Vótáil 100 Roscommon Commemoration Lecture Series of Wednesday the 25th
I was very pleased that I attended the above on Wednesday last. As I sit
down to write some notes on it I am a bit intimidated by the prospect of doing
justice to it. By and large the day dealt with the struggle of women generally
and Irish women in particular to achieve recognition as equal citizens in a
male dominated society in the last 100 to 150 years. The slogan which emanated
from a political party was echoed a number of times ‘A Lot Done More to Do’
which is certainly the case. The relegation of women to the background of Irish
society has to have been amongst the many injustices perpetuated by the
dominant faction in that society i.e. men. Women still encounter equality
struggles in terms of many things such as equal pay, their role in political representation,
their difficulty in progression to the top in many facets of society. This is
popularly referred to as the ‘glass ceiling’.
The initial broad movement to agitate for women’s rights was through the
Suffragette Movement mobilised by the Pankhurst family in England in the late
1800s’. This emerged in Ireland also in the early 1900s’ with people like
Hannah Sheehy Skeffington, Margaret Cousins (from Boyle) , Constance Markievicz
amongst others. The famous 1916 Proclamation is addressed to Irish Men and
Irish Women and guarantees equal rights to both. Women played a significant
role in the Rebellion with the now Countess Markievicz being the best known.
However even with the establishment of the Free State women did not emerge into
an equal state and their position in a sense regressed and it was only in the
1970s that a feminist movement began the second movement for equality of the
sexes.
The Seminar dealt with many of the issues and struggles which women had
to endure through the last hundred years in this country. The day was overseen
by former librarian Richie Farrell. There was a very personal and
impressive opening address by the Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council
Cllr Orla Leyden on her journey and life in a political family and the challenges
of being a young mother while also being a Councillor herself. She also
referred to the 5 Cs’ of challenges to a woman in politics as; culture, cash,
confidence, candidate selection and child care.
Ivana Bacik was a very impressive and confident speaker who
referenced Margaret Cousins and explained the restrictions imposed when some
women got to vote for the first time in 1918. They had to be over 30 and
ratepayers in terms of owing property or university graduates. There were a
number of amusing anecdotes regarding the election voting in 1918 and the
practise of ‘personations’. She outlined the initial small numbers of ladies
who got elected and though Markievicz was nominated a Minister in the first
Government in 1919 she was the last lady Minister until Maire Geoghegan Quinn
in 1979. Amusingly she said that the Westminster authorities had agreed to hang
a portrait (by Noel Murphy titled ‘A woman’s Place’) of the first lady elected
to Westminster Constance Markievicz in 1918 with one condition that in the
portrait she would not be in her iconic military
uniform!
*The term Suffragette was first used by an English newspaper in the
mid-1800s’. The Suffrage part refers to voting the ‘ette’ is a
popular French ending of the time. (Farmerette!!!). In the 1860s’ there was a
group seeking the vote called Suffragist. The difference between them was that
the ‘ists’ were for getting the vote by peaceful means while the ‘ettes’
were prepared -as they practised- to employ militant means.
There were 9 speakers including Boyle’s Marie Egan Paul on Margaret
Cousins and I will ‘treat of them’ in future blogs as the subject is so
relevant in this Centenary Year of women first getting the vote in 1918 and the
fact that there is still, incredibly, ’A Lot Done More to Do ‘
(Is that ok as a start D.?)
** Oddly there was little reference to the role of the Catholic Church
and Archbishop John Charles Mc Quaid who was so influential in a dour
constricted social policy in Ireland for decades. One commentator gave me a
brighter shivery comment on the venerable archbishop thus; “He had a smile like
the moonlight glistening off a tombstone”. That took some imaginative
construction!
Community Games
I return to the Community Games this Friday evening at 5.30 + in the
Abbey College sports field. It was where I first started broadcasting some
forty or so years ago. I am still using the East European equipment salvaged at
that time! The Boyle regularly take place in wet conditions so hopefully this
evening will be different! holding your breath and all
that…
Friday May 11th ‘ A Day in the Life of Boyle’ in pictures;
I see on the Home Page of realboyle that Boyle Camera Club will be out
and about in Boyle town on Friday May 11th getting a record in pictures of the
town and its people. I seem to remember a pretty famous photographer John
Minihan doing a regular collective picture of a Kildare town perhaps Naas or
Athy at intervals of years. I hope Boyle Camera Club’s project is a big success
and that it will be the first of a regular series.
Bob Carr a Boyle Icon of the Sixties
I asked here a while ago about a man called Bob Carr who had a sawmill
out at Ardcarne through the sixties and was a highly regarded GAA promoter in
the town for over a decade. I acknowledge some details from a number of people
since I mentioned Bob. Austin Biesty in New York talked to me of Bob in glowing
terms and of his knowledge and love of the game and addressing a proper
structure to team-play and regime. He talked of visiting Bob in a home not too
far from Dublin in Bob’s late years.
My good friend Paddy Conlon emailed me from the Home Counties (Outside
London) with the following:
“Bob brought a new football dimension to the Boyle Club. He introduced,
very quickly, a plan to get a structure to the 'senior team'. We had regular
training sessions twice a week, something we did not have before his
arrival. There was discipline and a serious approach which
everybody bought into. Bob had a lovely persuasive attitude which got the
best out of everybody.
He also read the individual players very well, for example, Paddy Mac
RIP was always an outfield player and Bob selected him as our Full
Back; Des Kennedy RIP was always a back and Bob played him at full
forward and Eamon Perry played off Des as did Eamon Mullen and that worked very
well. He picked Barry Feely, Jamsie Clarke and Seamus Downs
as probably the best line of the whole team (half backs). I remember them as a
very solid group who held the line against all teams through the 1964 campaign.
(They won the Junior Championship that year).
Noel Carroll RIP, was persuaded to return to the fold and what a great
player he was, strong, a great fielder with a great engine, myself, Hal Cawley
and John Mc Dermott combined pretty well in the half forward line. He was ahead
of his time” Paddy concluded.
I have to talk to more people who knew Bob such as Donal Costello, Jim
Clarke and Hal Cawley in the near future. If anyone has a picture of Bob they
could scan and email it to me@ tconboy1@eircom.net.
‘Across the Border’ Linda Ronstadt
I suppose the term for it is browsing which I rarely do but a week ago I
did and was rewarded. I was playing some country songs by lady singers
EmmyLou Harris, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins and tuned into a
song called ‘Across The Border’ being sung by Linda Ronstadt and EmmyLou. I
was smitten. Usually it would take a number of times of listening to a song
before I would take to it but it resonated straight off. If I could ‘loop’ it
in a car player it would shorten a long journey. The song was written by Bruce
Springsteen and in this rendition Linda is accompanied by Neil Young on mouth
organ. It has a haunting sadness and Linda Ronstadt is now on my list of
favourites. It is from an album titled Western Wall.
Thomas Kinsella ‘Mirror in February’
I have two copies of a book of poetry called ‘Soundings’. The title of
the book may resonate with a number of you. It was the book which contained the
Leaving Certificate syllabus poems of the seventies, eighties and into the
nineties. There are two poems there by Thomas Kinsella, ‘Another September’ and
‘Mirror in February’.
Like many poems ‘Mirror in February’ gives me a favoured final pair of
lines which I will place below. The theme is aging and revelation of that stage
in the poet’s life as he studies his inner and outer self in the mirror;
I towel my shaven jaw and stop and stare,
Riveted by a dark exhausted eye,
A dry downturning mouth’
…..
….
‘I read that I have looked my last on youth’.
It ends with a kind of acceptance which is the best we can do with the
condition in any event
I fold my towel with what grace I can
Not young and not renewable, but man’.
It is best that you look up the poem in its totality as I do not wish to
preach here but there is bigger story there.
Kinsella will feature on RTE Radio on Sunday Night next.
The Fuel Light is on Yellow.
Like the farmers running out of animal fodder my turf fuel store is
almost cleared out. It has been that kind of winter. Long, wet, cold. I judge
the fuel requirement fairly well usually having a small surplus but this time I
was mistaken. I remember a former teaching colleague who was a year ahead. This
was in the sense that the turf he used in 2017/’18 was that of 2016. He had the
storage of course but it was way as well. I should have adopted the ‘spake’ in
early winter which suggests; ‘Always spare the corn at the top of the bag’!
Sport’s Review
The Record’s Show
Since my last blog Boyle senior GAA team have played and lost their two
opening games. The first game was against Strokestown in Strokestown and last
Sunday’s game was in the Abbey Park against Western Gaels. The senior
grade in the county is, on any given day, pretty even. Having said that the
reality is that the usual suspects come to the top and invariably take the
spoils. St. Brigid’s are the dominant club now as Clann na nGael were in the
80s’. The winners since 1990 are St. Brigid’s with 11/Clann 6/ Ros. Gaels 5/
Castlerea 4/ Strokestown 2 and Kilbride 1.
Pearses have lost out in their 4 finals; Kilmore in 3; Western Gaels 2 /
Kilbride and Ml. Glaveys in 1 each.
The leading clubs overall have been Clann na nGael with 20; Roscommon
Gaels with 19; St. Brigid’s with 16; Elphin 14; Tarmon/Castlerea with 13 and
Strokestown with 10.
The few memorable breakthrough wins would be Kilbride in 2000,
Strokestown in ’92 and particularly Kilmore in ’83 with Shannon Gaels, St.
Faithleach’s and the only combination win United Stars (Oran-Creggs) in 1960.
The big surprise there is the fact that a town like Boyle has not won a
senior since an army assisted win in the late 20s’. The other surprises are the
demise of Tulsk once a powerhouse and St. Dominick’s/Knockcroghery and
especially the dominant club of the fifties Elphin. The feeling in Western
Gaels is that if they do not win a senior championship in the next year or two
then they will slip back down the pack as contenders. The same might be said of
Boyle. The current team is the best Boyle side since probably ‘94 and for
decades before that.
The two defeats leave them with three games towards the end of summer
into the Autumn against St. Brigid’s, Clann nan Gael and Roscommon Gaels. There
are no gimmes there!
N.B. Boyle Juniors v Fuerty on Sat. at 6 in the Abbey Park.
A consistent effort has been made to field a Junior team down the years.
This gives players on the fringe of the senior team game time and contributes
to options there perhaps. The junior team also does not carry the commitment
requirements that is de rigueur for senior teams. This year we have a
new luck team with current manager Stephen Tonra assisted by Kevin Mullen and I
am hearing that he has gone to great lengths in recruiting former stars and
would-be stars thus providing this year’s juniors with a wealth of experience.
Whether they still have the appetite for the rigours of slightly competitive
play is to be seen. The team is sponsored by Cooney Motors and it seems as if
considerable resources have been diverted in their direction.
So I look forward very much to seeing them on Saturday evening at 6 in
the Abbey Park against my old club Fuerty. You would be welcome to join me in
the Abbey Park then on Sat. at 6.
Champions League More Drama
I have said that the T.V. series of the past winter has been The
Champions League especially the knockout stages. Last Tuesday night was no
different as Liverpool got to a 5 to nil scoreline against Roma and having the
tie won and entry into the final 99% assured but 2 late goals by Roma sowed the
seeds of doubt and the tie has yet to be resolved on Wednesday night next.
Unfortunately before the game a man with Boyle connections-Sean Cox- was
seriously injured. Sean is the son of Martin Cox and grandson of John H. Cox
who were in business on The Crescent up to circa the 1950s where Dodd’s is now.
Sean and family live in Meath. I do not know if there are Cox connections to
that family in Boyle still but there are first cousins in Roscommon town. We
wish Sean well.
This incident sets a threatening tone for the second leg of the fixture
in Rome on Wednesday of next week. Hopefully good sense and appropriate
stewarding will prevail.
The second semi-final between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid was a pretty
boring and error ridden game by contrast with the Liverpool game. Madrid were
the winners here by 2 goals to 1, in Munich.
Boyle Celtic
Boyle Celtic play Dysart on Friday evening at 7.45 NOT Saturday in
Boyle.
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