validation of when a person makes the right and wrong choices how their lives diverge.

The winner in The Novel of the Year Award went to ‘Midwinter Break’, Bernard MacLaverty (Johnathan Cape)

Eavan Boland, one of Ireland’s greatest poets, was honoured with the Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award. There were a number of testimonials to her standing internationally as a poet.
Miss Boland will be familiar to many people since she has been on the English Leaving Certificate syllabus for a number of years. I remember part of the poem titled ‘Love’, actually.

“And yet I want to return to you
on the bridge of the Iowa river as you were,
with snow on the shoulders of your coat
and a car passing with its headlights on:
………
Will we ever live so intensely again?”

Blues Sisters No Longer Blue.
Maybe I could do a stint as  a television reviewer as I seem to be going through a period of watching a good deal of it. On Monday night I tuned into a programme titled ‘Blues Sisters’. It followed the fortunes of the Dublin Ladies Senior Football team in their 2017 campaign. It was a very good year for such a documentary as the team, which had been defeated in the last three All-Ireland Finals by Cork, often dramatically, finally came good in a final against………Mayo.  
The programme highlighted the intensive preparation of the squad and the supports provided to that team. Once again a steep hill featured in the core stamina input. There was a hill in the Clare hurlers preparation for their great win in ’95. (I used to use the embankment to the top field at times in St. Mary’s College!).
Anyway Dublin easily got over a number of early hurdles in Leinster and then met Kerry in the Semi-Final before eventually overcoming Mayo. Their score flattered with a number of late goals but having been beaten for the last three years the joy was unconfined before a record crowd. The trick now is to win an All-Ireland by defeating the kingpins Cork in a final. Jimmy Murray saw the win over Kerry in ’44 as cementing the label of a great team on the then Roscommon team. A 2018 final between Dublin and Cork would be one I might go to myself.  


Boyle Celtic Hitting Fences
Boyle Celtic would probably have had higher expectations from themselves on their return to the Roscommon League in August. There was a slightly careless approach to the first game which  they lost to Castlerea Celtic. The loss in The FAI Junior Cup to Moore Utd., which they had done so well in last year, was a big disappointment. Last Saturday, though playing well, they went down to a single goal by League leaders St. Peter’s at Lecarrow, between Knockcroghery and Kiltoom. It is the Roscommon League’s headquarters pitch. Boyle’s pitch was unplayable due to the persistent rain of the day and eventually Boyle had to travel to Lecarrow over 35 miles away. The late call and rush would not have helped. Celtic have a good panel this year but can ill afford further slip ups if they are to be contenders at the end of the season. As Oscar Wilde said; “To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness”. But to lose three is…  
Celtic play Shiven Rovers in Boyle at 2 pm. on Sunday next in the league.


Boyle Publicity
The Irish at Home and Abroad
Boyle continues to get positive publicity regularly. I tuned into a nice soft magazine type programme recently called ‘The Irish at Home and Abroad’ which Anne Smith was responsible for bringing to Boyle.   
Then there were the very positive comments of the actor Brendan Gleeson in The Examiner newspaper highlighting a film of his. Brendan came to Boyle first in the mid-seventies and due to the reception and kindness afforded to him then he has become a regular visitor to the area since. He reflected on his positive initiation to the area then and the lifelong friends he made and makes the area special for him.
Of course Chris O’Dowd is a beacon for Boyle recognition regularly especially with Moone Boy.  More under the radar is the profile of Paul Young with his Cartoon Saloon based in Kilkenny having two Oscar nominated animation films ‘The Secret of Kells’ and ‘Song of the Sea’.

Being on T.V. or radio now is not the wonder it once was of course. There was a time when being on T.V. was a major kudo for a person or area and the viewing of same was something special. A really significant programme from the mid-seventies was that which featured Micheal O’Callaghan called ‘My Own Place’. Segments of this turn up on YouTube and such. The visit of Maureen O’Sullivan in 1988 was well highlighted on RTE main news.      
  
A Rare Type of Scam
On Sunday the 19th I attended the Kilglass Gaels pitch where the Boyle U 14 team put in a fine performance, especially in the first half, to overcome Roscommon Gaels in the Roscommon Feile qualifying final. The tournament takes place in Louth next year. On the way home I stopped to deliver a book to a friend who was waiting for me outside his house at Rooskey by arrangement. As I approached he was talking to a person whose car was parked on the opposite  side of the road and looked puzzled when I approached him. His puzzlement arose from the person he had been talking to who was looking for some money. Her story was that she was on her way to a Dublin Hospital from Donegal and had left her purse and card at home inadvertently. She wanted to ‘borrow’ some money to continue her journey! She was pulling away by the time I was with them so she missed out!

Christmas GAA Quiz
The Annual Christmas GAA Quiz will take place on Wednesday December 27th in St. Joseph’s Hall from 8 to 10. 25. This has become an established event in the Christmas Calendar and hopefully it will be as successful as it has traditionally been. There was some discussion regarding the appropriate night but there is no perfect time and it was on Wednesday last year so the committee stayed with it.      

Boyle Senior GAA AGM
Takes place on Sunday next December the 3rd at 4 o’clock.

Who is the Minister of State for Equality, Immigration and Integration?
Answer; David Stanton.
Sorry David never heard of you.
He was in Roscommon recently. What’s with the ‘Integration’ segment of that portfolio?   

Congratulations to Patsy Hanley.
On his ‘Lifetime Achievement/Gradam Saoil’ which will be presented in Cork’s Opera House in February 2018. Patsy, another regular visitor to Boyle, is the godfather now of traditional music in county Roscommon.   

Coalition of Sinn Fein and Green Party
Some smart aleck came up with a possible title for a possible coalition of Sinn Fein and The Green Party as……Guns & Roses.