Halloween at The Warren Boyle:
‘Trick or Treat’ is the finely crafted sign on the house of Suzanne Coles and her partner Brian Prince at The Warren Boyle (just beyond Drumderrig Nursing Home….you can’t miss it, truly). They are having a kids Halloween party on Friday next from 5 pm. There will be a raffle in aid of ‘Temple Street Children’s Hospital’ which they are supporting. So spread the word in the neighbourhood.
Chris O’Dowd in Boyle Library:
The visit of Chris O’Dowd and his good wife Dawn was a huge success and as I mentioned last week was akin to the visit of Maureen O’Sullivan in August 1998. It was like a Chris O’Dowd solo Festival and his energy and contribution to the many demands on him during the week is to be applauded. One of the events that will remain long in the memory of those present is of his and Nick Vincent Murphy’s readings and interaction with awe-struck young students in Boyle’s lovely Library. Librarian Patricia O’Flaherty dropped me a note, as requested, on that event, as follows;
“On Thursday the 23rd of October 2014 at 10am, Patricia O’Flaherty from Boyle Library on behalf of Roscommon County Library Services was honoured to welcome Chris O’Dowd and Nick Vincent Murphy to launch their new book ‘Moone Boy – The Blunder Years’ in King House.
They read and acted out extracts from their book to the delight of the boys and girls and they took questions from the floor (120 pupils) some of which were very humorous and entertaining.
Chris and Nick sat for pictures with Mr. Richie Farrell, County Librarian and his staff and all the classes from 4th, 5th and 6th from Scoil na nAingeal nAoife, St Joseph’s Boys School, The Parochial School, Boyle and St. Michael’s from Cootehall. Chris and Nick signed copies of their book for all the boys and girls and of course for the teachers. They spoke to each boy or girl and signed whatever comment they wished put in ‘Moone Boy- The Blunder Years’. The patience and consideration of the authors was admirable and it is an event that Boyle Library and of course the young students will treasure for a long time.” (The tail/tale in Chris’s present presence is the filmic presentation, ‘Of Mice and Men’, in Carrick-on-Shannon Cineplex on Monday November 10th).
Paul Young and ‘Song of the Sea’:
I was talking to Paul Young a short time ago and he was extremely positive about Cartoon Saloon’s current creation. Paul’s work is very visible in Moone Boy and in the current Moone Boy publication mentioned above. Cartoon Saloon is based in Kilkenny and was responsible for the classic animation, academy award nominated ‘The Secret of Kells’. Their present work is titled ‘Song of the Sea’. The storyline is as follows:
“Saoirse is a child who is the last of the selkies, women in Irish and Scottish legends who transform from seals into people. She escapes from her grandmother's home to journey to the sea and free fairy creatures trapped in the modern world.” There is a trailer to be seen on U tube. It has already been premiered at film festivals in Toronto and London and the reviews are very positive. The voices are provided by
Brendan Gleeson, David Rawle, Fionnula Flanagan, Pat Shortt and Jon Kenny. It will be released in Ireland in the spring. So the celluloid tradition for Boyle continues its upward curve.
Boyle GAA plus:
The Boyle U 21 team had a close run with Michael Glavey’s in their first round championship game at Castlerea on Saturday last. We are spoiled a bit, for some time now, with expectation from this group of players. The half-time score was Michael Glaveys 0.7 Boyle 1.3 with the final score being Boyle 3.5 Michael Glavey’s 0.11. Donie Smith was the main man scoring 3.4 of Boyle’s total with Colin Goldrick getting the remaining point in the first half. I imagine the experienced and highly regarded Boyle management of Jonathan Conroy and Barry Greaney will have a deal to mull over from this game. Boyle looked disjointed at times and had to rely too much on Donie to see them home. Personally, being a traditionalist, I prefer the straightforward player positioning as opposed to sweepers and so on. It goes back to the trauma of the All Ireland Final. All managers are there to manage of course, but then I am advancing in years! The full back line was the stand out line last Saturday. Boyle won and beat a good Michael Glavey's side in the process.
The team was; J.McDermott, B. Furey, M.Goldrick, L. Brennan, R. Finneran, E. McGrath, J. Sweeney, E. Smith, T. Halligan, C. Flanagan, C. Goldrick, B. Conway, C. Tivnan, D. Smith, T. McKenna with D. Matttimoe, G.Gilmartin and S. Filan.
The side had been scheduled to play Roscommon Gaels on Sunday next but looking at the fixtures on the official Roscommon GAA web site the game, for whatever reason, is not listed. Roscommon Gaels did not play last week-end either. So this late competition is likely to run much later than planned which is hardly the way to run a railroad.
**The Cian Smith game (I’ll call it) takes place on Saturday November the 8th. Considering the Boyle GAA Facebook reaction it is arousing a major response.
The Ireland team head off to Australia to play in the Compromise Rules game V Australia in Perth. The Manager is Paul Earley and the Roscommon player on the panel is Cathal Cregg from Western Gaels. The game will be played at Patterson’s Stadium on Saturday November the 22nd.
I see from Tuesday’s Independent bottom of page 56, in an article by Colm Keys, that the GAA is considering having the All-Ireland Finals a week earlier to facilitate the completion of club championships in the same calendar year. I imagine that means the All-Ireland club championships. This was the essence of a motion submitted by Boyle GAA and passed at Roscommon GAA Convention about three years ago. It did not get traction then but perhaps it is doing so now.
Water Charges Protest Meeting:
As the opposition grows to increased and varied charges and it coalesces around the proposed Water Charges there is a number of protest meetings around the country, including Boyle, on Saturday November the 1st. The Boyle rally meets at the Royal Hotel Car Park at 1.45. While I personally am willing to pay for water and think that paying for water is a general thing I can understand why it has aroused such anger and opposition. Water charges are an extra tax, one of a number which have been introduced in very recent times. Their introduction as almost everyone now accepts has been a shambles, one that could turn out to be a disaster for the current Government. It is akin to the Poll Tax that was introduced in England around 1989, later dropped by John Major, which led to the fall of Margaret Thatcher.
Congratulations to:Frank Geelan, Seamus Flynn and Michael Brennan and all associated with the really impressive 19th Infantry Battalion FCA Visitor Centre at the Military Barracks, Boyle which was officially opened by Colonel Brendan McAndrew last Sunday. Anyone who was associated with Battalion in the decades from the sixties on would have to be interested. Perhaps the collection can now expand even further and go back to the earlier post war decades. If anyone has relevant material from then I imagine Frank and colleagues will be interested.
Next week Barry Feely launches his book ‘A Life of Stone’ which speaks for itself. I am also looking forward to the Regan family’s photographic tribute to Christy. In talking to someone who has read Shane ‘Cake’ Curran’s book his response was that; ‘ It does what it says on the tin’.
I was disappointed to have missed Darren Dockery who was home some time ago. Darren is currently in Dubai. Greetings to distant friends and associates.
P.S. I see a new (to me anyway) sign indicating the direction to Boyle town at what we call the first Arch. By such increments was Rome built. Unfortunately just a hundred yards on I encountered a considerable cache of litter debris which, with the assistance of a local resident, was dealt with. ‘One Good one Bad’ as they say on a TV. sports programme.
P.P.S. I am always conscious of making errors –facts, spellings etc.- in these pieces, so when that happens I apologise in anticipation and can be advised regarding same!
Slan
Forest View,
Boyle,
Co. Roscommon
Mob: 086/8163399
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