‘Trip to Sligo’ / Maureen O’Sullivan material / Sports Review:

‘Trip to Sligo’ by Bernard Flaherty.

“On the 26th of January 1986 I was sitting in Mrs. Kathleen Morris’s Ceili House Bar in Boyle. It was a Saturday night and the session had just ended. Suddenly Kathleen came down the stairs visibly shocked. ‘You’ll never guess what I’m after hearing,’ she said, ‘Fred Finn is dead’ ”……….. 

“As I walked away from the graveyard (in Gurteen after Fred’s burial) I realised that I must do something for the South Sligo tradition (of music) which is greater than all of us. Hopefully the inspiration prompted by that incident is realised in this book”. 

These are the opening and closing sentences to Bernard Flaherty’s insightful introductory essay to his fine and very important book, ‘A Trip to Sligo’, on the traditional music of South Sligo which was first published in 1990. The printed number of that edition have long since been sold and it is really great to see that Bernard has republished his ‘Trip to Sligo’ again in time for the All-Ireland Fleadh which is taking part in Sligo this week. While I am no expert in Irish traditional music I have heard a good deal of it and I am very aware of its importance and its place as one of the pillars of Irish culture.

Bernard’s book is seen as a uniquely significant production and has placed on the written record the contribution of a number-not all-  of the finest of traditional musicians in the South Sligo, North Roscommon area. Many of those have gone to their eternal reward since the book’s first publication but their memory and legacy lives on and that it will ever be so is a testament to Bernard’s contribution here. And what musical names there are. Accompanying Fred Finn there are his friend and colleague Peter Horan, Harry McGowan, Andrew Davey and Kathleen Morris with the younger group Tommy Finn, Pat Meehan and Colm O’Donnell amongst others.  

I have good reason to remember Bernard’s time in preparing the material for the book at Purcell Print as I was engaged myself then in ‘A History of the GAA in Roscommon’. So we had the collegiality of brothers engaged in similar struggles. 

Bernard comes from a family steeped in traditional music and he continues to pass on the legacy through his music teaching. He is acknowledged as a fine traditional musician himself and what is understated is that he is also a fine singer enriching many a session down the years and currently, from time to time, in Dodd’s bar in Boyle.

‘A Trip to Sligo’ is a gem of a book and an heirloom reference for present and future lovers of Irish traditional music and the clear style that is unique to the region straddling the Roscommon Sligo ‘boundary’. Fred would be pleased with your effort, Bernard. 

Archives/Collections Where to Now?

The Maureen O’Sullivan material of mine that was being used in the recent Maureen O’Sullivan ‘Full Circle Commemoration’ has been returned. I just wonder what to do with it now. Few people will see it in my attic! I have been a ‘collector’ of material relating to a number of specific areas. Trying now to get to grips with these collections is an issue. Apart from Maureen there is (2) a St. Mary’s College ‘box’ of photographs and other material. Of course there is considerable material relating to (3) Boyle GAA club and (4) Roscommon GAA and a lesser ‘box’ relating to Fuerty ! In 1983 Boyle Community Radio, promoted by R.T.E., broadcast for a week in the town and I ‘happened’ to tape most of that (5). Then there is the lesser collection (6) fifty or so in number, of a lovely magazine series called ‘Ireland of the Welcomes’, from the eighties and early nineties. There are three Roscommon publications (7) The Roscommon Association Annual, Roscommon GAA year Books and The Roscommon Historical and Archaeological Magazine. Then there is of course the accumulation of  a half- life of (8) quiz material. I do not know what relevance Stevie Smith’s poem, ‘Not Waving but Drowning’,  has to all this but it comes into my mind when I review these boxes.   

Sports Review:

It was a fine  event at the Abbey Park on Saturday evening though the result went against Boyle, after an excellent first half of football against St. Brigid’s. There was a great effort made in preparation for the significant double-header. Boyle have another big game on Sunday next when they visit Padraig Pease's in the last championship game of this group stage. This is a fifty –fifty game and any support willing to make the long trip to Ballinasloe will, I’m sure, be appreciated. 

Boyle minor girls came up against a very good Shannon Gaels side on Tuesday evening in the park. Still progress in the game continues apace in Boyle.

This Wednesday evening the Boyle U 12 team defeated a gallant St. Michael’s to reach the final of the Keenan Cup. This is a very talented side which overcame St. Brigid’s in the U 12 ‘A’ League final just a few weeks ago. 

Watching Rory McIlroy’s win in the U.S. golf, deep into last Sunday night/Monday morning, was a real treat. After a wobble that seemed to damage his chances he recovered with one magnificent long drive which resulted in an eagle and the game was in the melting pot again. He held his nerve and saw it out for another great win in a great year for him. Rory comes from Holywood but his status now is moving to that of one of the icons of Hollywood.

The Kilkenny Cats are into another final. Limerick gave it their all in appalling conditions at Croke Park on Sunday but the introduction of Power especially (a bit belatedly by Coady’s standards) tilted the balance at the end. Next Sunday it is Cork v Tipperary. I fancy Cork and maybe they could go all the way and win the All-Ireland final itself. My game results predictions have been pretty good this summer though I did forecast a draw between Armagh and Donegal.                     

Maureen O’Sullivan / Summer Visitors / Errata / Ireland v New Zealand / McGovern Directional Drilling / The GAA Games Nationally

Maureen O’Sullivan Full Circle

I was involved a little in last Sunday’s event remembering the visit to Boyle in 1988 by Maureen O’Sullivan. It was most enjoyable and very well organised by Helen and Patricia of Una Bhan. As I may have said before amongst the highlights was the concert in the Royal Hotel with Miss O’Sullivan and her husband in attendance and really enjoying it all. It is great to have so many stalwarts of Boyle singing and music on the record such as May Conroy, Aggie Devine-Conlon, Josie McDermott, Jim Casserly and so on. Mary Ryan played a key role in making the event such a success. Maybe we could now U tube some of the highlights which I imagine would be popular and give the town and Maureen O’Sullivan’s connection to it extra recognition.

Summer Visitors

Summer is a traditional time for visitors and last week I met up with Father Tony Conry who was home from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Tony contributes a regular column now to the Roscommon People newspaper having done so for the Roscommon Herald previously. His native place is Killina and proud he is of it. He has been in Brazil for forty five years. Tony was a mine of information on the history, past and present, of South America and the travails of that continent with the machinations of the United States and its vested interests there. I know little of the history of South America and its countries or even its current social and political story. Perhaps when Tony visits again I will organise that he give a talk in Boyle on part of it.

On a genealogy visit to what I regard as a lovely graveyard, Eastersnow/Estersnow, I met another pioneering priest, by accident this time. That was Father Gerry Shanley. I know his brother P.J. who was a great quiz enthusiast and having retired from quizzes took up the game of Bridge. Anyway Gerry having ministered in the States transferred to the Mexican border city of  Matamoros. He spoke of his work there and the issues of drugs, murders, corruption and social deprivation. While it may be regarded as in the film ‘No Country For Old Men’ yet he was able to say he liked it and his work there. Of course there are and have been heroic figures like Tony and Gerry on the front lines for decades it is so interesting to meet them and hear their stories.   

Errata

Two topics of the moment in this country are; the drugs issue in Roscrea and The Water Problem in Roscommon. Indeed I feel that the water problem and charges in Roscommon will be a battleground for the foreseeable future with the suggested average charges of €240 a myth.

The All-Ireland Fleadh gets into gear next week with its multitude of music schools leading to the week-end highlights through from the 15th. to the 17th. Of course Boyle was the venue for two great Fleadhs in 1960 and 1966 which are still remembered by the older generation in the town and those who visited Boyle then. Recent Fleadhs in Derry and Cavan have been hugely successful so it is great challenge to Sligo who have hosted the festival before of course in 1990 and 1991.     

Sports Review

Ireland 17 New Zealand ‘All Blacks’ 14

I am nearly sure that this is the first victory for an Irish national team over the almost invincible All Blacks ladies team. I happened to tune into the game in the second half as the Irish ladies defended stoutly. The game seemed to be moving  towards its inevitable New Zealand victory if a narrow one this time. Then the Irish ladies broke clear to score a fine try and conversion to take the lead. New Zealand drew level with a penalty but this was negated by an Irish penalty. It was Ireland who were on the offensive as the game drew to a conclusion. Their achievement was evident in the joy and celebration at the game’s end. This victory is up there with the cricket team’s defeat of Pakistan and England a few years ago

McGovern Directional Drilling Boyle Senior Team

Boyle Senior team take on St. Brigid’s in the Championship at Boyle on Saturday evening in Boyle at 7.30. This is part of a worthy double-header with Kilmore v Castlerea at 6. Boyle had a good win over St. Aidan’s in the League on Friday evening of last week. On Monday they were well beaten by an impressive Roscommon Gaels also in the League leaving them with two remaining games there. Boyle ran St. Brigid’s to one point in an early league game but St. Brigid’s are going for five in a row county titles. So for followers of the game Saturday evening should provide a good selection of domestic fare.

(I wish Tadgh Lowe all the best in terms of recovery from a shoulder injury in the game. His loss for next Saturday was one of the deficits of having an important league game in the same week as a very challenging championship fixture). 

     

Boyle Ladies had a convincing win over Roscommon Gaels on Monday and will be contesting the ‘business end’ of their Intermediate championships with optimism.

The GAA Games Nationally

Nationally things went as expected with Kerry defeating Galway and Mayo falling over the line against Cork having been in dominating positions earlier. Amongst the armoury that Kerry possess is the twenty to thirty yard kicked pass perfectly placed for the receiver.  Galway on the other hand fist-passed to shoelaces. Had Mayo lost out to Cork it would have been a real disaster for them. They have quite a number of good players and the O’Sheas, particularly Seamus, did well on Sunday. Still they have a number of weaknesses and the management decisions are not ‘A’ standard either. Mayo now meet Kerry and their emerging star O’Donoghue. In semi-finals suggesting who might come through should be getting more difficult. While I would of course like very much to be wrong I think the Kerry naturals will prevail. 

This week end Dublin take on Monaghan. While Monaghan are an improving side they could face a blitzkrieg of power and pace which could result in a heavy defeat. Armagh, also on an upward curve, play a talented Donegal side. The natural inclination is to say Donegal who seem to have more aces in the pack but Armagh can adapt and smother as Roscommon found out. A draw here is an outside possibility.

Kilkenny still calling on some long-term veterans such as Shevlin, Delaney, Larkin, Tyrell, Walshe and  take on a fresh Limerick team buoyed by their demolition of Wexford. This will almost certainly be Henry’s last season and perhaps others such as Delaney who Brian Coady rates as one of the greatest Kilkenny defenders ever. The conveyor belt in Kilkenny has slowed considerably and that is why the old hands are still on duty. The next few years promises to be a much more open one in terms of hurling winners.

Well done to Roscommon minors who made a fine late rally that ‘nearly’ got them past a highly rated Donegal side on Saturday in Sligo. Boyle’s Evan McGrath put in a great shift especially as he drove forward in the latter stages and he might have proved the hero but for a finger-tip Donegal save of a goal-bound shot towards the end.   

The Long War in Palestine / Maureen O’Sullivan Re-Visited / Micheal O Suilleabhain Concert on Friday in the Church of Ireland / Sports Review / All-Ireland Quarter Finals

The Long War in Palestine

As I write, the news is reporting an Israeli attack on a U.N. school in Gaza in its war against the Hamas organisation. There are reports of the deaths of 19 people including many children as a consequence. One always has in the mind the journey of the Jewish people to where they are now and especially the horrors of W.W.2. However  their  present campaign, while enveloped in the fog of war, shows a country which is willing to go to and beyond the extremes to achieve its objectives. The Israeli/Palestine problem is perhaps the most intractable issue in modern history and in origin is a created one. In history there was once a War titled ‘The Hundred Years War’  a misnomer since it lasted from 1337 to 1453.  In simple terms it was between Royal Houses of France and England. In historic terms all wars end but it seems as if a change in attitudes and aspirations of seismic  proportions will be needed to resolve the conflict in this region. The move towards the creation of an Israeli-Jewish state began in the 1870s’ as part of the Zionist movement of Herzl. This was accelerated by the Balfour Declaration of 1917 as displaced and oppressed Jews moved towards their ‘Promised Land’. It became a flood after the Second world War. This mass movement  of Jews into the region of Palestine led to the displacement of large numbers of the existing Arab population and hence the conflict. Since that conflict basically began post World War 2 it is now active or simmering for nearly seventy years and is a cockpit for the clash of Middle Eastern and European style-including the United States- culture and interests since then. The influence and support of the United States is pre-eminent with Israel because of the influence of the Jewish community in the U.S. Ireland’s policy on the matter is tied to that of the E.U. initially, and of course it would not want to be too outspoken, if it so desired, in case it caused problems with the U.S.       

Last Tuesday night I tripped across the I.T.N. television news summary being read by Mark Austen and the subjects dealt with were; President Obama announcing more embargos on Russian oligarchs and institutions; the Gaza horror; the Ukraine tragedy; the gradual descent of Libya into civil strife; and the introduction of the chlorine gas in World War 1. The distraught demeanour of Mister Austen reflected this list of terrible news stories. 

It is said that there are more refugees from conflict at the moment than at any time since World War 2. World War 1 was to be ‘The War To End All War’ but a hundred years on, in a world that has the capacity to achieve so much, it is far removed from that. Gaza is a tragic example of an intractable knot of one long conflict. 

Maureen O’Sullivan Re-Visited

Considering the above paragraphs to write about anything else seems like trivia but life goes on in our tranquil world.  Next Sunday there is a remembering of the visit to Boyle of the actress Maureen O’Sullivan. While few of the younger generations will remember Maureen O’Sullivan from her screen appearances she will always be part of cinema history. She has become identified as the iconic Jane in the original series of Tarzan films around 1930. She also starred with a number of the great stars of that era. In the early 1980s’ I was responsible for a quiz in what was then The Ceili House Bar where Londis is now. I tried to include town questions as a matter of local interest. Once I asked; ‘What famous film actress was born in Boyle?’ I seem to remember the surprise at the question and I am not sure if it was answered on the night. I decided to follow up on Maureen O’Sullivan and with Frank Geelan came up with the idea of inviting Miss O’Sullivan to the town of her birth. With a very good committee, including the recently deceased Malachy Beirne,  it all came together on one of the few sunny days of that summer of 1998. It turned out to be a marvellous occasion with all the trappings. As R.T.E. reporter Joe Fahey relayed ‘Hollywood could hardly have done it better’. Maureen turned out to a very willing and deserving participant in it all and she was thrilled and really surprised at the great welcome she received. Among the many highlights was a concert by the best of local talent in the Royal Hotel on the Sunday evening. These included; Aggie Devine Conlon, Jim Casserly, May Conroy, Josie Mac Dermott and Kathleen Dwyer Morris and Mary Ryan amongst others. Luckily the whole two days were recorded and what a great record it is of that memorable week-end.
Current Boyle movie star Chris O’Dowd occasionally refers to this event as making an impression on him and perhaps having some influence on where he now is. On Sunday next Una Bhan have organised a detailed series of events, in the King House, recalling that day. So I suggest that you look up the programme of the day and call in at your leisure and recall a day when Boyle really shone and the Hollywood came to town.  

Micheal O Suilleabhain Concert on Friday in the Church of Ireland

The Arts Programme booklet outline note for this event has a number of interesting local references. The concert title, ‘The Plains of Boyle’, is obvious. There is reference to David Thompson’s lovely book ‘Woodbrook’. Then there is reference to a piece having been commissioned by Cormac O’Malley in memory of his father Ernie O’Malley. Ernie O’Malley was a prominent activist in the War of Independence and the Civil War. Subsequently he published a classic memoir of the war titled ‘On Another Man’s wound’.   I have met Cormac O’Malley a number of times. He is a cousin of Mary Nicholson of Sheegora  a stalwart of Clarke’s restaurant. Also taking part in the concert is The Carolan String Quartet which reminds one that the O’Carolan Festival is taking part in Keadue this week-end. Mister O Suilleabhain, originally from Clonmel, was at the forefront of introducing Traditional Music Studies and Participation to the University of Limerick. He has done this pillar of Irish culture a great service.    

Sports Review

Boyle Senior team drew with Elphin on Sunday in Division One League. A draw can always be seen as a point lost or a point won. For me, considering the second half it was a point won. On this Friday night they travel to Ballyforan to play St. Aidan’s. St. Aidan’s are doing too well at the moment so from Boyle’s point of view the two points here are a real requirement. Boyle still have to play Roscommon Gaels, Kilmore and Strokestown in the league and with three teams being relegated the issue is very much in the balance. Relegation would not be a healthy consequence. 

All-Ireland Quarter Finals  

At the week-end Galway play Kerry and Mayo take on Cork in the first two quarter finals. Kerry and Galway often have great tussles but the present Galway team seem limited enough. Still they do well in Croke Park. Cork blow hot and cold in  football which is the poor relation in that county to hurling. I fancy Mayo here. It seems to be consistently forgotten that Mayo ran Dublin to a couple of points in last year’s All-Ireland. So maybe in a year when they are not really considered to go the distance they might just do that! Armagh are gone on a talking to or not talking to the media ‘strike’ following the reportage of the bust up before the Cavan v Armagh game. I don’t know what’s going on there.

The two hurling games last Sunday were a big disappointment. Welford ran out of steam and Limerick’s goals around half time finished the contest. Tipp looked pretty good at the end but Dublin poor. So it is Tipp. V Cork and Kilkenny v Limerick. I suggest a Kilkenny v Cork final.  

Boyle Arts Week: / Sports Review:

Boyle Arts Week:

Boyle Arts Week is regarded as one of the finest such festivals in the country. This is a tribute to the people who have been involved down the years. It celebrates 25 years of the best of Irish Arts and Culture this year. I cannot really say what was the highlight of those years for me. I would want to google my memory for that. Perhaps it was meeting one of my heroes, Seamus Heaney, and having him autograph my son’s leaving certificate anthology for him. I later acquired a lovely drawing of Mister Heaney from the Local Artists Exhibition by a talented young man named Shane Meehan. One of the pictures from the King House exhibition also sticks very much in my mind is of a boot and blood flowing from it into a sidewalk culvert. It was representing the Northern Troubles.

I have gone through this summer’s programme and have marked a number of the many events which I could easily attend. They include Kieran Goss on Friday night and Donie O’Connor on Sunday with Brian Friel’s ‘The Communication Cord’ in between. The three talented ladies Lizzie, Lynda and Ceara entertain on Monday though one might develop a conscience for allowing oneself the luxury of an afternoon  indulgence. On Tuesday Joseph O’Connor continues the tradition of an impressive array of writers of fact and fiction who have been present down the years. Mister O’Connor is a very impressive contributor to the Drivetime Radio Show with his ‘Drivetime Diaries’. I had meant to access his address at the Royal Albert Hall for the Michael D. Higgins concert, on the occasion of the President’s English visit, but it slipped through the net. On Wednesday there is the Mayo ‘Band of Brass’ in the Church of Ireland and ‘The Plains of Boyle’ concert on Friday night. Perhaps I might get to a talk by one of Boyle’s gentlemen, Michael Archer, on ‘Habitats and Wildflowers’ on the Saturday. On Sunday August the 3^rd I am obliquely involved in the celebration of the visit of Maureen O’Sullivan to Boyle over 25 years ago. I will treat of that next week. Oh yes on further review there is the gifted guitar playing of Frankie Simon on Saturday the 26^th and John Carty and company on Tuesday night. There is a feast of events so do not miss out.  ‘Nothing Beats Being There’ .

Sports Review: Approaching  the Business End of the All-Ireland Championships:

While I do my best, I happened to miss a game I would like to have been at, that is Boyle’s under 12 League Final win over St. Brigid’s in Oran. It was an impressive display and a convincing victory I am told and the names from this side will resonate over the coming years on Boyle teams. It is nice to hear the sound of the traditional winning cavalcade as they do their victory tour of the town subsequently. Memories of these evenings last a long time. 

Armagh proved too strong for Roscommon on a muggy evening in Hyde Park. It was a difficult evening for football due to the rain but Armagh adapted well and suffocated Roscommon’s efforts. Still this team is a work in progress and being in division Two of the League next season should provide the experience and maturation for a championship challenge in 2015. Hope springs eternal and I am optimistic for real progress in the next two or three years. The quality of the GAA football Championship this summer to date has been pretty miserable. As all the indicators suggest It is hard to see Dublin being beaten. The blitzkrieg style that humbled Meath on Sunday looks imperious at the moment. This week-end has Cork v Sligo with the winners playing Mayo in the Quarter Finals/Tipperary v Galway, winners play Kerry/followed by Armagh v Meath and Kildare v Monaghan winners playing Dublin and Donegal. It is hard to go beyond the provincial winners for the semi-finals.   

It is left to the hurling to provide the drama again  as it did last year. This coming week-end has Limerick playing the welcome surprise packet of the summer in Wexford and Tipperary, a real All-Ireland challenger, should overcome Dublin. Dublin have become stranded at a level that is just not going to make what would be a historic and meaningful  breakthrough.

In Roscommon we are now back to ‘domestic’ fare with League and championship games coming thick and fast so keep an eye on the fixtures.         

Boyle Tourism / Brazil and The World Cup / Roscommon GAA Advance / Boyle Ladies GAA / Garth Brooks Concerts / Political Discomfort.

An Observation on Current Boyle Tourism

While I may be wrong, from my observation there seem to be a good few visitors on the streets of Boyle at the moment. Hopefully this is the experience of people in the hospitality business. With the Arts Week in the offing this bodes well for the town, a town which has benefitted from a facelift in recent weeks. I have not heard of the impact which the Shuttle Bus to and from the park has had. Hopefully it is doing ok and is one of the contributors to my assessment. Also there seem to be a good few people stopping off in the town supplemented recently by some tourist buses. Perhaps it is the publicity which Boyle has received generally from such as Moone Boy and other areas allied to the very significant visitor attractions locally.

Why visitor numbers to the town would actually rise is something I would be curious about but difficult to ascertain casually.   

The emergence of a number of restaurants to complement those already there is a very positive element. The problem there is consistency in opening times and the restaurants not all being closed at the same times or days. Sean is publishing the times and details on realboyle.com so perhaps this will be helpful. 

Recently with holidaying friends I visited the Model Railway project. My friends were very impressed but the visitor numbers there were not what one might expect. It is certainly another impressive prospect when it finds a true home.

In any event the visitor barometer, as I observe it, is positive and hopefully this progress will continue and can be built on.

Brazil and The World Cup

It is a time of withdrawal symptoms from the World Cup which as anyone who has read these paragraphs will have gathered I really enjoyed. In the end the best team won and even if this is debateable history will record it so. I was surprised to see a Northern Ireland company -Moy Park- being displayed prominently around some of the football grounds. Apparently it was taken over by a Brazilian company called Marfrig with its brand name being retained hence its presence on the hoardings. The words on the Brazilian flag translate from Portuguese to ‘Order and Progress’. Now that the World Cup is over with its ecstasy and agony that is the challenge that now faces that country. I’ll be meeting Killina native Father Tony Conry soon. He will be home on holidays from Brazil and I will get a first-hand account of it all.  Father Tony once had a very interesting column in the Roscommon Herald.

Roscommon GAA Advance

Roscommon overcame a very poor Cavan team in Breffni Park on Saturday evening. The first half was pretty dire but Roscommon really got going in the second half and Enda and later Donal Smith contributed greatly to that. It is nice to have people saying to you as you exit the grounds “Yer Boyle lads did well” 

So it is another step on the upward ladder on Saturday next at 5 in Hyde Park. Armagh having beaten Tyrone in their last game, are still in a rebuilding process but will be formidable opposition and a real guide as to Roscommon’s progress. There is history between us  also from ’53 when Armagh overcame Roscommon in the All-Ireland Semi-Final repeating this in ’77 after a replay but Roscommon got a Semi-final back in 1980. It is felt by many that the fine Armagh team from a decade or so ago  were short-changed by winning just the one All-Ireland in 2002. 

The Roscommon minors gave a pretty good looking Mayo side a real good run in Castlebar and they now face the Ulster Champions which is another big challenge for the side and team manager Fergal O’Donnell.

Boyle Ladies GAA

Boyle Ladies had a good win over Shannon Gaels on Sunday in the Abbey Park. The speed , skill and commitment of these young ladies is really admirable. If they can improve in their shooting in the scoring zone then they should be real contenders in the Intermediate Championship.

Garth Brooks Concerts

The debacle of the Garth Brooks concerts is nearly over now I presume. Still a few curious details continue to emerge. There is a populist phrase which says; ‘You couldn’t make it up’. There certainly is material for a book, film, opera or musical in it all. For a country that has much going for it how come we manage to mess up so often?

Political Discomfort

There was a disconcerting picture of the new Labour Party leader, Joan Burton, in the media in the last few days. She did not seem at all happy and it suggests that the relationship with the Taoiseach will be a fragile one. While this Coalition will certainly want to go the distance the mood music of the moment suggests otherwise. Still being there for the Centenary of 1916 is a strong incentive.

Another Minister who was in an uncomfortable situation in the last few days was The Minister for Equality and Law Reform, Frances Fitzgerald, when putting the Irish State’s case before the European Human Rights Commission. Chairman, Nigel Rodley, gave a withering summary of the state’s historic failings on a number of fronts as the Minister listened.     

Garth Brooks Concerts / Roscommon v Cavan / Boyle Ladies GAA / World Cup and the Death of Di Stephano

Garth Brooks Concerts….What a Mess.

Sometimes when things go wrong at a high level the barstool sages casually espouse; ‘I could have told them that’. To actually sell up to 400,000 tickets for five concerts subject to licence, (I was going to use ‘seems to me’ but I’ll leave the qualification aside) was just hugely irresponsible. The result now is a huge loss to many different groups. First there are the people who bought the tickets though they are expected to get their money back and what an operation that will be. The Joe Duffy show  is likely to have enough material for the foreseeable future in the travails that will emerge there. Those worst effected are the people from abroad who have booked flights, hotels and bought tickets. Then there are the multitude of service providers in Dublin City, hotels, bars restaurants, B.& B.s’ and so on. Many people, possibly students, were to have a period of part-time employment on the foot of the concerts. Croke Park, referred to by objectors as Corporate Croke Park, which I presume is the group running the stadium as a fund-raising machine will also lose of course and the regime which will emerge will be considearably more restrictive on the stadium’s use. The objectors will possibly have to keep their heads down with the loss of so many part-time jobs and the ‘legacy fund’ of 500,00 for local amenity projects now gone. It was of course their right to object and so on and it is more likely that it was the City Council executive who were the final arbitrers in all  five concerts not going ahead being unlicensed. Perhaps, though I have not heard it said, they were worried about the scale of it all and if there was a disaster who would then be accountable? Then there is the country’s reputaional damage as against what would have a huge good news and promotional story for Ireland Inc. How so many agencies could not see the light in the tunnel being an oncoming train is mind-boggling. There was the distinct Celtic Tiger attitude of ‘build it and seek retention’.  It has been regularly suggested that the Church, Fianna Fail and the GAA were the great Irish institutions; two have been rocked, is this a body blow to the third?      

The reality of all the brinkmanship is that there should have been a much earlier intervention and awareness and perhaps the sage Kieran Mulvey should have been consulted earlier. Even I might have suggested that there was (possible) trouble ahead. (As I finish this note did I hear correctly that Garth Brooks was still asking that the five would go ahead?)

Roscommon v Cavan:

Next Saturday Roscommon GAA supporters head for Kingscourt Breffni Park, Cavan for a championship game. Roscommon and Cavan have a history. In 1943 when Roscommon won their first All-Ireland they defeated Cavan in a replay, a robust affair. In ’44 Roscommon disposed of Cavan in the Semi-Final before beating Kerry in the Final and making it two in a row. It looked as if Roscommon would rule for a time with a great side They were shocked by Mayo in ’45 but returned in ’46 but lost to Kerry in a replay. Cavan were their opponents in the ’47 Semi-Final the year the All-Ireland took place in the Polo grounds in New York a great prize. Cavan won and beat Kerry in New York. The two counties did not meet again at this level until 1962 when Roscommon were victors before going down to Kerry in the final. This was to be Gerry O’Malley’s final. After the early fifties both Roscommon and Cavan went into decline but occasionally the old embers sparked into life and the hugely dedicated supporters, of both counties, shook off their disappointments and emerged re-energised. So we travel to Cavan on Saturday evening to a football tradition where as Seamus Heaney said about Derry ‘ Where hope and History Rhyme’.

(Best wishes to the Boyle connections involved at the week-end Enda and Donie Smith on Saturday and Evan McGrath on Sunday in Castlebar with the minors plus Fergal O’Donnell and Stephen Bohan of their management team).

Boyle Ladies GAA:

Boyle Ladies GAA team play Shannon Gaels in the Intermediate team Championship at 12 noon (High!) in Boyle. When I asked if this was an ‘important’ game the response I got was; ‘Every game against Shannon Gaels is an important game!’ Tradition!

World Cup and the Death of Di Stephano.

A good few people including myself will have withdrawal symptoms as the World Cup comes to a conclusion. It has been a feast of drama, theatre and entertainment. I really enjoyed it. The German victory over Brazil had elements of GUBU about it. The goals were pouring in when the person I was watching it with got a message on his I Phone with an altered picture of the towering statue of Christ the Redeemer over Rio with his his hands over his eyes! Another story came from the Roisin Dubh pub in Galway who had the offer of 50 cent reduction on a German lager for every goal German scored from a starting price of 4 euro. Near the end of the game therefore they were down to 50 cent.

One of the greatest soccer players in the game’s history Alfredo di Stephano died in Madrid this week. He was born in Argentina but became a naturlised Spaniard. He was part of the great Real Madrid side which won five European Cups in a row from ’55 to ’60 inclusive. It included some other special players such as Gento and the Hungarian legend Puskas.  That final was played at Hampden Park Glasgow and was watched by 127,000 people. Real won scoring 7 goals to Eintracht Frankfurt’s 3. Stefano, the ‘blonde arrow’, scored 4. It was the first game of soccer I saw being on a snowy television screen. It was on May 18^th 1960 and I still seem to remember it.        

The World Cup Carnival / Shorts on the GAA Scene.

The World Cup Carnival

Although I occasionally get a little guilty at the amount of time I spend watching the World Cup, especially the earlier evening games, it makes for compelling viewing for the football enthusiast especially. There may have been some poor games but they have been submerged by the drama and entertainment in the overall package. While a number of the big guns have departed a number of the traditional football blue bloods are still there. It seems as these are having the luck or maybe make their luck. I think it was golfer Gary Player who said; “The more I practise the luckier I get”. In the luck stakes for one side to have it means there has to be a balancing hard luck side.

To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction and all that. Last night it was the case of the U.S. missing out against Belgium again in extra time like a number of enthralling games. While Belgium were the better team overall the huge effort by the U.S. team was as they might say awesome. The wish of most observers was that the game would go to penalties and the opportunities existed to make that happen. Still if your goalkeeper is the team’s hero then it is a barometer of the overall balance of play and the truth of the result.
Algeria too had to yield to Germany in similar circumstances as did Switzerland to Argentina. A late, late, penalty garnered by Arjen Robben meant heartbreak for Mexico. Greece too went down in another thriller which meant that at least one real minnow, Costa Rica, survived into the quarter-finals. Costa Rica’s supposed practising of penalties paid off with them converting all five to three for Greece.

The quarter-finals begin on Friday with a possible chess game between heavyweights of the game Germany and France.  Brazil v Colombia is the later game. On Saturday Argentina take on Belgium with the Netherlands playing Costa Rica.
The first semi-final will be on Tuesday and the  second on Wednesday. There are four previous winners in the last eight so the odds are stacked on this trend continuing. Indeed the number of winners is small overall with four failing to get to this stage; Uruguay, Italy, England and Spain. Still the challenge of many smaller nations in this World Cup promotes the idea that new names will emerge to join the elite group.
The possibility of a country from Africa, Asia or especially a U.S. win would have a huge impact on this truly world game. While these are just football games many of them, in this World Cup more than one can remember of any other, are embellished with high drama and emotion with more to come.

 The Roscommon team in the Abbey Park on Sunday v Sligo 

Roscommon team manager John Evans in the Abbey Park

Shorts on the GAA Scene

I had not meant these paragraphs to be so sports orientated but it is hard to avoid it with all that is going on. Next week does not look too promising on that score either. Perhaps when the Arts Festival starts some calm will emerge. On Saturday last the Fergal O’Donnell managed Roscommon minors overcame a fancied Leitrim side. This puts them in the Connacht final against Mayo who beat Galway. Galway had earlier defeated Sligo.
Boyle’s representative on the Roscommon team, Evan McGrath, had an outstanding game, especially in the second half. Again as in the World Cup one has to feel for Leitrim who put such an effort into the preparation of this team for which they had such high hopes. 

On Sunday, in the sunshine of the resplendent Abbey Park, Roscommon overcame Sligo in a good challenge. Boyle’s representatives here, Enda and Donal Smith, were prominent with Donal, knowing the local geography, taking some fine scores. Roscommon journey to Kingspan Breffni Park on Saturday evening in the championship. This will be a real acid test for what I see as an emerging side of consequence. 

The Abbey Park is a hive of activity this week with the Kellogs Cul Camps catering for over one hundred young people as they train up in the game and have fun. 

Last Sunday saw Kilkenny defeat Galway in a replay at Tullamore. While this would indicate that ‘the cats’ are still there they are not the force of a few seasons ago. Still they should add another Leinster title at Dublin’s expense on Sunday in Croke Park. Galway’s runner-up prize from Tullamore is a knock out joust with Tipperary at Semple Stadium on Saturday evening. It was hardly a prize at all.

Slan.