Boyle Celtic Showdown
Boyle Celtic will have,
arguably, their biggest game ever on Sunday next in the FAI Junior Cup last 16
contest in Boyle at 2 pm. Celtic are the last Connacht team standing in the
competition. Having a home venue puts them in with a chance of progressing to
the last eight. In saying that we know little of the Dublin team, VEC from
Terenure, but being from Dublin, and the winners of a number of trophies
lately, they are certain to be a quality team. Still it is a big occasion for
the club and we wish them and the team the best. Hopefully there will be a big
crowd in attendance for what should be a top game.
International Holocaust
Day Friday January 27th.
Each year we are reminded of
the horror of the Nazi attempt to exterminate the Jewish people from throughout
Europe during the Second World War. Over 6 million Jews were killed in the
Concentration Camps that sprang up in German and some occupied countries,
including Poland, during the Second World War. The names of these camps (or
vast complexes of death) have become bywords for man’s inhumanity to his fellow
man. Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen, Treblinka and many more. One film which
represented this cruelty counterpointed by humanity was Schindler’s List with
Liam Neeson playing the part of Oskar Schindler and Ralph Fiennes with a scary
performance as the cruel Nazi Camp Commandant. We in Ireland remember The
Famine when over 1 million people died and over another million
emigrated. In scale it pales in significance to the German destruction of
the Jews which was done deliberately and by a supposedly ‘advanced society’. It
is incredible to think that a people can be so brain-washed that they would
think that this was an acceptable policy. Or is it ? A forgotten and little
known equivalent to that of the Nazis were the pogroms of Stalin in the 1930s’
Soviet Union when any number around 20 million, it is suggested, were killed.
Anyway each year I watch the
film clips from the Concentration Camps and one in particular stays with me. It
is of a child of around four as she tugs up the sleeve of her coat to disclose
her brand number for a camera.
They say that people have to
know their history in order not to repeat the mistakes of the past. As a reader
of history the mistakes of the past are regularly repeated.
Remembering the ‘Elections
of the Snows’
Friday the 3rd of
February is the Centenary Anniversary of the Election of the Snows in 1917
which saw the election of George Noble Count Plunkett in North Roscommon. After
the election Plunkett declared that he was not going to represent his
constituents in Westminster but would go no farther than Dublin laying the
basic policy benchmark for the subsequent First Dáil which came together in
January 1919. While there is some play on the fact that Count Plunkett was not
a Sinn Fein candidate in the North Roscommon Election of February 1917 he did
align with the party not long after that with the coalescing of nationalist
groupings under the Sinn Fein banner. So I would not get cranky about it being
enlisted as a Sinn Fein first understanding well why Sinn Fein would wish
it to be so even if retrospectively. One gets on the bus or opportunity that
comes one’s way.
An aspect of it that might be
overlooked is that it was the electorate of North Roscommon who made it happen
and we should be conscious of that. It wasn’t the last time that Roscommon
voters did that.
(As I referred to last week
there is an extended, illustrated essay on the election, in this week’s
Roscommon Herald pages 40/41).
Roscommon v Tyrone.
The real challenge begins
next Sunday for Roscommon Senior team in Omagh against Tyrone. Roscommon lost
to Galway in the Final of the FBD league on Sunday last in Kiltoom. Galway
deserved their win. It was a reasonable game but there were a good few
discernible gaps in the Roscommon line–up. Hopefully Featherstone can develop
into a full back and that the same can happen for Corcoran and O’Rourke at
midfield. It was great to see Donie Smith put in a Roscommon ‘Man of the Match’
performance and score 7 points in all. So on Sunday we will see a ‘full’
Roscommon team and also see how equipped they are to stand up to the challenge
of the Division One League. (See team selected for game v Tyrone at bottom).
*I heard a story last Sunday
regarding Tyrone v Derry football. At a game, back in the day as they say, the
one ball ended up and flowed away in a nearby river. The ‘referee’ asked the
acting captains; ‘What’ll youse do now?’ to which the ‘captains’ replied, ‘Ay
sure we’ll play on without it!’.
*A different question; Why is
that the Roscommon GAA clothing attire has adopted the Dublin colour sky blue?
I wish Cathal Cregg and Neil
Collins the best of luck in their retirement, for now anyway, from the
Roscommon team. I should also include those who stepped down a while ago such
as Geoffrey Claffey and Senan Kilbride. Eaten bread Is soon forgotten.
Visiting Robins
A number of countries have as
national symbols birds such as the United States the bald eagle; New Zealand
the Kiwi; Australia, the emu; Denmark the swan; Italy the sparrow and so on.
What would it be if one was
adopted in this country? Near the top of the list would be the robin. In our
house we have a glass door to the back looking out at the Curlew hills and a
veranda we’ll call it. Looking into the kitchen for a few seasons now are some
robins. I don’t know if they are the same ones which reminds me of a story I
will tell at the end. Each morning I give our robins their breakfast. They now
see it as their right. They are getting more and more comfortable with human
encroachment and I look forward to them ‘eating out of my hand’ someday! This
reminds me of Seamus Heaney’s poem St. Kevin and the Blackbird where the
venerable saint had to hold his hand out for a long period to feed his blackbird.
There is a kind of short therapy in watching them as they watch me and wind up
from the railing before swooping down on their crumbs. It is a little task to
discriminate against bigger stronger birds who should be able to look after
themselves. When young we were told a story of the robin’s red breast, got
while keeping the embers of a fire alive in some meaningful situation which I
forget now.
A thing that really impresses
me about my robins is that before their ‘breakfast’ they are nowhere to be seen
but almost immediately on it being presented they are there as if I had rung a
refectory bell. How is this? This brings me to my story. Years ago, and
happy years they were, as I walked over the Salmon Weir Bridge in Galway on a
sunny day I stopped to watch a Galwegian who was trying to poach salmon from
the river Corrib below with a line and a ‘gaff’ which was a number of strong
hooks. An American visitor joined us. A short talk ensued focussing on salmon
and their epic journeys. Eventually the visitor declared his question; ‘How is
it that salmon can travel every year, all the way from New Found land, back to
their breeding grounds here, with such accuracy?’ Maybe the Galwegian had heard
the question before and had the answer on file which he gave as; ‘Until salmon
can talk we won’t know that!’
Brexit with James Candon
Jnr.
There is so much about Brexit
and its implications ongoing that it may be seen an overload to add to it here.
I have encouraged people to submit pieces for consideration of
publication here and I received these lines from James Candon Jnr. at the
end of November and I add them here. James had reason to travel in England and
in doing so pick up some observations as to why they voted as they did. One of
the themes James rightly emphasises is in what the EU has achieved. In a
Referendum of fear in the U.K. of June 2016 these were never really
clearly laid out. So here is what James wrote in the last days of
November, for which delay I apologise to him;
“Hi Tony,
Well I made it to Swindon and
back in the end despite the attentions of storm Angus. I have to go over to the
UK about once a month and occasionally I meet up with some people from home.
Most recently Tim McDonagh from Ballinafad and Martin Egan from Mockmoyne way.
The reason for the visit to
Swindon was some business with a client in the financial and technology sector
and thus we were both particularly interested in the issues surrounding Brexit.
Before diving into the economic or business issues around Brexit I thought it
would be interesting to get some views from the ordinary person in the area.
The taxi man in Swindon said he voted for Brexit because of the immigrants and
the NHS. When asked what he disliked about the immigrants he said he had
nothing against the Polish because they are hard grafters but he does not like
those from Eastern Europe who, as he sees it- are always begging and being
involved in organised crime and the like! He did accept that he had been lied
to about NHS issues.
At the reception desk to my
client's building, the security officer turned out to be a Polish lady but she
did not want to be drawn on Brexit. Maybe that was because there were locals
close by.
With regard to the issue
around immigration or rather around freedom of movement. This is one of the
four pillars of the single market. This is something we learned in EU Law 101
way back in the day at UCD. The pillars are interdependent and inseparable. To
think otherwise would be delusional. Note the word FREEDOM. The EU has managed
to maintain the peace in Europe for almost 70 years. It has outlived communism
and brought former authoritarian countries into the fold where they have slowly
but surely been developing into modern democracies. This seems to be coming
under threat due to the perceived advances of the forces of nationalism and
populism embodied by the Brexit vote and some of the current elites in central
European countries. It seems as if the infamous Boris Johnson has managed to
unite the other 27 nations against the UK even before negotiations on Brexit
have even started. His most recent tirade (back in November) was to describe
the principle of freedom of movement as "Bollix". Well Bollix Johnson
it shall be from now on.
Later in the day I was
delivered to the Hilton Bankside and into the welcoming care of my cousin James
Clarke who is the general manager there and never fails with the cead mile
failte. This was not before I got talking with a man from Sheffield on the
train back from Swindon. He works as a telecoms engineer and did not vote in
the referendum himself but claims that he understands why people did vote to
leave the EU: Basically it was two fingers to the establishment. However he did
go on to say "without being racist or nationalist or populist, what is the
point of having countries if you cannot control who comes in and what goes on in
them, if you can't maintain your own values!?".
The view from Brussel in say
the pub or at the side of the rugby training pitch varies from "one less
problem for Europe if they go" to "I can't believe that the British
people are that selfish and misguided"
The EU has given freedom and
hope to millions and millions of people. It cannot be right to allow that hope
and freedom to be dashed by certain leaders and wannabe leaders who play on the
fear of people of migrant "others". It is high time that the EU be
given the credit that it is due. It may not be a perfect union but where would
we be without it? How could we hope to have any chance of coping with problems
which cross national boundaries such as climate change and terrorism if
like-minded peoples do not coalesce and face these problems united shoulder to
shoulder?
One question that the man
from Sheffield put to me though was "Do you see any other country
leaving". I think we need to see that Ireland is in a very precarious
position and if Britain does go we may have a referendum of our own which could
be as divisive as the Treaty of 1921. I do hope I am wrong.
Is mise le meas
James Candon
Errata
High and Low
One cannot mention Brexit
without some reference to the U. S. state of being. During the election one of
the mantras of Hillary (Who?) was, ‘When they go low we go high’. This, I think
was credited to Michelle Obama. Anyway Mexicans could adapt Hillary’s spake
with; When they go high (wall) we’ll go low (underneath)’
Madness
I had a rare enough visit to
a local tavern and in a satiric environment where a number of people
contributed I was asked the question;
‘What is the first sign of
madness?’ I could have offered a few ideas but they would have been well off
the mark when I was eventually given the answer required as;
“Suds coming up the driveway”
!!
Musical Back to the 80s’
I have my piece for posting
above but as a finale on coming in from the Abbey Community College musical I
have to commend all for the effort with it. It was colourful, crowded with
players, enthusiastic and energetic. It is an experience that the participants
will long remember and it is an education in itself. These sentiments were
endorsed by the Principal David Harding who showed his own pleasure and
enthusiasm for the production. Interestingly he touched on an old sentiment
promoted by Father Dodd in his time at St. Mary’s College in having the College
at the centre of the Boyle and catchment area community. In nominating my
standout performances I was taken by Kevin Horan as the Nerd Feargal McFerrin
111 with his supporting ‘Outcasts’. There were two but three listed on the
programme. So two from Megan McKenna, Georgina O’Connor and Rose Chilton. It
continues on Friday and Saturday nights.
Roscommon Team to play
Tyrone.
1. Colm Lavin (Éire Óg)
2. David Murray (Padraig
Pearse's)
3. Thomas Featherston (Oran)
4. Niall McInerney (St
Brigid’s)
5. Ronan Stack (St Brigid’s)
6. Seán Mullooly
(Strokestown)
7. Conor Devaney (Kilbride)
8. Kevin Higgins (Western
Gaels)
9. Tadhg O’Rourke (Tulsk)
10. Niall Daly (Padraig
Pearse’s)
11. Seán McDermott (Western
Gaels)
12. Enda Smith (Boyle)
13. Donie Smith (Boyle)
14. Ultan Harney (Clann na
nGael
15. Ciaráin Murtagh (C) (St
Faithleachs)
Subs
16 Darren O’Malley (Michael
Galley’s)
17 Paddy Brogan (Strokestown)
18 Ciaran Cafferkey (Western
Gaels)
19 Cian Connolly (Roscommon
Gaels)
20 Tom Corcoran (Strokestown)
21 Fintan Cregg (Elphin)
22 Shane Killoran (Elphin)
23 Niall Kilroy (Fuerty)
24 John McManus (Roscommon
Gaels)
25 Brian Murtagh (St
Faithleach's)
26 Gary Patterson (Michael
Glavey’s)
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