2019.05.10 by Roscommon People

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THE BIG GAME

10 May 2019

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e l p o e WATCHING P With PAUL HEALY

So, do anything special at the weekend? Well, there was a ‘Big Howya’ event on… You mean ‘Big Hello’… Sorry, Big Hello. So the wife persuaded me to go, even though I didn’t want to. Why not, she said. ‘WE HARDLY EVER TALK TO OUR NEIGHBOURS’. Exactly, I said. That’s why I don’t want to go. I’m happy enough not talking to our neighbours! But you went…? Yep, met everyone, did all the small talk. Weather. Football. Brexit. All the ‘Whatage-are-your-kids-now, the-years-don’tbe-long-passing’ stuff. Sounds great! So you got to talk to your neighbours, got to know them better…? That was the small talk! When it came to proper talk, everyone was keeping their cards close to their chest. That’s the way we are, as people… That’s the way some people are – like you! A stranger came over to me. I asked if he was lost… And… He said he moved into the house down the road three years ago! That’s the point! We don’t know our neighbours any more! I’d say you actually enjoyed the Big Hello…

Endangered Species The barstool boyos

I enjoyed the Big Goodbye more! (They both stare into their pints) Any more tales of joy from the weekend? Well I popped down to Strokestown Poetry Festival, had a coffee. And I went to the

Lamb Festival on Sunday. Is the Poetry Festival part of the Lamb Festival? No, they’re completely separate! Who ever heard of a link between lambs and poetry… Well, Mary had a little lamb. Very funny. Anyways, I got home Sunday evening, put my feet up, and one of the kids was on the laptop. Seemed like they had created a video, a kind of ‘video nasty’. Wha..? It was gruesome. There was this busker playing the guitar, and Sean Kelly, the ex-GAA President was doing a weird dance, then Leo Varadkar, of all people, starts singing! That was real! That was a Youtube clip! It couldn’t have been real, he was singing ‘Zombie’ – it wasn’t real, it was surreal. Clearly a spoof. Oh, forget it. Anyways, speaking of politicians, I hear they were out in force at the Lamb Festival. The town was full of politicians’ vans and cars... Yeah, they were all there, coming up to people, shaking hands, pressing the flesh, one after the other. Like sheep? Eh, yeah…like sheep! Addressing their flock. Yep, addressing their flock! Oh well, as long as they’re not lambs to the slaughter!

Our Alternative Awards The ‘Lifetime Achievement’ Award Our random ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award for a local committee goes to the organisers of the Strokestown International Poetry Festival, which celebrated its big 21st last weekend. I’ve composed this tribute poem to our friends in Strokestown… In 1999, Strokestown and poetry were married For better or for verse They’ve hosted poetic superstars and beginners alike, For sheer enjoyment and modest purse Poets, established and emerging, Read in splendid Strokestown House Grounds, Appreciative audiences savour the words, the cadence, the sounds Political satire, music, schools competitions, All share the Strokestown stage Poetry in motion, All human life on the page So congratulations on your 21st, And on that recent feature in the Irish Times Here’s to the next 21 years And many more happy rhymes PIC OF THE WEEK…Majella Kelly from Tuam celebrates after winning this year’s Strokestown International Poetry Competition with her poem entitled ‘Virginia Creeper’. Pic: Mick McCormack

What we liked… The lovely May Bank Holiday weather was a great boost for the Roscommon Lamb Festival (congratulations to the organisers) and indeed for the Government’s ‘Big Hello’ initiative.

What we didn’t like… When it emerged that four consultants had raised stark concerns about the standard of mortuary services in University Hospital Waterford, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar could have shown gravitas

and sensitivity and pledged to investigate the claims. Instead, Leo just couldn’t help going into defensive, smug mode. Our Taoiseach publicly undermined the consultants’ claims, stating that there wasn’t any evidence to support this “strange” story. His subsequent apology was less than convincing. A poor week for Leo. Must do better.

* Early betting on yours truly for ‘Poet of 2020 Festival in Strokestown’ has been suspended

The ‘Emotional Moment of the Week’ Award The Busker. The Taoiseach. The former GAA President. That rendition of ‘Zombie’. Check it out on Youtube. (Emotional? I’m presuming that many viewers broke down and cried).

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

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PAUL HEALY’S WEEK A column by Roscommon People editor

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The usher in the Backstage Theatre in Longford checked our tickets, and then started walking. And kept walking. I was about to ask if it was a sponsored walk, when he finally stopped…at the very front row. And so it was that Fiona and I found ourselves sitting in the front row last Friday night. The only people in the front row, too. If it was a comedian that was due on stage, I think I’d have done a runner. In fact we had received tickets (as a present) for the Fishamble production of ‘Haughey/Gregory’, currently on a nationwide tour. Written by Colin Murphy and directed by Conall Morrison, Haughey/Gregory is based on the famous deal made between Independent TD Tony Gregory and Charles Haughey in 1982, when Gregory surprisingly won a Dáil seat – and found himself holding the balance of power. The play was very entertaining…a terrific and original production. The excellent fivestrong cast played multiple roles, including as Haughey, Gregory, Garret Fitzgerald, Bertie Ahern, George Colley, Des O’Malley, PJ Mara and Des Traynor. Morgan C Jones was superb as Haughey, and there were fine performances from

paul@roscommonpeople.ie

Ruairí Heading, Janet Moran, Michael Glenn Murphy and Jonathan White. The audience was taken on a nostalgic trip back into the 1980s for a political drama which was laced with lots of humour (and a great soundtrack of hit songs from that era). The cast received a deserved standing ovation. I think many readers would enjoy this play. (Haughey/Gregory is actually on stage in the Town Hall Theatre, Galway tonight, Thursday, May 9th at 8 pm, and in Limerick on Friday night; details from www. fishamble.com). And we survived the front row – bar the odd stare from Haughey.

Nice walk, pity about the litter louts Being a paid-up member of the ‘Fair Weather Walkers’ Club, I only resumed walking last weekend, now that the sun was making a welcome visit. Reports that the ‘old bog road’ behind our house had been given a great facelift by the Council proved to be accurate. There was a time when taking a walk there was like re-enacting a scene from an old Tarzan movie – but now the briars and bushes and overhanging branches have all been cleared.

It’s a lovely walk and a reminder of the beauty of nature…every few steps I took were to the backdrop of creatures rustling in hedges or drains, and birds singing from above. Four cows stared at the human invader of the afternoon’s tranquillity. The only negative aspect of an enjoyable excursion by this fair weather walker came when I emerged on to the main AthloneRoscommon. I noticed two black bags full of rubbish, abandoned in a drain (on the main road). I have often come across illegal dumping on our local ‘side roads’…this was even more audacious. Sunday was a beautiful day. The birds were singing, lambs were playing in the field, our beautiful rural county was looking its finest. What a pity that there are still idiots in our midst who continue to deface the countryside with their shameful activity.

Everyone loves Trump So finally, a man called Trump who, while strutting across the world stage, does it by uniting instead of dividing. Playing some mesmerising snooker as he defeated the great John Higgins in the final at the Crucible, Judd Trump is a truly worthy world snooker champion… an Alex Higgins for the 21st century!

It was easy to be in awe of Eugene… They will lay a great man to rest in Longford today. He was a man of many talents. I knew him as a newspaper man…and had a special fondness for him because he gave me my ‘start’ in journalism. As long-time Editor of the Longford Leader, and contributor to numerous national publications, Eugene McGee was a true newspaper man – and a great one. He was fiercely loyal to the great traditions of local papers. He knew what this business was all about and cared passionately for it. He had the skills to realise his vision, to see things done as he felt they should be done. How McGee wanted things done was…the right way. Done in a way that was true to truth, true to rural Ireland, true to ordinary people and proper values, true to his paper’s readers…while being suitably suspicious of any individual or group not having such a sense of fairness as their primary motivation. McGee was a proper newspaper man, not like many of the imposters who bought their way into the newspaper industry in latter years. I’m one of many journalists around Ireland who are thinking this week…‘I’m indebted to McGee’. In 1986, I was the Longford Leader’s humble Rooskey notes correspondent. From behind the bar counter (where I worked) I persistently

The late Eugene McGee – a man of many talents.

dispatched sample articles and letters to Eugene McGee, hoping for a break. Eventually, an appointment. I sat on one side of his desk, and he sat on the other. He said very little, and I said less. He was himself, and I was intimidated. But then Eugene McGee – in his no frills, no-nonsense manner – offered me a job in the Leader newsroom. Not that he seemed entirely sure that he was making the right call. Having complimented my writing, and possibly fearing an unnecessary release of praise, he suddenly checked himself

and returned to gruff mode: “Lots of people want to be writers, but nobody seems to want to be a reporter!” So, that was it. In my early 20s, I was moving into the world of journalism. I was in awe of Eugene McGee, and in truth I never stopped being in awe of him. Some people just command respect and loyalty, make you want to please them. That’s how it was with McGee. I saw him up close and personal for about three years. It was some experience, an education, watching this quite unique man qui-

etly and brilliantly inspire those around him. After a period in Longford, I moved to the Cavan Leader, also run by McGee, and where Ciaran Mullooly was his Deputy Editor. McGee was as gruff or blunt or shy or non-communicative as people say, but we got used to it. And behind it all, he had a very good sense of humour, a mischevious and quick wit, and a humbling sense of fairness. And he was the consummate local newspaper journalist/editor. The best in the business. Most of what we now know, we learnt from him. That must be the case, because any journalist who worked for ‘McGee’ all those years ago still remembers, still traces so much back to him and his ways. Eugene, who sadly passed away last Sunday, leaves a truly remarkable legacy. Loving family man. Pioneering AllIreland winning manager (with many more GAA achievements too). Brilliant journalist, editor and pundit. Champion of rural Ireland. Wonderfully passionate Longfordian. Honest man, dripping in integrity and decency. True one-off. 1982 and all that. The stuff of legend. He is part of GAA folklore. He will be remembered too as a real newspaperman, in the great tradition of real newspaper people. As a man who inspired a lot more than he probably realised. I was in awe of him then, and pretty much still am. May he rest in peace.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

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‘Summit to address Civil Defence ambulance and emergency cover’  PAUL HEALY

Minister with responsibility for Defence Paul Kehoe TD has confirmed to Deputy Denis Naughten that a summit is to be held between the Department of Defence, Local Authority Chief Executives and the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) to address the issue surrounding the provision of ambulance and emergency cover by the Civil Defence. Deputy Naughten, who has been in contact with the key players on this issue, has stated that it is vital that this issue is resolved in order that certain Civil Defence

emergency medical operations can continue after the 31st of July”. “If this issue is not resolved it could have a serious impact on the cost of running many local community and social events, putting some events off altogether, which would directly impact on our ability to develop the Irelands Hidden Heartlands Tourism brand launched by Government last year,” explained Denis Naughten. “Civil Defence volunteers provide a vital service throughout the Country and I now hope that this summit will provide the clarity needed to address this important issue” concluded Denis Naughten.

Deputy Denis Naughten

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Yvonne, Noah, Kevin and Annabelle Mulligan at the Roscommon Lamb Festival Family Day at Loughnaneane Park on Sunday. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Caroline Walsh and Freya Rogerson pictured at the Roscommon Lamb Festival Family Fun Day at Loughnaneane Park on Sunday. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

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Ben Cassidy, Darragh Donnellan, Jack, Ruby, Pamela and Ian Cassidy pictured at the Roscommon Lamb Festival Family Fun Day at Loughnaneane Park on Sunday. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

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NEWS…at a glance

Football match in aid of Danny Browne Fund Creggs GAA will host a football match this Saturday (11th) at 7 pm between local rivals ‘The Mountain’ and ‘The Valley’. Proceeds will go to The Danny Browne Fund. Threeyear-old Danny Browne suffers from a rare and debilitating condition known as cerebral palsy spastic diplegia, which inhibits his mobility. He is the eldest child of Val Browne and Kelly Ann Geraghty. Please support.

Tidy Towns Church gate collections Roscommon Tidy Towns Association will hold its annual Church gate collection this weekend (Saturday and Sunday, 10th and 11th). Funds collected will go towards future projects to enhance the town. Currently the town is at Gold Medal status, and new members are always welcome to join the award-winning group who meet on Tuesday evenings at 7 pm in the Market Square. Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Coffee morning in aid of ‘Make a Wish’ The students at Roscommon VTOS are hosting a coffee morning in aid of the Make a Wish Foundation this Friday (10th) at VTOS on Lanesboro Street from 11 am to 1 pm. All welcome.

Ballinasloe Singers’ Circle tonight

Athlone Choral Society’s Summer Concert

Michelle appears on Eco Eye

Ballinasloe Singers’ Circle will host its next Circle in The Dunlo Tavern, Dunlo Street, Ballinasloe this evening (Thursday, 9th) from 9.30 pm. All singers, storytellers, poets and listeners welcome. Admission is free.

Ballintubber Community Alert AGM

Roscommon business woman Michelle Fallon, founder of Michelle Made This, appeared on RTÉ’s ‘Eco Eye’ on Tuesday, February 27th. Presenter Duncan Stewart visited Michelle at home, where she Supporters pictured at Monday’s Connacht LGFA Minor ‘A’Ambassador. Final betweenThe Roscommon explained her role as Roscommon’s Green Cleaning episode and can Galway be seenaton the Enfi eld. Pics: Mick McCormack RTÉ Player at www.rte.ie/player Alert will take place this Friday (10th) at 9 pm in the Old School House, Ballintubber. All welcome.

Haemochromatosis information meeting

The AGM of Ballintubber Community

including: Dr. Gerard O’Meara (Consultant Geriatrician), Nurse Margaret Kelly (Advance Practitioner in Diabetes), and Nurse Olive Arnold (Haemochromatosis Specialist Nurse).

Roscommon County Council, Healthy

Ireland and The Irish Haemochromatosis Association are holding a Haemochromatosis Information Meeting in Roscommon town on Tuesday, May 14th at 7.30 pm in Arás an Chontae, Roscommon town. Tea and coffee will be served from 7 pm and speakers on the night will be from Roscommon University Hospital,

The Athlone Choral Society is looking forward to its annual Summer Concert. The society has been working hard for the last few months learning new pieces and reviving some old favourites! With a great mixture of special guests including soprano Aisling Kenny, string quartet ‘Impromptu’, Le Chéile Singers and organist Daren Lane, you’re assured of a wonderful night’s entertainment. Experience this much-anticipated performance on Saturday, 25th Mary at 7 pm in St. Mary’s Church of Ireland, Athlone. Tickets are €10 and are available on the door or from choir members.

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STRAIGHT TALKING Eugene McGee…the ultimate straight talker and one of the finest men I have ever met WITH SEAMUS DUKE

Never was a column called ‘Straight Talking’ so aptly named, given this week’s subject, which is on the late Eugene McGee. Like so many people, I was shocked and saddened to hear of his passing as the news spread on Sunday morning last. In the days since the news broke it is amazing how many people have expressed such fond memories of the great man from Colmcille. I am certainly no different. He touched so many people’s lives in a positive way. Of course he will be primarily remembered as the man who steered Offaly to probably the most famous AllIreland senior football final win of all time, in 1982. But he had so many more strings to his bow. I first met Eugene in the late 1970s when he was in charge of a famous and very successful UCD team that included our own Tony McManus. Tony often regaled us of fantastic stories of his coaching methods and no-nonsense approach, and how when you first met Eugene he appeared off-hand and gruff but once you got to know him he was anything but that. He was a man who was way ahead of his time in terms of his attitude and thinking. When local radio started in 1989, there were many people in the local newspaper industry who viewed this new form of media as a possible threat. However, Eugene was one who embraced the idea and was of the opinion that it would be a big addition to local communities. And of course he was proven right. As the Shannonside GAA commentator and reporter in those early days, I sought advice from Eugene many times. He was always so helpful and supportive. He was very quick to point out anything that he disagreed with too! But Eugene McGee was far more than a GAA coach and newspaper columnist. As the Editor of the Longford Leader (and for a period, the Cavan Leader) he was a tireless advocate for people in rural Ireland. He used his high profile to highlight many issues in terms of unemployment, emigration, health services, transport and infrastructure. He spared no-one in power if he thought they were selling rural Ireland short. He had a brilliant mind, whether it was to do with the GAA or other issues, but his dour demeanour meant that some people thought he was off-hand and gruff. But when you got to know Eugene you realised that the exact opposite was the case. He loved seeking out people’s views. In recent years we would chat on the telephone and it was clear that his passion on rural issues and his love affair with Gaelic football had never waned. In recent years, because he had some health issues, he was not as frequent a visitor to Croke Park as in former times. The last time I met Eugene was in Croke Park at the Roscommon v Dublin Super

CANDIDATE IN THE ROSCOMMON LOCAL ELECTORAL AREA Local Elections 24th May 2019 I care passionately about Roscommon and I am ambitious for our County. For almost fifteen years I have been a strong voice on Roscommon County Council and I have worked consistently to improve the lives of individuals and the community. I need your NO. 1 VOTE on 24th MAY so I can continue to work for you. Thank you.

Dedicated Constituency Office: GOFF STREET, ROSCOMMON TOWN

x090 6634925 or 087 2819918 xcllroleyden@roscommoncoco.ie @orlaleyden

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8s match last year. He was in good form. We had a long chat about different issues, including blanket defences, club matches, Offaly football, Roscommon football, and whether Dublin would win the All-Ireland again. As we parted that day he said: “You know, it’s nice to be back here again”. He loved the big day – and especially the big day in Croke Park. He was a fearless GAA columnist and regularly lashed the GAA when he saw fit. In fact I remember at one stage there was talk about banning Eugene McGee from the Press Box in Croke Park because of the nature of some of his journalistic output. Thankfully sense

“

He was a tireless advocate for people in rural Ireland. He used his high proﬁle to highlight many issues in terms of unemployment, emigration, health services, transport and infrastructure…and spared no-one in power if he thought they were selling rural Ireland short

prevailed. The criticism was coming from one of their own, a man who loved the GAA and who knew its positive impact on communities around the country. There are so many stories that I could tell about Eugene over the years, reflecting his blunt, straight talking way of going on. I recall one of the first Sundays since Shannonside had begun broadcasting, and on air was a presenter who didn’t really have a clue about sport. At one stage he read out the following: “And the latest score from Ballybofey is ‘Finn Harps 0, Longford Town one point’”. The phone rang immediately. It was Eugene McGee. He told the woman who answered in studio: “Would ya tell that bloody eejit that there’s no points in soccer?” – and immediately put the phone down. Another story much quoted in recent says is of Eugene’s comment on the morning of the All-Ireland final between Offaly and Kerry in 1982 when a journalist asked him how badly did the Offaly players want to win the match. He snapped back: “There are men in that dressing room who haven’t had a pint since last Wednesday night”. So many more of those stories about Eugene will be shared this week by those of us who were privileged to have known him. This weekend, hundreds of thousands of people will do the ‘Darkness Into Light’ charity walk. Eugene McGee brought light and hope to many people throughout the country over the years. He was one of the finest men that I have met in my lifetime. An innovator, a deep thinker, a very intelligent, witty and caring man who spoke straight out as he saw it, and who never suffered fools in any walk of life. We won’t see the likes of him again. To Marian, Linda and Conor, I extend my deepest sympathy.

TEMPORARY CLOSING OF ROADS ROADS ACT 1993, SECTION 75 ROADS REGULATIONS 1994, ARTICLE 12 Roscommon County Council intends to close the road set out in the schedule hereunder for the period and the reason specified. Road to be closed: R362 from junction with N63 in Athleague village to junction with L7503 to Coolusty. Period of Closure: From 1.00pm to 4.00pm on Sunday 2nd June, 2019. Alternative Routes: Via L7503 (Kilmore) to R357 (Cornapalis), R 357 (Cornapalis) to N63 (Keenagh) and N63 to Athleague And Vice Versa Local and Emergency Traffic will be facilitated. Reason for Closure: To facilitate Athleague Fair & Festival. Objections in respect of the proposed closure may be made in writing to the undersigned to arrive not later than 5.00pm on Thursday 16th May, 2019. Roads & Transportation Department Roscommon County Council

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

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Cllr. Liam Callaghan FOR BETTER RURAL SERVICES

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NO.

M.: 086 3325839 • E. cllrlcallaghan@roscommoncoco.ie

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€3bn Broadband NAUGHTEN HAILS ‘HISTORIC DAY FOR IRELAND’  DAN DOONER

On Tuesday, the Cabinet approved the €3 billion National Broadband Plan, which aims to bring high-speed Internet to more than 540,000 homes, farms and businesses across rural Ireland with the first customers expected to be

connected next year but with some facing a wait of up to seven years or more. Former Minister for Communications Denis Naughten, who quit his ministerial post over a series of controversial meetings with David McCourt, head of the only remaining bidder in the tendering process, Granlahan McCourt, hailed it as “one of the defining days in the history of the country”. “When I entered Government my absolute priority as Minister was to ensure that highspeed broadband was provided to the more than 540,000 households and more than 1.1 million people in rural Ireland who do not currently

have access to this essential service. “When I left Government this complex procurement procedure was completed and all that remained was to obtain Government approval for the project. Tuesday’s announcement completes this process. “Just as roads came, and then electricity, broadband will now be delivered to every townland in Ireland and it will leave as lasting a legacy throughout our country,” Deputy Naughten said before adding that a “conservative analysis” regarding the benefits of the plan indicates that the local economy in Roscommon will receive an €8.8 million boost each year.

‘Plan is overpriced and will take years’ – Murphy Fianna Fáil TD Eugene Murphy believes the National Broadband Plan is overpriced and will take years to deliver. He also highlighted the issue of network ownership when the roll-out is complete. “The new announcement is not good news for Roscommon-Galway. For many of us, particularly in the rural areas, we have been waiting indefinitely for the provision of high-speed broadband. Now, we have another ten years before this project is completed. “I have many concerns around this project. It is taking three times longer and costing six times the original price. On top of that, the State will not own the network built and paid for by the taxpayer. “The people waiting for broadband need it now, not 2029. They should be rightly skeptical about the announcement given the fact that every other timeline on this project has been missed. “Fine Gael has

completely mismanaged this project from the beginning and have wasted taxpayers’ money,” he said.

“The broadband plan, when finally in place, will be welcome for those in RoscommonGalway who are

urgently requiring this service. Yet, how we got to this point, and the next ten years as the service is slowly

rolled out, is massively disappointing for those of us in rural Ireland,” concluded Deputy Murphy.

Deputy Fitzmaurice questions roll-out and ownership  DAN DOONER

PADRAIG MORRIS

Coolougher, Castlerea, Co. Roscommon Email: morrispadraig@eircom.net Tel. 086 308 2302

Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice has said it is “intolerable to think that some homes and businesses will be forced to wait at least seven years for high-speed broadband”. Deputy Fitzmaurice said that while on one hand the plan would be welcomed, questions must be asked regarding those who would not benefit from the plan, the length of time roll-out would take and ownership of the network. “The Government stated yesterday that approximately 540,000 premises and over 1.1 million people will benefit from this plan – but that doesn’t mean every house down every road

will benefit. I hope that the contractors have the necessary competence to complete this major piece of infrastructure. “From my understanding, the contract will not be signed for at least six months – but this could stretch to nine months. I am led to believe that it could be up to two years before the first 120,000 premises are connected. “Then they appear to be looking at a system of connecting 70,000 additional premises per year. It is baffling to think that eir can connect in the region of 300,000 homes and businesses inside two years, while it will take up to seven years for 540,000 premises to benefit from this plan,” he said.

Deputy Fitzmaurice also questioned the ultimate ownership of the National Broadband network describing it as “the most fiscally illiterate decision since the National Children’s Hospital was commissioned”. “The scenario is akin to buying a new car, using it for a couple of years and then going back to the dealer and saying ‘you can have this back for nothing,” he said. He concluded with the assertion that the jury was still out on a lot of the previous assertions and promises with regards to the plan and that “should it let the people of rural Ireland down once again on this, the Government would never be forgiven”.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

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CONNOLLY

National Broadband Plan gets green light from Government

CLLR. DOMNICK

kick-off

VOTE #1

Roscommon Electoral Area Candidate

Continuing to fight for local health services CONTACT DOMNICK Fuerty, Roscommon T: 087 245 1267 Email: cllrdconnolly@roscommoncoco.ie

Vote for

John Groarke Carnakitt, Tulsk, Castlerea, Co. Roscommon. Tel. 071 9639255 Mob. 085 1770776

INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE A strong voice for the People â&#x20AC;&#x201C; supporting School Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Campaign for the Environment, local issues and Brexit fears

VOTE E No.1 David McCourt and Deputy Denis Naughten.

Ibec welcomes broadband announcement Ibec, the group that represents Irish business, welcomes todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s announcement from Government on the National Broadband Plan (NBP), citing the delivery of high-speed broadband as vital for the development of Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regions. Ibec CEO Danny McCoy said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Effective regional development remains impossible without high-speed broadband. While Ire-

landâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s private sector has invested â&#x201A;Ź2.75bn over the past 5 years in network infrastructure we are dependent on the successful rollout of the NBP in order to bring high speed broadband to the 23% of homes and businesses in the State that are not commercially viable for the private sector to service directly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Without access to high speed broadband, our

regions cannot be expected to attract, develop and retain a vibrant business ecosystem of start-ups, indigenous SMEs and multinational enterprises. As Ireland enters the mature phase of its business cycle with the economy close to capacity, investing in vital infrastructure such as to high speed broadband is critical in helping to insulate the economy against future downturns.â&#x20AC;?.

Callaghan welcomes broadband and bypass Fine Gael Cllr. Liam Callaghan has welcomed this weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s announcements by Government that both the National Broadband Plan and N5 Ballaghaderreeen to Scramogue bypass are both set to proceed.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The two biggest issues I am confronting on the doorsteps is the lack of broadband in rural areas and the current state of the N5 from Scramogue to Tibohine. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In relation to the N5, there is currently a high volume of

traffic on this route each day causing continuous safety concerns to residents and road users. Planning permission for a new 35km route is now approved and the project will move to tender.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The National Broadband Plan will provide high-speed broadband to all rural communities and both of these projects are great news for the residents of Co. Roscommon,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Fitzmaurice Cllr. Paschal

Local Election Candidate | Roscommon Local Election Candidate | Roscommon

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just talk about change Working for You the and the Community ... I make changeâ&#x20AC;? SDVFKDO É¤W]PDXULFH#JPDLO FRP Ballindrimley, Castlerea, Co. Roscommon

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

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Andrew

REYNOLDS Local Election Candidate I am always available to deal with any issues you may have. Please contact me if I can help with any matter – Andrew

Pictured is Jimmy Kelly from Curraghboy, a member of the Dysart Rural Men’s Group, along with nine grandchildren, all celebrating the ‘Big Hello’ in Dysart Community Centre last Saturday. This wonderful initiative brought together a large group of people of all ages from the community who participated in fun games and activities last Saturday afternoon in Dysart Community Centre. Group coordinator Noel Hoare thanked everyone for making this event a great success which will be fondly remembered for a long time to come.

M. 087 1631075 / 043 3349506 E. andrewreynoldsfg@gmail.com

Rahara Old Graveyard illustrated lecture An illustrated lecture on the headstones in Rahara Old Graveyard will be held at 8.30 pm on Thursday, May 9th in Rahara National School. The lecture will be given by Mary Timoney, archaeologist, in conjunction with Willie Gacquin. The parish is fortunate in having the headstones and other memorials recorded by Matthew Beattie and Willie Gacquin and published in the recently-produced Rahara book. Mary’s lecture will explain the symbols on the headstones and talk about the masons who carved them. She has published ‘Ballintober Old Graveyard and the Grave Memorials of Co. Roscommon’. Many of the Rahara headstones are illustrated in the book which illustrates over a thousand pieces of sculpture. The book will be on sale at the reduced price of €35 at the lecture. All are welcome and admission is free.

DECLAN

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€200m N5 road project set to go to construction The €200m N5 road project from Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge has been approved to go to construction by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross. The project has received planning approval and will now move to the tender and construction phase. There will be 34km of new single carriageway road from the western end of the existing N5 Ballaghaderreen Bypass to the townland of Scramoge in County Roscommon, bypassing the towns and villages of Frenchpark, Bellanagare, Tulsk and Strokestown. Deputy Denis Naughten said: “This project has been a priority for me during my time in Government and one which I have worked on with my colleague Minister Michael Ring”. Deputy Naughten said that a series of advance works contracts will commence this year, including archaeological investigations, ground investigations, boundary fencing, tree felling and additional clearance works. He added: “It is expected that a contract will be awarded next year with the construction phase of the projected expected to take

First-time candidate A new, young voice for the people and the community

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Please continue your preferences for Cllr. Paschal Fitzmaurice and Cllr. Orla Leyden A VOICE FOR THE PEOPLE ... I care about local people and local issues. We have a great community with a wonderful quality of life. But we need more services, more infrastructure. I will fight for what we deserve. We need to be heard. Please do not hesitate to contact me on local issues – Marty Congratulations to Roscommon Lamb Festival committee on a wonderful community event

Tel. 087 3466064 Email: marty.mcdermott1@gmail.com /marty.mcdermott.184

three years to complete. The new road when completed will be a major economic boost to County Roscommon and the West of Ireland and will make the region far more attractive for both inward investment and for existing businesses in the region”. Senator Maura Hopkins

welcomed the news. She said that she has been consistently raising this issue since first elected five years ago and added that she will continue to work closely with Minister Ross to ensure that this project can be delivered on time. Senator Frank Feighan has also welcomed the news. He said:

“This is great news and a major milestone for the project. It will bring many benefits, not least from a safety point of view. “Apart from the safety element, the road upgrade will also reduce the cost of travel for business and tourism and thereby improve competitiveness”.

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Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

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Tree-mendous project at Woodview Court…

Residents of Woodview Court in Roscommon town certainly played their part in support of National Tree Week recently. The residents were delighted to plant 19 trees in their estate over the Easter period, in conjunction with National Tree Week. Local children made a big contribution,

Saturday Storytelling in Roscommon Library Saturday Storytelling will take place in Roscommon Library this Saturday (11th) at 11 am for 3-6-yearolds. Please call the library on 090-6637277 to book a place.

Somers family gathering at weekend A gathering of the extended Somers family, which has links with the Knockcroghery and Athleague parishes, is taking place on Friday, May 10th and Saturday, May 11th. People with Somers roots are cordially invited to join. For further details, please email somersreunion2019@gmail. com or call 087-9806596/086-8946435.

GERRY

COFFEY

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lending a hand on this important project. The residents wish to extend thanks to Roscommon County Council for providing nine trees, and a special thank you to Marita Nugent who donated the other ten trees after she won them in a Roscommon Tidy Towns draw! On winning the trees, Marita kindly donated them to the estate.

Strokestown student Estela’s ‘Cool Project’ 17-year-old Estela Liobikaite from Strokestown, Co. Roscommon was one of the first makers to enter the brand-new category 3D Animation at last Sunday’s Coolest Projects International which took place in the RDS Main Hall, Dublin. Estella was among nearly 1,000 young tech creators from around the globe presented their inventions at Coolest Projects International 2019, the world’s leading technology exhibition for young people. Estela began coding at school with her teacher, Ms. Gilleran, and developed a love for animation. She built a special 3D modelled ‘fighter’ game, which she presented at Coolest Projects UK in March and again at last Sunday’s event. She says: “I thought it would be amazing to do a video game because video games can be more than educational; they can teach you so much, but they can also be fun and entertaining. The goal of my game is to become the number one fighter. “I like coding because it is very entertaining to

17-year-old Estela Liobikaite from Strokestown, Co. Roscommon

play to learn about technology. Coding gives a person many opportunities and possibilities. I spend one hour and a half practicing coding every day – sometimes, I fix bugs and glitches, other times, I just improve and make chang-

es. All it takes is one small step forward and (having) a dream. “The reason I decided to do my project in 3D was to test the possibilities of Scratch. You don’t have to be an expert in coding to render frames – all it takes

is some hard work and knowledge of Unity. So I rendered models in Unity, and then, I rendered them from 3D to 2D to make them work in Scratch and give the impression of 3D models”. Estela encourages all girls

to start coding, and hopes her game will help inspire other young women to take part in Coolest Projects. “We can code just as well as guys, and I wanted my game to prove girls can be coders and fighters too,” she concluded.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

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Pictured at last year’s Táin March Festival.

Join in the Táin March Festival 2019 & celebrate the epic tale of the Cattle Raid of Cooley The Táin March is a story of envy, honour and military prowess. The armies of Connacht and Ulster met in a titanic struggle over a prize bull called Donn Cúailnge. The Táin March starts in Rathcroghan in Co. Roscommon, where Queen Medb began her quest for the Brown Bull of Cooley and ends in Bush, Cooley, Co. Louth. Over three weekends and twelve walking days, marchers walk from Rathcroghan all the way to Cooley following Queens Medb’s route in pursuit of the Brown Bull. ‘FREE events are taking place in Tulsk, Roscommon, Strokestown, Sliabh Bawn, Clondra and Longford to mark the first weekend of the Táin March Festival. Celebrate the Táin March Festival and get involved in the fun!’ said Nollaig Feeney, Heritage Officer, Roscommon County Council. On Tuesday 14th May 2019 at 7pm

in Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, Tulsk hear the story of the Táin in all its gory detail with master storyteller Mike McCarty – this version of the tale is not suitable for kids! On Thursday 16th May 2019 at 6pm in Áras an Chontae, Roscommon there will be a Launch of the Táin Arts Exhibition – childrens art and poetry from 2017 and 2018. There will also be a Launch of ‘The Cats of Cruachan’ – a short animation inspired by the children’s poetry and art. Refreshments served. Followed at 7pm by a Procession from Áras an Chontae to Roscommon Castle for a dramatic presentation on the origins of the Táin Bó Cúailnge. On Friday 17th May 2019 at 11am Queen Medb will assemble her warrior army at Rathcroghan Mound, one of the Royal Sites of Ireland, and dispatch them to retrieve the Brown Bull in Cooley.

School children gather at Rathcroghan Mound to greet Queen Medb and send her army on their way. Each school ‘battalion’ will read a praise poem for their warrior Queen. Marchers depart on the first leg of their journey as far as Lissonuffy. At 7pm join Queen Medb’s army in Strokestown as they march down Church Street to Bawn Street for an evening of food, fun, music and entertainment. Winners of local school’s art competition will be announced. On Saturday 18th May 2019 at 10.30am all are welcome to join the marchers as they cross Sliabh Bawn. Use the west entrance to the mountain, meeting point is T20. Bring your lunch! Costumes will be available so come along and get dressed up as a member of Queen Medb’s Iron Age Army. Hear Ancient Music Ireland, greet the marchers with their prehistoric

musical instruments as they arrive from Lissonuffy. The tale of the Táin will be told as the march proceeds to Johns of Doughill where there will be a free bus to bring walkers back to their car. The walk is followed at 2pm by a Warriors Feast with Queen Medb in attendance. Walkers can sample a taste of Táin era food and Mead brewed from the mysterious depths of Oweynagat cave. The fun continues in Longford with family costume design workshops, a talk by Monumental Ireland, Queen Medb ceremony and a performance of the Women of the Woods by Candlelit Tales. On Sunday 19th May 2019 at 10am the Marchers depart Johns of Doughill and proceed to Clondra and on to Longford town for a Táin March procession, poetry and art exhibition, storytelling, face painting and music. For

details of Longford events follow The Táin March Longford on Facebook. See www.tainmarch.ie and Facebook for more details. Special thanks to the following for all their help: Daniel Curley from Rathcroghan Visitor Centre – on the importance of the tale to Roscommon – 087 9731886; Marie Gilhooly – on how the local community have gotten involved – 087 6890273; Richard Siberry, Black Donkey Brewery – on how they have brewed beer and mead from the mysterious depths of Oweynagat cave – 087 6181690; Tim Mullins, Táin March Festival Committee, Dundalk – on how they have linked-in with communities across the country to celebrate the story of the Táin – 086 8184952 and Danny Compton and the Strokestown Town Team – 086 8091336.

Tuesday 14th May 2019

14-19 May 2019 Celebrate the epic tale of the Cattle Raid of Cooley

A story of envy, honour and military prowess. The armies of Connacht and Ulster met in a titanic struggle over a prize bull called Donn Cúailnge. The Táin March starts in Rathcroghan in Co. Roscommon, where Queen Medb began her quest for the Brown Bull of Cooley and ends in Bush, Cooley, Co. Louth. Over three weekends and twelve walking days, marchers walk from Rathcroghan all the way to Cooley following Queens Medb’s route in pursuit of the Brown Bull. FREE EVENTS ARE TAKING PLACE IN TULSK, ROSCOMMON, STROKESTOWN, SLIABH BAWN, CLONDRA AND LONGFORD TO MARK THE FIRST WEEKEND OF THE TÁIN MARCH FESTIVAL.

Celebrate the Táin March Festival! Get involved in the fun! www.tainmarch.ie

#TáinMarch

19.00 - 20.30: Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, Tulsk, F45 HH51 Hear the story of the Táin in all its gory detail with master storyteller Mike McCarty – not suitable for kids!

Thursday 16th May 2019 17.45 - 19.00: Áras an Chontae, Roscommon, F42 VR98 Launch of the Táin Arts Exhibition – children’s art and poetry. Launch of The Cats of Cruachan – a short animation inspired by children’s poetry and art. Crowning of Queen Medb. Refreshments served. 19.00 - 20.00: Procession from Áras an Chontae to Roscommon Castle for a dramatic presentation on the origins of the Táin Bó Cuailnge.

Friday 17th May 2019 11.00 - 12.30: Rathcroghan Mound on N5 between Tulsk and Ballinagare Queen Medb will assemble her warrior army and dispatch them to retrieve the Brown Bull in Cooley. School children gather at Rathcroghan Mound to greet Queen Medb and send her army on their way. Each school ‘battalion’ will read a praise poem for their warrior Queen. Marchers depart on the first leg of their journey as far as Lissonuffy. 19.00 – 21.00: Strokestown Join Queen Medb’s army as they march down Church Street to Bawn Street for an evening of food, fun, music and entertainment. Winners of local schools art competition will be announced.

Saturday 18th May 2019 10.30 – 14.00: Sliabh Bawn All welcome to join the marchers as they cross Sliabh Bawn. Use the west entrance to the mountain, meeting point is T20. Bring your lunch! Hear Ancient Music Ireland, greet the marchers with their prehistoric musical instruments as they arrive from Lissonuffy. The tale of the Táin will be told as the march proceeds to Johns of Doughill where there will be a free bus to bring walkers back to their car. 14.00 - 15.00: Johns of Doughill, F42HE97 Warriors Feast with Queen Medb in attendance. Walkers can sample a taste of Táin era food and Mead brewed from the mysterious depths of Oweynagat cave. by The fun continues in Longford with family costume design workshops, a talk by perffor orma ma anc nce e of o the the h Women Wom omen en of of Monumental Ireland, Queen Medb ceremony and a performance les. the Woods by Candlelit Tales.

Sunday 19th May 2019 10.00 Marchers depart Johns of Doughill and proceed to Clondra Cllondr ondra a an and nd on n to to Lo Long Longford ngfo ford d town for a Táin March procession, poetry and art exhibition, bition n, storytelling, sto tory ryte ry tell lling, g, face painting pain pa inti ting ng n Ma arch rch Lon ngfo fo ord d on Face ebo book o . ok and music. For details of Longford events follow The Táin March Longford Facebook.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

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Roscommon Emergency Services Open Day

Pictured at the Roscommon Emergency Services Open Day at Roscommon Fire Station were Sergeant Ronan O’Meara, Superintendent Fran Nicholson and Sergeant Paul McDermott. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

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Pictured at the Roscommon Emergency Services Open Day at Roscommon Fire Station were Kerrie Connell and Darren Dunne. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Pictured at the Roscommon Emergency Services Open Day at Roscommon Fire Station were Gerry, Tracy and Frankie Lane. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

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Working for you

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Kelly Please give me the opportunity to continue to work with all our great Communities and continue your preference for Malachy Hand & Cllr. John Keogh

Pictured at the naming of Allée de Chartrettes on Friday were host families and organisers of Roscommon Town Twinning (l-r): Bill Cunningham, Cllr. Orla Leyden, PRO, Roscommon Town Twinning, Noel Connolly, Marie McCrann, Eamonn Gleeson, President, Roscommon Town Twinning, H.E. Stéphane Crouzat, French Ambassador to Ireland, Inga Grase, Dr. Robinson, Sinead Killion, Patricia Morris, Rosaleen Kennedy, Joan McCormack and Sean Killion. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

French Ambassador unveils ‘Alleé De Chartrettes’ Street named to mark twinning anniversary  DAN DOONER

The French Ambassador to Ireland, Stephane Crouzat, was in town last Friday to officially unveil a new street sign as part of the 21st Anniversary of Roscommon Chartrettes Town Twinning. The laneway which connects The Square to the county council car park off Church Street, was named Alleé De Chartrettes in honour of the link between the two towns. The unveiling was followed by a reception at Arás an Chontae for the Ambassador and 31 visitors from Chartrettes, including the town’s

Deputy Mayor Pascal Gros and members of the Chartrettes Twinning Committee, whose visit had coincided with the Roscommon Lamb Festival last weekend. The French visiting party was treated to music by Bill Cunningham and an impressive ‘Lord of the Dance’ spectacle by Mary Dolan’s Roscommon Academy of Dance. This was followed by formal speeches in the council chamber and a food and drinks reception. The French Ambassador was clearly impressed by his reception in Roscommon. “I am absolutely delighted to be here. I wasn’t expected such unbelievable dancing, it was very, very impressive,” he said before describing town twinning as “very important”. “There are around 150 such ‘twinnings’ around the country, many be-

tween Irish towns and towns in Brittany. I am delighted to see that the Roscommon Chartrettes Twinning is extremely active. It is so important to have relations at local level and for populations on both sides to get to know each other. “After Brexit, France will be Ireland’s closest European Union neighbour and that will open new opportunities”. Monsieur Crouzat went on to highlight the proposed ‘Celtic Interconnector’, a submarine power cable which will link Ireland and France and allow for the movement of power between both countries. He said that this would encourage more trade and investment on both sides adding that current relations between the two countries are “very healthy and thriving”. More coverage: Page 44

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Pictured at the Roscommon Emergency Services Open Day at Roscommon Fire Station were Garda Kelley Doolan, Garda John O’Connor and Garda Clodagh McKeon. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

• Tarmonbarry • Rooskey • Cootehall • Ballyfarnon • Cortober • Arigna

Pictured at the naming of Allée de Chartrettes on Friday were (back row, l-r): Helen Gannon, Senator Terry Leyden, Eamonn Gleeson, Chairperson of Roscommon Town Twinning, H.E. Stéphane Crouzat, French Ambassador to Ireland, Anne Marie Beirne, BOI, Roscommon, Eugene Cummins, CEO, Roscommon County Council, Seán Beirne, BOI, Carmel Reilly, AIB, Roscommon, Larry Brennan, Chairperson, Roscommon Town Team. Front row (l-r): Ala Mikuze, Dorothy Coyle and Caitlín McConn, President of Roscommon Chamber. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

• Ballinagare • Kilmore/Dangan • Strokestown • Elphin • Tulsk • Drumboylan

• Croghan • Frenchpark • Ballaghaderreen • Boyle • Ballinameen • Keadue

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

NewsPeople

And they’re off! Roscommon racing season starts! It’s a hugely exciting time for everyone connected with Roscommon Racecourse, as the season gets underway with the first meeting of the year, on Monday the 13th May. It’s a mixed card with a 5.30 starting time. There have been lots of changes at the racecourse over the winter and it is hoped that a big crowd will attend and view the fantastic new developments. Latest facilities include a new Weigh Room, which incorporates changing rooms (showers/sauna), a new press room, first-aid facilities and a new secretary’s office. Racing is thriving in the west of Ireland and that is greatly helped by the fact that local businesses are supporting the sport. Racecourse Manager, Michael Finneran, stated that the board of Roscommon Racecourse are delighted with the new facilities. Mr. Finneran said: “The downturn in the economy a number of years ago was the

main reason for the delay in this project. We are thrilled with the finished product and I want to express my thanks to everyone who was involved in the construction of this new building. “I also want to thank those who have used the old building

– they have been very patient and we hope that they are happy with their new workspace. “It’s been a massive job of work and we have more plans in the pipeline, but we’re just so happy to get this over the line before our season gets underway on the 13th of

May”. The race sponsors on the evening include the Irish Stallion Farms, the EBF, local auctioneer Ivan Connaughton and Kepak, who are expected to bring many guests on the evening. The best turned out prize in each race will be sponsored by Hamrock’s Bar & Lounge, Athleague. There will be music in the main bar after the second last race (by The Usual Suspects). Admission on the evening is €15 for adults and €10 for OAPs/ students. There is a Ros special available, which includes admission, race card, two-course meal and a €10 betting voucher for €35. Deals are available on group bookings. * Enquiries to 087-2203288 or email contact@roscommonracecourse.ie. Log into www. roscommonracecourse.ie to keep up to date with all the details and offers available at Roscommon and follow the racecourse on Facebook.

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Come for the Racing – Stay for the Craic! ALL E ENQUIRIES: NQ UIRIES: ((087) 087) 22 2203288 203288 E-Mail: contact@roscommonracecourse.ie For updates log into www.roscommonracecourse.ie or follow us on

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PUBLIC NOTICES

TOWN AND VILLAGE RENEWAL SCHEME 2019 The National Town and Village Renewal Scheme 2019 focusing on improving the economic development of towns and villages involves a two stage process. Roscommon County Council now invites expressions of interest for consideration and may select a number of proposals for development into detailed applications to be submitted to the Department for assessment. Projects will be required to commence in 2019 and be completed by mid 2021.

Grant Amounts Available: Up to 80% of the total cost of a project under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme will be provided for any individual project. The minimum grant which is available is €20,000 and the maximum is €100,000. Information Session on preparing your Town & Village Renewal application form will be held in Áras an Chontae, Roscommon, F42 VR98, at 19.30 on Monday 13th of May. Closing date for receipt of fully completed Expressions of Interest by post or by hand to Community & Enterprise Section, Roscommon County Council, Áras an Chontae, Roscommon or by email to khegarty@roscommoncoco.ie is 5pm on Wednesday 22nd May 2019. Late submissions will not be considered. In order to facilitate communities in preparing an expression of interest, details of the scheme and expression of interest forms are available on www.roscommoncoco.ie Majella Hunt Director of Services

Pictured at the International Sheep Dog Trials at Walsh’s Field, Racecourse Road on Sunday last were Con McGarry, Liz Gilmartin, Mary and Michael Hopkins. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Local winners in National Lottery Good Causes Awards Strokestown Poetry Festival, the Ballydangan Red Grouse Project, Oran GAA and the Co. Roscommon Disability Support Group are the four Roscommon clubs, community projects and organisations announced on Monday as county winners in the National Lottery Good Causes Awards 2019. The awards were created to honour and showcase the inspiring work being carried out by thousands of projects, clubs and individuals in their local communities across Ireland thanks to National Lottery Good Causes funding. Nearly 30

cent of every euro spent on National Lottery games goes back to Good Causes all over the country. The Roscommon winners are – Sport: Oran GAA; Health & Wellbeing: Co. Roscommon Disability Support Group; Arts & Culture: Strokestown Poetry Festival; Heritage: Ballydangan Red Grouse Project. The awards, which culminates in a televised Gala Awards Dinner in Dublin on Saturday, 2nd of November, has six main categories: Sport, Health & Wellbeing, Heritage, Arts & Culture,

Community and Youth. A seventh category, Irish Language, will have a special award to be announced on the night at the Awards final, in recognition of outstanding work done in the promotion of the Irish Language. These winners will now go forward to the six Regional finals, competing for a place in the National Finals in Dublin on Saturday, 2nd of November. Each category winner will received €10,000 and the overall Good Cause of the Year will receive an additional €25,000.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

NewsPeople

Spring Specials

Pictured at the Roscommon Emergency Services Open Day at Roscommon Fire Station were Thomas, Mick and Michael Byrne. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Anyone for Yorkshire? Thinking of holidaying in Yorkshire this summer? Why not join Roscommon Town Active Retirement group on a 6-day coach/ferry trip to Yorkshire from Friday, 2nd-Wednesday, 7th August, 2019, based in Harrogate with half board hotel accommodation. Excursions each day to places of interest including Yorkshire Dales, York City, Howorth and Skipton. Cost €670 per person sharing. Booking now at 086-1925411.

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Congratulations to St. Comán’s Wood Primary School, Roscommon on winning All-Ireland award for best overall set and costumes in Féile Drámaíochta ...

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

Summer HOMEandGARDEN

Clear up and clean out for summer  MIRIAM KERINS

Spring is over and summer’s on the way – giving readers the perfect opportunity to declutter and make way for the bright new season ahead. And, as someone who purges on a monthly basis, here are some of my top tips for clearing up and cleaning out some of the rooms in your home.

Bedroom It may sound ruthless, but, as I cannot abide untidiness, I suggest you remove all items sitting on top of your units, (wardrobe, dressing table, bedside lockers, etc.) and either pop them inside a drawer or, if you haven’t used them in months, bin them!

Wardrobes This may seem difficult. However, if you know what you like to wear, and you wear it often, then perhaps you can start here. Sort your clothes into categories, i.e. workwear, leisure wear, casual wear, smart wear, etc. and then look at their fit. Are they too big? If you know you’ll wear them, have the local

alterations service tailor them to fit you. If not, donate them, along with anything that’s too small and in good, wearable shape, to a local charity. Confession time. While I hate clutter, I have to admit, my shoe collection could probably be listed in the Guinness Book of Records. However, they’re all neatly boxed, labelled and stacked, meaning not one single pair is visible. (Yes, I should get a life). However, for readers who wish to put their best foot forward this summer, my suggestion is to categorise your shoe collection’s keepability factor by choosing your favourite pairs, evaluate if they’re worth keeping, i.e. do you really need that pair of happy, tappy hornpipes? Look at your sole (sorry, couldn’t resist), mates and ask yourself, how decent are their heels, do their zippers need repairing, how comfy are they and…do they smell?

Kitchen As we have a minuscule kitchen, (no room for a dishwasher), for me, space is a priority, and in order to avoid a cramped, cluttered area, everything, (no exceptions), must be used,

washed, dried and returned to its place. This exercise also avoids me going into nagging wife mode! Begin with the fridge and food presses. Check the freshness and expiry dates of your food, canned items, spices, cakes, biccies and crisps, etc., bin whatever has passed its ‘use by’ date and use whatever items are approaching theirs. Or, if there’s a decent time limit left on products, neatly pack them and donate them to a local charity.

Bathroom If your cabinet is spilling over with expired medicines and beauty products, pop them into a bag and, checking with your local pharmacy, find out what’s the best way to dispose of them. Sort the ‘keepers’ into categories and store them. If you’re someone who leaves out the hair straightener, hair dryer and curling tongs for easy access, today is the time to stop. I mean, how hard can it be to roll up a cord and store these items away? Tip: I hang mine on those handy ‘over-the-door’ hooks to keep the cords untangled and the devices out of the way.

Spruce up your bathroom!  MIRIAM KERINS

Next to the utility room, your family’s bathroom, despite being the most visited place in your home, is possibly the last room to benefit from a makeover. Are we right? Therefore,

if you’re planning to do a bit of interior decorating this summer and have a spare few euro left over in the budget, why not spend it wisely by freshening up the loo. Let’s start with the floor: If you’ve got a wooden

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floor, why not inject some new life into it by adding a splash of fresh paint. However, if you’re a novice, do make sure you pop into your local DIY store where you’ll get expert advice on both preparing and sealing your area before you even attempt to pull out a paint brush! If you’ve got a small bathroom area, why not paint your walls to match your floors; that way you can fool the eye by giving it the impression that you have a larger space. Our tip: Using light shades of blue, violet, greens or silver greys can work wonders when trying to make a small space appear bigger. If you’re planning to retile your bathroom, bear in mind that while a patterned tile may look fantastic in the showroom, when placed in a confined area, it may appear overwhelming and over-busy. Therefore, when choosing a few samples, make sure to include those over-large tiles; we’re sure you’ll be surprised at how much they enhance your space. Our tip: Always choose slip-resistant tiles for your floor. When updating your bathroom, remember, the less clutter there is, the easier you’ll be able to get up, get ready and get out in the mornings; therefore, make sure you have plenty

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Connolly CARPETS & FLOORING of storage units. If you don’t have enough floor space to stand a bathroom cabinet, why not install baskets around the walls where you can store hand towels, loo rolls and little knick-knacks, etc. When updating our bathrooms, we often tend to overlook the simplest of items such as towels and accessories. So, when your painting and tiling is complete, do make sure to add a splash of colour by treating the family to some nice big fluffy towels and face cloths, as well as matching bath mats and toothbrush holders. Oh, and don’t forget the pot plants. Speak-

ing of foliage, as many bathrooms have small windows, with some probably having no windows at all, we suggest you could focus on plants that are easy to maintain and that should be able to thrive in a humid atmosphere. Now we are no experts, but we do believe that healing Aloe Vera, which grows well in low light conditions, and is good at absorbing moisture, or a Begonia, which tends to thrive well under fluorescent lighting may be the ideal fit; however, we’re sure your local garden centre will be happy to offer you advice.

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Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

Summer HOMEandGARDEN

Gardens are going wild this summer!  MIRIAM KERINS

According to a report by the National Biodiversity Data Centre in County Waterford, our wild bees are “in decline, because they are going hungry because of a lack of food in the landscape”. In fact, readers who have a keen interest in gardening and in nature, will probably be somewhat concerned to know that there are actually ‘101 bee species in Ireland,’ with ‘19 of them being bumblebees,’ however, sadly, ‘more than half of these bumblebee species are in decline,’ the result of which will see a third of our bee species in this country possibly becoming extinct over the next decade. Statistics like this are not only bad news for our planet, they’re also worrying for those ambitious Diarmuid Gavin wanna-be(e)s among us for the simple reason, in order to thrive, all gardens need pollinators. But don’t panic yet. You see, even though this year’s gardening themes are running to clashing colours and dramatic tropical themes, as luck would have it, for those of us who like to find our joy in the simple things in life, the natural wildflower garden, which is designed to encourage us to dedicate all, or simply just allocate a small portion of our gardens to embrace Mother Nature by nurturing and allowing wildflowers to grow in order to attract pollinators like bees and other flying insects, is now trending as the big story for your 2019 summer garden. So, if you want to make your wildflower lawn the talking point of your summer barbeque, we’ve got a few

simple suggestions you might like to follow. However, we’re sure your local garden centre will be happy to provide you with more expert advice. First of all, bear in mind you do not need acres of lawn in order to grow a wildflower garden. A small patch or even a border where birds, bees, butterflies and wildlife, as well as hu-

mans, can relax and enjoy themselves can work just as nicely. Give your lawnmower a little rest, and, as the warmer weather arrives, try to resist cutting the grass too often in your wildlife meadow. In fact, if anyone dares to suggest that your garden is looking a tad neglected, tell them it’s a conscious decision on your

part because the advice from Dr. Úna Fitzpatrick, a senior ecologist at the National Biodiversity Data Centre in Waterford, is that people are being requested to “delay mowing their lawns,” in order that dandelions get a chance to bloom. If you’re not too sure about cultivating the important dan-

delions to help the bees, (whose nectar will ensure plenty of honey for survival, but sadly is said to be missing certain amino acids needed for the manufacture of protein), and indeed, wish to add more blooms to attract the pollinators, then, bearing in mind that bees find blue, purple and yellow coloured plants appealing, you could pop along to your garden centre and source some bluebells and crocuses. In addition, planting marigolds, poppies, roses, honeysuckle and foxgloves, etc. in large blocks has proven to be more attractive to bees. But do make sure to ask the garden centre assistant’s advice regarding other colourful bee/insect friendly plants. Make a home for insects by sourcing an attractive and vibrant bug hotel and, placing it on a fence post or on a tree trunk, making sure no rain can enter – you’ll be providing a haven where insects can find shelter and make their nests. Like us humans, all insects need a fresh supply of water, so, even if you’re only using this information as an excuse to splurge on that new garden water feature, the truth is, you’ll be doing your bit for Mother Nature by providing a much-needed source of hydration where they can land, rest and revive themselves. Tip: Provide a little island or a shelf where bees can land safely and get a drop of water without drowning by using a wide, shallow dish or food tray, line the edges with flat rocks where bees/ insects can land and keep it topped with water.

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Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

Business Window of opportunity: Donal a national ﬁnalist in Enterprise Awards Gabriel Lynch of Lynch Flooring, Roscommon, presenting new school jerseys to Ballymurray National School (sponsored by Lynch Flooring). L to r: Ryan Lynch, Gabriel Lynch, Ella Lynch, Gavin Staunton, Juliet Gately and Tom Gately (school principal).

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Donal Haughey of Roscommon Windows is one of the West Region’s finalists in the Irish Local Development Network (ILDN) National Enterprise Awards 2019. He was nominated by ILDN West Region representative of Roscommon Leader Partnership and Mayo North East Leader Company. The national enterprise awards event will take place on Thursday, 16th of May – with one other finalist from the West Region as well as 15 other finalists from Local Development companies nationwide. Roscommon Windows was set up by Donal Haughey in 2012. Donal identified a niche market in supplying and fitting uPVC windows and doors in new and old houses. His background in engineering and machine warranty management work across Europe has stood to him in embarking on his new business. Initially starting on his own in Roscommon Windows, Donal now has nine employees. He has expanded his premises from 400 sq.ft. to 3,500 sq.ft., with an impressive showroom. Donal is developing a very competitive business and has diversified through obtaining a locksmith license, carrying out emergency repairs due to burglaries and break-ins. Noel Connolly from Roscommon Leader Partnership – who mentors Donal – highlights the fact that Donal set up his business in the recession against all the odds and that it took great character and determination to progress. “Donal’s openness to innovative ideas and keeping the customer centre stage are some of the key ingredients to his success story” said Noel.

National finalist Donal Haughey of Roscommon Windows pictured with (on right) Noel Connolly (mentor) of Roscommon Leader Partnership.

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Roscommon Community College, Roscommon town, won an award at the Student Enterprise Programme National Finals in Croke Park, organised by the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) for secondary schools. The students won Best Display in the Senior Category and were presented with their awards on stage by the Minister for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen T.D., Oisin Geoghegan of the Local Enterprise Offices and Michael Nevin, Chair of the Enterprise Education Committee for the LEOs. The winning students were: Michael Lohan,

Ben Finnerty, Matthew Ryan and Keelan Murray, who worked under the guidance of their teacher, Ms. Jude Lohan. Their student enterprise was called: ‘Fáinne Rathúil’, which designed and manufactured high quality student graduation rings in stainless steel and brass. The programme, funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the LEOs, had a total of 222 teenage entrepreneurs, aged between 13 and 18, from 78 different enterprises, competing at the National Final, with every Local Authority area represented.

Anne Browne, Business Advisor, with Local Enterprise Office Roscommon said: “Congratulations to the students on winning this prestigious National Award in Croke Park, which recognises all their hard work. Judging by this year’s finalists and winners, the future is bright for entrepreneurs here in County Roscommon”. The four students from Roscommon Community College were presented with a trophy and a ‘One4All’ voucher for €200. They will also attend a ‘Winners’ Business Bootcamp’ over the summer to help them further develop their business skills.

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Roscommon Community College, Roscommon town, won an award at the Student Enterprise Programme National Finals in Croke Park. The students are Michael Lohan, Ben Finnerty, Matthew Ryan and Keelan Murray

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

Business

Winner of Best Start Up and Overall Winner of Best Young Entrepreneur for County Roscommon 2019 Wayne Auchmuty, founder of Scaled Rigs Ltd.

The County Roscommon finalists of IBYE 2019 pictured at the Awards ceremony held in the Abbey Hotel.

Local Enterprise Ofﬁce announces Roscommon’s Best Young Entrepreneurs Roscommon’s ‘Best Young Entrepreneurs’ for 2019 were announced at an awards ceremony hosted by Local Enterprise Office Roscommon recently. The three winners and three runnersup were chosen from 13 local finalists and will now share a €50,000 investment fund. IBYE, now in its fifth year, is a nationwide youth enterprise initiative to help 18-35 year olds with an innovative business idea, new start-up or established business. In 2019, 1,644 young entrepreneurs entered IBYE, which is an initiative of the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and supported by Enterprise Ireland and local authorities. The county final was hosted by Louise Ward, Head of Enterprise at LEO Roscommon. Cathaoirleach of Roscommon Cllr. Ivan Connaughton was in attendance to present the awards. Among the special guests at the awards ceremony were Eugene Cummins, Chief Executive of Roscommon County Council, TDs Eugene Murphy and Denis Naughten, Senator Terry Leyden, local councillors and members of Roscommon’s business community. The ‘Best New Idea’ category, with a €7,000 investment fund, was won by Thomas Finucane, founder of License! Learner in Monksland. License! is a platform through which you can find a driving instructor that suits your schedule, budget and location. The runner-up award and €3,000 investment fund went to Ciaran Feeney of Agrify in Scramogue. The winner of the ‘Best Start-Up Business’ category and the €15,000 investment fund was Wayne Auchmuty, founder of Scaled Rigs Ltd. in Lecarrow. Scaled Rigs Ltd design and manufacture children’s toy ride-on battery powered model trucks for ages 5 to 13 years. The runner-up in this category, col-

Winners of the Roscommon County Final of Ireland Best Young Entrepreneur pictured with Local Enterprise Office Roscommon staff members, Chief Executive of Roscommon County Council, Eugene Cummins and Cathaoirleach of Roscommon Cllr. Ivan Connaughton. Front row: Darren Kilcoyne, Cathaoirleach Ivan Connaughton, Wayne Auchmuty and Thomas Finucane. Back row: Jeremy Cullen, Louise Ward, Anne Browne, Chief Executive of Roscommon County Council Eugene Cummins, Deirdre Kenny, Eilis Mullooly and Enda Cannon.

lecting a €5,000 investment fund, was Peter Kilmartin of Spicy Dog Media in Roscommon Town. Meanwhile, the title of ‘Best Established Business’, with an investment fund of €15,000, went to Darren Kilcoyne, founder of Kilcoyne Tree Surgery Ltd. which provide all aspects of professional tree care, specialising in electrical utility vegetation management and training. The runner-up in this category, scooping a €5,000 investment fund, was Finnian O’Connor of Craic N Campers in Roscommon Town. Wayne Auchmuty was also awarded

the title of ‘Best Young Entrepreneur’ for County Roscommon. In the lead-up to the county final, each finalist received targeted business supports through Local Enterprise Office Roscommon. Louise Ward, Head of Enterprise with Local Enterprise Office Roscommon said: “As our winners clearly demonstrate, youth entrepreneurship is thriving here in Roscommon. IBYE is about discovering local potential and nurturing that talent through financial supports, mentoring, training and networking opportunities. In 2019, Local Enterprise Office Roscommon sup-

ported 48 young entrepreneurs through the IBYE competition and over 150 young entrepreneurs in total since the competition began in 2014”. Eugene Cummins, Chief Executive of Roscommon County Council said: “We have excellent start-ups and entrepreneurs in Roscommon – we just don’t have enough of them. It is great to see so many excellent entrepreneurs and business people getting involved in this initiative, and I am delighted to congratulate the 13 finalists here today and wish the winners every success in the later stages of the competition”. The county winners from Roscom-

mon will now progress to the regional finals, which take place on June 12th. In all, 24 national finalists will be selected at regional finals across the country to compete for the overall title of ‘Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur’. At the IBYE national final on Sunday, 15th of September, which takes place at Google’s European Headquarters in Dublin, a €100,000 investment fund will be awarded to winners. * Further details on the competition and supports available to young entrepreneurs are available through www. localenterprise.ie and www.ibye.ie.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

ELECTION DESK

THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL Best for election exclusives, analysis and comment…the poll-topping People! ELECTION DESK and the Corrib, while our excellent fishing grounds on the River Suck – which are of huge importance to the South Roscommon area – are being downgraded because of the fact there is a requirement to have a licence,” concluded Cllr. Fallon.

Fitzmaurice calls for improvement in safety measure at St. Paul’s School, Castlerea Cllr. Paschal Fitzmaurice is calling on Roscommon County Council to improve safety measures at St. Paul’s School, Castlerea – by putting in a defined painted footpath for all pedestrians. He says that currently young kids have to walk to their parents’ cars on the edge of the road – “which is unsafe”. “A defined footpath will greatly improve safety. I was successful in getting a similar path at the Doctor’s Surgery in Arm, which has been a great success. This, along with a new surface and line marking in the car parking area, is needed to keep our kids safe”.

If elected, Kilduff will call for Climate Change Emergency to be declared Independent candidate Donal Kilduff says that if elected to Roscommon County Council he will call on the Council to declare a ‘Biodiversity and Climate Change Emergency’. He says that while such a move would be symbolic, it would act as an important indicator that people in Roscommon recognise that something needs to be done, and that it would encourage the Council to pay far greater attention to the environmental consequences of all its actions and policies. He has called on all local election candidates to support him on this and is also appealing to local TDs to commit to taking action in response to the Climate Change emergency. Mr. Kilduff says he is “genuinely shocked” by the details of a UN Report which describes the devastation humans are causing to animals and plants all around us. He said: “I would be well known for my interest in climate change and environmental matters with particular emphasis on the built environment and sustainable construction practices, but I was genuinely shocked when I read through the details from the UN Report – it hit me like a bolt of lightning”. He continued: “It’s genuinely worrying that the destruction of nature is at least as big a threat as climate change. We have to act to halt the loss of plants, animals and all of nature, on which we depend for food, pollination, clean water and a stable climate”. The Athlone Area candidate said: “This is not something that is happening far away from us, in the polar regions or in the deserts and jungles of the world – it is happening right here in Roscommon on our own doorstep. The curlew and corncrake are on the verge of extinction in our neighbourhoods, in areas which should be their natural home”. Mr. Kilduff said that he is convinced that people know in their hearts that something is going wrong in the environment, and that long-term harm is being caused. He believes that elected representatives and local authorities need to give a lead and have a key role to play in leading community action. Hence his pledge to call on the Council to declare a ‘Biodiversity and Climate-Change Emergency’.

Fallon seeks ﬁshing licence changes Local election candidate Cllr. Laurence Fallon has called for changes to the requirement for a fishing licence on the Rivers Suck and Inny. “The level of interest in the future of the fisheries locally, in particular fishing on the River Suck and the River Shannon, has been brought to my attention while I have been travelling around South Roscommon,” explained Cllr. Fallon. “Extensive infrastructure has been put in place in the last number of years, particularly on the River Suck, and I appreciate the work that has been done and the funding that has been allocated for this. However we now have a situation where there are two rivers – the Suck and the Inny along with their tributaries – which are the only two rivers in the county that require a fishing licence. “While it is possible to fish on the River Shannon without a

Progress on junctions at Scramogue and Tulsk – Cllr Joe Murphy Ó Cúiv’s lending Hand Malachy Hand, Fianna Fáíl local election candidate in South Roscommon, was joined on the doorsteps by Galway West Fianna Fáíl TD (and former minister) Eamonn Ó Cúiv on Friday afternoon last. Mr. Hand said: “This was a fitting trip for Ó Cúiv, whose long-standing career with Fianna Fáil has seen him do trojan work around issues of community, social justice, peace & reconciliation and the Irish language & culture”. Mr. Hand raised numerous issues which are of concern to locals with Deputy Ó Cúiv. During the visit, Deputy Ó’Cúiv and Mr. Hand, accompanied by the party’s spokesperson on OPW and Flood Relief, Deputy Eugene Murphy, visited Lough Funshinagh to discuss concerns with local residents and farmers affected by the Lough who are calling for immediate action.

Cllr. Kathleen Shanagher and Cllr. Orla Leyden are seeking to be returned to Roscommon County Council later this month. Pic: Mick McCormack

Marian Harkin MEP recently canvassed with Cllr. Tony Ward. She has worked closely with Tony over the years on issues concerning constituents of Co. Roscommon.

licence, or fish on the River Corrib without a licence, if anyone wants to fish on the River Suck – which bounds virtually the whole length of the county between Roscommon and Galway – they need a licence. “It is wrong that there are different requirements in order to fish on the River Suck and I am calling for changes to be made to the licence system to ensure there is an equal opportunity to promote our fisheries on the River Suck as we have seen on the Corrib and the Shannon. “The situation where there are two different requirements creates confusion and difficulty and is forcing people to reexamine where they will fish, giving priority to the Shannon

Fianna Fáil councillor Joe Murphy has welcomed news that Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has provided funding and a technical advisor to Roscommon County Council for dangerous junctions at Scramogue and Tulsk. “There have been ongoing safety concerns on the N5” he said. “Indeed there have been many near-misses and also instances where people have been injured, with numerous collisions at Scramogue and Tulsk junctions. I have repeatedly raised concerns in relation to these junctions at County Council level,” said Cllr. Murphy. He added: “I have been working on this issue in conjunction with Deputy Eugene Murphy and following ongoing parliamentary questions and questions in the Dáil chamber in relation to safety concerns on the N5 by Deputy Murphy, the TII have recently confirmed that funding and a technical advisor has been provided to Roscommon County Council for the junctions at Scramogue and Tulsk, and that they are currently awaiting details of funding requirements for a junction at Frenchpark. “TII has approved funding for construction work to be carried out at the Scramogue junction, which I understand will be undertaken shortly. This is most welcome as Scramogue Cross is a well-known point in County Roscommon. A regional road cuts through it and there have been several accidents there through the years. “In Tulsk village, a major regional road cuts through the national primary route. There have been numerous serious accidents at that junction in recent times too. There are similar issues in places such as Bellanagare village and Frenchpark,” said Cllr. Murphy.

Extend Athlone Bus Route in South Roscommon – Harney Sinn Féin candidate for Athlone/South Roscommon Joe Harney has suggested that changes should be made to the A1/A2 bus routes in Athlone to allow passengers to access bus services from the Summerhill area of south Roscommon. Speaking this week Mr. Harney said: “Sinn Féin believes that investment in public transport is vital to sustaining the viability and vitality of our rural communities. One key piece of progress I would like to see for public transport in this area is an extension of the Athlone bus network to cover more of south Roscommon including Summerhill. “I feel that there is a strong argument for extension of the A1/A2 bus lines out as far as Summerhill to facilitate people who want to travel to Monksland or Athlone. If we want to tackle climate change and levels of pollution we need to put money in to the development of public transport links. “I would argue that a Park and Ride facility in Summerhill is something that could be considered in the medium term with the aim of cutting down on traffic congestion and air pollution as well as allowing elderly people and those without access to a private mode of transport on a regular basis to get in and out of town easily”. Mr. Harney said that lack of public transport is an issue that has been raised regularly with him over the past number of weeks and months during the election campaign. “The cutting of Creagh and Ballydangan bus stops on the Bus Éireann number 20 route had an a very negative impact on people living in south Roscommon particularly students, commuters and the elderly. We have called for these to be re-instated”. Mr. Harney said that representatives for South Roscommon need to start demanding more investment in public transport and upgrades of our road network.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL Best for election exclusives, analysis and comment…the poll-topping People!

Europe Day ‘should be a paid holiday’ “May 9th is Europe Day. On being elected for the Midlands, North West constituency, I shall immediately make it a priority to gather support within the European Parliament that EU citizens collectively celebrate Europe Day”, says MEP candidate Fidelma Healy Eames. She adds: “Not only should Europe Day be celebrated, but the Friday or Monday closest to May 9th should be designated paid holiday leave and a European-wide bank holiday. “May 9th is the anniversary of when the

Carthy appeal on childcare

European Coal and Steel Community, a precursor to the European Union, was first proposed by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman in 1950. “If we are truly citizens of Europe, then it’s time to celebrate EU-wide. That means that all EU Member State Governments can give something back to the hard-pressed direct and indirect taxpayers. It will also be a sign that Europe is closer to the people and more real in their lives. I will make this my priority”, concluded Fidelma Healy Eames.

THE FLOATING VOTER PAUL HEALY’S wry take on Election ’19 A hung Chamber! The days of one party having even a sniff of an overall majority in the Council chamber are gone – probably for all time. There was a time, admittedly a long time ago, when Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael took it in turn to dominate Roscommon Council Chamber. That was before this annoying (to them) Independents’ phenomenon came along! True enough, overall majorities were not that common in recent times, but you could usually expect Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael to at least get within one or two votes of having a majority, meaning they could strike a deal with one or a handful of Independents. In 2014, the number of councillors on Roscommon County Council was reduced to eighteen. Fianna Fáil had eight councillors elected, while Fine Gael had a bad outing on that occasion, returning just three councillors. Since 2014, Paddy Kilduff and Ivan Connaughton have jumped off the FF ship, meaning the party has just six outgoing councillors (with Rachel Doherty now retiring). The modest extent of Fine Gael’s ambition this time around is sobering for the party faithful. Fine Gael failed to attract a second candidate in the Roscommon Area, where Gerry Coffey is their sole runner. The party is running just six candidates countywide, and targeting five seats. Fianna Fáil is running nine candidates. Realistically, their target is six seats (with a very slim chance of seven, and no guarantee at all of six!). Therefore, with ten votes needed to command a Council majority, once the count is over, it will be straight into the former smoke-filled rooms, with the ‘big’ parties talking to numerous Independents/ Sinn Féin about a five-year Coalition deal.

Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy has urged the Government to urgently increase its subsidisation of childcare, noting that “prohibitive” costs are preventing women from entering or remaining in the workforce, and contributing to the high rate of poverty across the State. Carthy, EU candidate for the Midlands North West, said: “One of the biggest issues I have come across canvassing my constituency is the exorbitant cost of childcare, now the highest in the EU. A report from Pobal found last year that the average childcare costs €697 per month, but this rises to more than €1,000 per month in Dublin. “With enormous childcare costs like these, it is little wonder that we have one of the worst rates for workplace participation for women in the EU, with an inactivity rate due to caring responsibilities at around 15 per cent – second only to Malta. “Lowering the cost of childcare is not just a demand of anti-poverty and women’s rights organisations; it is a central demand of business associations who want to see more women enter the workforce”.

Road safety concerns in Frenchpark and Ballinagare – Mulligan

Ballintubber, consistently one of Roscommon’s top performers in the Tidy Towns competition, would appear to be well on its way to achieving complete poster-free status ahead of the local and European elections! Picture: Michael McCormack

and Kathleen Shanagher, and first-time candidate Mary O’Donnell (Independent, Boyle Area). Fianna Fáil are running nine candidates, Fine Gael six, and Sinn Féin three. Remarkably, there will be fifteen Independent candidates.

Ming and Brendan… From the Midlands North West constituency debate on Tonight Show (Virgin Media) on Tuesday night: Brendan Smith (FF): “I tell the truth all the time, Ming, unlike some other public representatives…” Ming: “Who? Bertie Ahern, is it? Ever hear of him, did you? We all heard of him!”

The facts and ﬁgures

‘Local’ constituency in proﬁle on Sunday

Thirty-three candidates will contest the local elections in County Roscommon (polling day is Friday, 24th of May next). There are eighteen council seats available, six each in the three electoral areas – i.e. Athlone, Boyle and Roscommon Municipal Areas. There are just four female candidates: Sitting councillors Valerie Byrne, Orla Leyden

Renowned journalist Carole Coleman, who famously rattled President George W. Bush when she interviewed him in the White House, had a much easier interview when she called into the Roscommon People office last week. Carole has interviewed all 17 candidates in the Midlands North West constituency

in the upcoming European elections. She also had a chat with yours truly to get my perspective on what might happen. Her constituency report will be broadcast during a special This Week programme live from Galway on RTE Radio One this Sunday at 1 pm, when Carole will be joined by a guest panel.

John enters race If at first you don’t succeed… Tulsk farmer John Groarke is certainly determined to get on a ballot paper and give people an opportunity to vote for him. Mr. Groarke was seen as a novelty wouldbe candidate when he announced last July that he wanted to be President of Ireland. When John addressed Roscommon County Council (seeking a nomination to run for President) he made as good a case as many others did. However, he was unable to secure a nomination, and his ‘15 minutes of fame’ passed. Then last month, John told Shannonside Radio that he intended to run in the European elections. However, instead of a Euro bid, he’s now switched his focus to the local elections. Wrong-footing all declared candidates last week, John quietly lodged his nomination papers, and the Tulsk man will be an Independent candidate in Roscommon Municipal Area on May 24th.

Sinn Féin Councillor and chairperson of the Boyle Municipal Area Michael Mulligan has raised a number of road safety concerns in both Frenchpark and Ballinagare with the Roads Department in Roscommon County Council. Cllr. Mulligan said: “Concerns in relation to a number of roads and in particular the N5 through Frenchpark and Ballinagare have been raised with me on the doors in both areas in recent weeks. “Parents are extremely concerned at the speed in which vehicles are passing through Frenchpark and Ballinagare. The same can be said for the Castlerea Road in Frenchpark. It is as simple as this – vehicles coming through both villages are not slowing down. “There are two primary schools along both routes as well as a number of families with young children and young drivers. “I have passed these concerns on to the Roads Department in the Council. I will be seeking traffic calming measures in both villages and I will be arguing strongly that these works are completed as soon as possible”. Cllr. Mulligan said at stake is the safety of those residing in Frenchpark and Ballinagare as well as safety for those on the road.

Anne on track? A Fianna Fáil European Parliament candidate for Midland-North-West, Anne Rabbitte, has said that a radical overhaul of the country’s rail network, including high speed rail, could bolster prosperity in the West and North West. Deputy Rabbitte commented: “We need to start thinking outside the box and our current rail network is one area that we could look at overhauling. If we were to set out a multi-year investment programme, sourcing funds from the European Investment Bank, for example, we could create a new vision for Ireland’s transport and one that would completely modernise our rail network”.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL Best for election exclusives, analysis and comment…the poll-topping People!

Fine Gael unveil Local Election team Fine Gael is running six candidates in the local elections In County Roscommon on May 24th next. The party will be hopeful of making significant gains. All six candidates recently handed in their nomination papers at Áras an Chontae, Roscommon.

Fine Gael are running Cllr. John Naughten and Ger Grehan in Athlone Municipal District, Gerry Coffey in Roscommon Municipal District, and Cllr. Liam Callaghan, Andrew Reynolds and Keith Suffin in Boyle Municipal District.

Domnick and Laurence hand in papers… Cllrs. Laurence Fallon and Domnick Connolly recently lodged their nomination papers for May’s local elections. They were accompanied by their colleague Denis Naughten TD. Cllr. Laurence Fallon is a candidate in the Athlone Electoral Area while Cllr. Domnick Connolly is a candidate in the Roscommon Electoral Area. Also pictured is Shane Tiernan, Returning Officer.

Debate on climate change and biodiversity The general public and all candidates running for the local elections are invited to take part in an evening of discussion about how to make Co. Roscommon a leader on climate change and biodiversity. Candidates will be encouraged to outline what actions they will take on climate

change and biodiversity if elected. The event will take place on Wednesday, May 15th at 8 pm in Kilbride Community Centre, Fourmilehouse, Co. Roscommon. Duncan Stewart of Eco-Eye and About the House on RTÉ One will be speaking at the event.

Fine Gael candidates (joined by supporters and party officers) for the Roscommon Local Elections handing in nomination papers at Áras an Chontae, Roscommon. In picture, front: Andrew Reynolds, Gerry Coffey, Cllr. Liam Callaghan, Keith Suffin, Ger Grehan and Cllr. John Naughten. Back: Frank Curley, Director of Elections; Hilary and Finian Reynolds and Tommy Mullaney. Pic: Gerard O’Loughlin

Fianna Fáil aiming to increase Council presence The Fianna Fáil party in Co. Roscommon is set to build on its existing number of County Council seats – that’s according to Director of Elections Patsy Feehily. Nine Fianna Fáil candidates will contest the Local Elections

in County Roscommon on May 24th. The candidates officially handed in their nomination papers to the County Registrar Shane Tiernan recently. The party, which currently has six Council seats, is running three candidates in each municipal

district. Sitting councillor John Keogh, Malachy Hand and Seamus Kelly are running in the Athlone area, where the FF Director of Elections is PJ O’Connor. Sitting councillors Orla Leyden and Paschal Fitzmaurice

All nine Fianna Fáil candidates pictured after they had handed in their nomination papers recently.

will be joined on the ticket by Marty McDermott in the Roscommon Municipal District, where the Director of Elections is Sean Mahon. The Boyle Municipal District will see sitting councillors Joe Murphy and John Cummins being joined by

Aidan Sampey, with Director of Elections being Vincent Moran. Director of Elections for Fianna Fáil in Co. Roscommon Patsy Feehily, who is also ViceChairperson of the Roscommon/Galway CDC, said he is

very optimistic for the party’s chances in the local elections. “I think we have an excellent team in place and I would be very hopeful that Fianna Fáil can increase its number of seats” said Mr. Feehily. Fianna Fáil TD for Roscommon/Galway Eugene Murphy wished all of the candidates well in the forthcoming weeks as the canvass beings to intensify. “We are starting with a base of six sitting Fianna Fáil councillors and I believe that we are very well positioned to increase on that number given the excellent calibre of candidates the party is putting forward in each of the municipal districts,” said Deputy Murphy. Chairperson of the Roscommon/Galway CDC, P. Burke echoed those sentiments, saying: “We have a very good team in the Athlone, Roscommon and Boyle areas and the candidates and their teams are all working very hard to maximise the number of seats. I want to wish all of the candidates the very best as they continue on the canvass over the coming weeks”.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

Sports People Connacht SFC Quarter-Final:

Leitrim -v- Roscommon

PAGE CONNACHT SFC SUPPLEMENT

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

Connacht SFC Quarter-Final: Leitrim -v- Roscommon Best of luck to both teams from

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side only losing to eventual divisional champions Derry in the final group game and again to the same opposition in the Division Four final in Croke Park. Now Hyland and his charges face an even more daunting challenge, that of travelling to Dr. Hyde Park and beating old rivals Roscommon who have proven the nemesis of Leitrim so many times in recent years. But make no mistake, Hyland is fully convinced that his side are capable of defeating Roscommon this coming Sunday. “I don’t wish to sound cocky or anything like that but any game that you go into, you want to win it and this game is no different. You have to believe that you can win. Do I believe that we can beat Roscommon? Yes I do. Do I think it will be tough? Yes I do. It would be a big turn up for the books but I really believe that we can beat them,” he said. “We are very happy with the way we have been performing and this is a huge game for Leitrim and the players all know that they will need to perform to win it.

“

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you see the players from the various clubs sitting together and that’s natural, but we changed that and ensured that they mixed better and made sure the lads on the panel got to know each other. “This is a huge local derby and even living in Cavan I never realised it was so big. We used to play Monaghan and Fermanagh and those were big games and this is just as big for the people involved. Look, I am due to get one over on Roscommon at this stage so why not in this game?” (Laughs).

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Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

Connacht SFC Quarter-Final: Leitrim -v- Roscommon

Roscommon:

LEAGUE stat attack Played ................................. 7 Won ..................................... 1 Drew ................................... 1 Lost ..................................... 5

Scored 5-77 (13.1 pts per game)

Conceded 10-84 (16.5 pts per game)

Players used 26 (including subs) Conor Daly, Ronan Daly, Tadhg O’Rourke, Niall Kilroy, Shane Killoran and Cathal Cregg started every one of the 7 games. Gary Patterson (4 as a sub), Enda Smith (once as a sub) and Hubert Darcy (a sub in all 7) were also involved in all seven games.

Top scorers Conor Cox .............................. 1-25 Ultan Harney ........................... 2-3 Enda Smith .............................. 1-5 Cathal Cregg ........................... 1-5 Niall Kilroy .............................. 0-6

The season ahead… predictions

Roscommon fans pictured at a 2019 Allianz Football League match. Pictures: Michael McCormack

Super 8s

 SEAMUS DUKE

Provincial winners Connacht: Mayo Leinster: Dublin Munster: Kerry Ulster: Donegal

Dublin Kerry Mayo Tyrone Galway Donegal Meath Monaghan

All-Ireland winners

Provincial winners Connacht: Mayo Leinster: Dublin Munster: Kerry Ulster: Tyrone

QTR-FINAL A

New York

0-4 SEMI-FINALS

Mayo

1-21

Mayo

Dublin QTR-FINAL B

Super 8s

 DAN DOONER

GAA Connacht Football Championship 2019 Draw

Mayo Dublin Kerry Tyrone Galway Roscommon Donegal Monaghan

All-Ireland winners Dublin

London

1-9

Galway

0-16

Leitrim/Roscommon

SEMI-FINALS

Galway QTR-FINAL C

Leitrim Roscommon

Sligo

FINALS

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Buzzing Leitrim travel in hope – but Roscommon still strongly favoured Connacht SFC Quarter-Final: Roscommon v Leitrim on Sunday at Dr. Hyde Park at 3.30 pm  SEAMUS DUKE

hen the draw for

the 2019 Connacht Senior Football Championship was made last October there were groans of disappointment in Leitrim at the prospect of facing Roscommon in the championship once again. Over the past

few seasons the Rossies have handed out fairly big beatings to their neighbours, and at the time of the draw that looked very likely to happen again. However, Terry Hyland came into Leitrim to manage the team, and now seven months later Leitrim are going to arrive in Dr. Hyde Park on Sunday

with a spring in their step following their best league campaign in many years, which saw them promoted to Division Three. Meanwhile, Roscommon have been plying their trade in Division One but were disappointed to have been relegated after making a good start. The feeling in Leitrim is that they have a

sporting chance of coming to Roscommon and causing an upset on Sunday. I don’t see it that way. The Roscommon management team of Anthony Cunningham, Iain Daly and Mark Dowd have been around the block and will not allow complacency to be an issue. While they had a poor ending to the

league campaign, Roscommon have been boosted by the return to the panel of key players like Diarmuid Murtagh, John McManus, Brian Stack, Cian McKeon and Fintan Cregg. Suddenly Roscommon have options all over the field as they prepare to go into battle on Sunday. There are also new addi-

tions to the squad like Cathal Heneghan and Andy Glennon, while players like Gary Patterson, Conor Hussey and Aengus Lyons have stepped up to the mark. I presume that Conor and Ronan Daly will be in defence with Davy Murray and Sean Mullooly. Conor Hussey, Gary Patterson, Conor Devaney, John McManus and Brian Stack are all solid defensive options too. At midfield it looks like Tadhg O’Rourke and Niall Daly will be the starting

“

combination with Shane Killoran and Enda Smith the other central options for the selectors. Up front, Enda and Donie Smith, Conor Cox, Diarmuid Murtagh, Killoran, Cathal Cregg, Fintan Cregg, Niall Kilroy and Cian McKeon are all in with starting chances. A full-forward line of Cox, Enda Smith and Diarmuid Murtagh looks a very strong one to me. Leitrim will come with confidence. Ryan O’Rourke is now their mar-

quee attacker and is adept at scoring from play and frees. Emlyn Mulligan is not the player he was, but will still pose a threat. Michael McWeeney is an impressive defender and captain. Mark Plunkett, Raymond Mulvey and Dean McGovern are all fine players too, and make no mistake, Leitrim will have their tails up for this match. But looking at the game realistically, there can only be one result. Leitrim will put it up to Roscommon and it will not be the boring one-

sided match that we have seen between these teams in recent years. I expect that Leitrim may even be in the game after 50 minutes or so, but Roscommon’s superior football skill and panel depth will come to the fore and will decide it in the end. I expect that this will be a competitive clash for twothirds of the way before Roscommon pull away. Anything other than a five or six point win for the home side will be a surprise. Prediction: Roscommon

Action from Roscommon v Leitrim in 2017: Niall Kilroy carries the ball forward for Roscommon. Picture: Andrew Fox

The feeling in Leitrim is that they have a sporting chance of coming to Roscommon and causing an upset on Sunday. I don’t see it that way

Cunningham expects a tough test Roscommon manager Anthony Cunningham is expecting a very tough game when his team meet neighbours Leitrim on Sunday. Speaking to People Sport, he said: “Our primary goal this year is to improve our performances from the league. It’s good to have lads like Brian Stack, Fintan Cregg, Diarmuid MurConor Cox (in action during the league) will be a key figure for Roscommon on Sunday. Picture: Michael McCormack.

Best of luck to both teams from

tagh and John McManus back on the panel. They are all experienced players and a big help to us. “Competition for places on the team is very keen at the moment and that’s how we like to have it. Noone wants to be left out of the first fifteen”. Cunningham has observed Leitrim’s progress

with keen interest. “Terry Hyland has come into Leitrim and has done a fine job and there is a huge wave of enthusiasm in the county as a result. They have to be admired for the way they have gone about their business. They will be a very tough proposition for us in Dr. Hyde Park. Our sole focus

is on that Leitrim game. I am really looking forward to it and I can’t wait to get going. “If you looked at the Division Four final there wasn’t much between the teams, and Leitrim played some great stuff so we know for certain that this is going to be a very hard game”.

Action from Roscommon v Leitrim in 2017: Conor Devaney tears down on goal as he breaks through the Leitrim defence. Picture: Andrew Fox

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Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

Connacht SFC Quarter-Final: Leitrim -v- Roscommon Best of luck to both teams from all at the

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Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

Connacht SFC Quarter-Final: Leitrim -v- Roscommon

Mc is back!

‘We’re in good shape’

John McManus is delighted to have returned to the Roscommon panel. “I really missed it when I was gone but it was a decision I had to make in terms of my career. When Anthony called me back in it was impossible to turn it down and the people at work have been very supportive, which is great. “The panel is really competitive now. We are doing things differently and every manager has their own style but there is a big emphasis on strength and conditioning and you can see how a lot of the lads are much stronger. “Leitrim will be stronger this year too after a good league campaign so we will have to be ready for them. I have been training hard in recent weeks and it was great to get a few club games under the belt. I was late into the panel so I am not expecting anything major in terms of the starting fifteen. Any minutes I get on the field at all I’ll be happy with as long as I can help the team to win. “Leitrim will bring a massive crowd and hopefully it will be a nice day and there will be a huge buzz in the Hyde so we are all really looking forward to it,” he concluded. – SD

Captain Enda ready for battle  SEAMUS DUKE

 SEAMUS DUKE

Noel Flynn speaks with a very distinctive Dublin accent but his roots are very much in Roscommon. Ballyfarnon in fact, as his late father Sean was a big St. Ronan’s and Roscommon man and football followers in the county will remember his uncles Benny and Stephen. When he got the call from Anthony Cunningham to join the Roscommon backroom team Noel jumped at the chance. The Roscommon Strength and Conditioning Coach is very happy with the shape that Roscommon are in as the championship approaches. “We started (training) a month behind most other teams which meant that we had to up the ante in the month of April. It was tough on management and players because we had to treat April like a pre-season and especially with the club games going on. We wanted the players to get fit but we wanted to be aware of overload, recovery and rest as well. We have had a great preparation and I’m very happy with how it is going so far. “My late father, Sean, who passed away seven years ago, was from Ballyfarnon and my uncles Benny and Stephen Flynn played minor, U-21 and senior for Roscommon. I was delighted to get the call from Anthony (Cunningham) to work with Roscommon. I had worked with Peter Creedon in Tipperary in the past and I have plenty of connections in the strength and conditioning aspect of coaching. “With regard to the league, there were positives. I would say the performances improved overall. Of course there was disappointment that the team were relegated, but looking at the bigger picture I think the players were happy that they were improving. “We knew we started later than other teams and we were not as fit as some of the other sides and I think that having had the last month (of training), the players are confident that they are in good shape going in to the championship. “I am very happy with how the lads are going. If you were looking at them training out there tonight they are flying, they are sharp and tough and confidence is high. We will work hard and see how we do as the championship progresses, but we are very happy with where we are at the moment,” he concluded.

John McManus (in action v Leitrim) is delighted to be back!

Roscommon captain Enda Smith is ready for Sunday!

oscommon captain Enda Smith says

spirits are high in the camp and that the players have put the disappointing end to the Allianz League campaign behind them. “Preparations are going well. We took a couple of weeks off after the league campaign and we have been playing club matches too. The league ended disappointingly but playing the club games was great and we have been training hard with Roscommon too. We had to just park what happened in the league and look forward to the championship and the game against Leitrim”. Smith says that training has been intense over the last few weeks. “We trained on Tuesdays and Fridays and we had club matches on the Sunday and the lads are in great shape. I had a slight injury myself but that will be cleared up before the Leitrim game”. The Boyle man is wary of the challenge posed by a buoyant Leitirm. “Leitrim will come in with far more confi-

Best of luck to the Leitrim team from

dence this year. The last couple of years they were deflated after doing poorly in the league, but they have been very impressive this year. Terry Hyland had put a great shape on them and they are playing much better football. They will come to Dr. Hyde Park very confident but we have been playing at a high level and if can get our house in order we should be able to win. “Roscommon never carry the favourites’ tag too well. Our two worst performances in the league were against Cavan and Galway and they were two games that a lot of people were hoping we would do well in. But as a player you get confidence knowing that you have the hard work done and we have put in a lot of hard graft the past four or five weeks. We will be sorting out the tactical end of things now, and once all that work is done we would be confident. We will be working on a gameplan and once all that is done there will be no chance of complacency. “Leitrim always feel that they can give Roscommon a good game and this is no different. Their good league campaign has given them great confidence but as I said before if we have our house in order we should be able to win”.

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Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

Connacht SFC Quarter-Final: Leitrim -v- Roscommon

GA A PEOPLE Your weekend starts here!

‘Step 3 is to beat Roscommon’ Leitrim captain Michael McWeeney says: “We are so looking forward to this game against Roscommon. This is what we play football for. It’s championship time, good weather, the sun is high in the sky and the interest is huge so we are rearing to go. “We had three goals for the year. One was to get promoted in the league. We achieved that. The second one was we wanted to put a bit of silverware on the table but

unfortunately that was not to be. Step three is to beat Roscommon. “Derry were the only team to beat us this year and there is no shame in that. They have proven that they were definitely not a Division Four team but we had loads of chances in that final in Croke Park that we missed, so we are taking the positives out of that. We never let them get away from us in that final and we can take great heart from that.

Noisy ! neighbcaoptauinrs Enda Smith

Roscommon rience of the has first-hand expe n the counee tw be y great rivalr ties. , which is “Being from Boyle rder, there bo im itr Le the to close t not only is huge rivalry…buCarrick-onin ng that, I’m worki ment so I’m Shannon at the mo of it and I’m le dd mi the in really day now!” listening to it every

“The only way we could have been competitive in the championship was to get out of Division Four and then follow it up, and the fact that we are going to Division Three means that we will be playing better standard opposition which will definitely improve us. “We are really looking forward to this game. Roscommon are a good side but we are focussing on ourselves and our performance”.

Roscommon fans pictured at a 2019 Allianz Football League match. Pictures: Michael McCormack

Assessing the Rossies!  SEAMUS DUKE LOOKS BACK…AND FORWARD

The Backstops Darren O’Malley was used in four games and Colm Lavin in three, and both acquitted themselves reasonably well. The goalkeeper is now such an important part of the team in Gaelic football with the kick-out strategy key to any success. In that department Roscommon had mixed luck in the league.

Case for the defence There is no doubt that the Roscommon defence was much tighter, aggressive in the tackle and harder to beat over the first three games of the league. In those first three matches only two goals were conceded and the scoring difference was +1 point. However, as the campaign progressed things got worse and in the last four games Roscommon leaked eight goals and the points difference was a whopping -34 points. The loss of so many players from the previous season is certainly a factor but the return of Sean Mullooly at full-back is a huge boost.

Around the middle There are still problems at midfield and the management tried different combinations throughout the campaign. It would appear that it’s a case of ‘Tadhg O’Rourke and AN Other’. So who should that be? Enda Smith would be my choice. He wasn’t at his best in this league campaign but he has all the attributes to be a top class midfielder. If we could get a consistent 70 minutes from the big Boyle man, he is potentially our best player. Shane Killoran is a fine young player but he might be more suited to the half-forward line.

Mayo man in New York The 2019 Connacht Championship was thrown in on foreign shores last weekend as Galway made their way to Ruislip where they just about overcame London by 0-16 to 1-9. Meanwhile, Times Square was brought

to a standstill while locals were presumably left bewildered following a Green and Red invasion of the Big Apple. Mayo may have been nice and friendly off the pitch but they certainly took no prisoners on it, beating their hapless hosts 1-22 0-4.

Attack! Attack! Attack! Conor Cox led the way for Roscommon in the 2019 league campaign and our Kerry recruit showed glimpses of class throughout the campaign. Cathal Cregg was back to his best in a lot of games too, which was a welcome sight. But after that we were struggling for

Fellowship of the ring in Kilglass Members of Kilglass Gaels and Ballinameen made Joe.ie last weekend when their Leyden Brothers AFL Division Three game in Kilglass came to a standstill when one of the physiotherapists lost an engagement ring and players, officials and supporters from both sides helped to look for it. The ring was eventually found…back in the dressing rooms…D’oh! (Stills are from a video Nicola Tully sent to the website)

consistency in the forward division. Thankfully Diarmuid Murtagh is back and looking sharp. Forwards win games and we need all our attackers to be able to chip in on the scoreboard. If we have a full deck to choose from, the attack looks strong – but that’s a big ‘if’.

Overall While it is desperately disappointing that Roscommon were relegated, given the number of players who opted out after last year, it wasn’t a bad campaign at all. It was, however, very noticeable that as the league progressed and the other teams started to get into their training our results got progressively worse. The management can only play the hand they are dealt and they did that admirably in this campaign. But mistakes such as giving the ball away cheaply, a failure to make the ball stick when it went forward, and problems at midfield were factors that contributed to our relegation.

The future The immediate future is the clash with Leitrim this Sunday in Dr. Hyde Park. Leitrim will come into the game cock-a-hoop after a really good league campaign and a very credible display in Croke Park in the Division Four final. They will harbour thoughts of causing an upset, but if Roscommon are careful, prepare properly, and treat Leitrim with the respect they deserve, it should still be a win on home soil. A trip to MacHale Park would be a horse of a different colour though. Roscommon have not won in the championship in Castlebar in 33 years, which is an incredible statistic. That hoodoo has to be broken at some stage but it is a big ask for it to happen this year. However, no team will want to meet Roscommon in the qualifiers if that is the route we have to take. If we can get close to a full team we will be hard to beat. As for the league, Division Two will be a tough division to get out of, but Roscommon will be ultra-competitive there. Don’t rule out another promotion in 2020!

WEEKEND PEOPLE Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

Great line-up planned for th 30 Boyle Arts Festival The 30th Boyle Arts Festival, which takes place from July 18th to 27th, already includes almost fifty events, including an impressive mix of live music, visual arts, opera, drama, film, comedy, interviews, workshops, storytelling, children’s events, poetry, readings and much more! Some of the big names to watch out for include The Riptide Movement, who will perform in The Storehouse on July 20th and The Blizzards, who will play there on July 26th. Tommy Fleming will bring his ‘Voice of Hope ll’ concert to St. Joseph’s Church on July 21st. Charlie McGettigan and Paul Harrington will celebrate the 25th anniversary of their Eurovision win

with ‘Rock & Roll Kids’, during a rare performance together in the Church of Ireland, on July 23rd. Kieran Goss will be joined by Annie Kinsella for a special latenight show in King House on July 26th and there will also be live music from The Swing Cats, Mules and Men, local bands The Martyrs and Fleetwood Craic. Prepare to be spellbound by stunning melodies and harmonies, when Galway three-piece The Whileaways perform in the Church of Ireland on July 22nd, while another Galway legend, Mary Coughlan, will bring Boyle Arts Festival to a close with an intimate performance in The Storehouse on July 27th. The classical music programme

will include performances by some of the finest contemporary artists in the country. Watch out for soprano, Emer Barry on July 26th, a very special performance of ‘La Boheme’ by the Harlequin Opera Company in the grounds of Boyle Abbey on July 27th. The RTÉ Contempo Quartet will be joined by the Choir of St. Joseph’s Church for a unique concert in the Church of Ireland on July 25th. Also look out for classical music performances by Michael McHale and Patrick Rafter during BAF 2019. Two Divas & a Piano are singers Flo McSweeney & Carmel McCreagh, joined by pianist Fiachra Trench. Together, they will take a wry look at love through blues and jazz standards,

classic pop and contemporary songs. They will perform in King House on July 23rd. A specially commissioned tradional piece entitled ‘Portal’ will celebrate the first 30 years of BAF, with a performance by Cathy Jordan, Vincent Woods, John Carty and Siobhán Cleary on July 20th. Watch out for interviews with David Norris, Carole Coleman, Horslips legends Jim Lockhart and Barry Devlin, spoken word events with Pat McCabe, Eoin McNamee, The Naggin of Knowledge, Moylurg Writers, Paul Connolly, Jane Clark and Brian Leyden. There will be comedy from Alison Spittle and atmospheric drama from Beezneez Theatre Company along

with many more events still to be announced! Tickets for a selection of events will soon be available to purchase via our website www.boylearts.com and www.eventbrite.ie. King House will again house the centrepiece of Boyle Arts Festival – the main visual exhibition. Curated by Paul McKenna, the theme this year is ‘Legacy – 30 years of Boyle Arts Festival’ and the exhibition features almost 100 of the very best artists from all over Ireland. For more information on Boyle Arts Festival 2019 please visit www.boylearts.com email info@ boylearts.com Follow the festival on Facebook and Twitter.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

WeekendPeople

FRANK

BRANDON

FRANK BRANDON’S

unique take on life ...

LETTER FROM SPAIN: Climate change, Champions League… and craic It’s Monday morning, and as I’m writing this, sitting at the kitchen table, it’s cloudy outside and I am thinking about global warming and climate change, and all that kind of stuff. I’m wondering what way they will affect our weather in the future – a future that my generation may not be around to see, but which our children and their children certainly will. Now the fact that it is cloudy outside on the Bank Holiday Monday would not normally register with me, but today I am on the east coast of Spain, in an area known as the Costa Blanca, where rain or cloudy conditions used to be very rare visitors. In all the years that we are coming here we have almost never seen a wet day…it would be a never-ending run of cloudless skies, glorious sunshine, and high temperatures, and if anyone went home as white as snow, well, it would be their own fault. And so last Tuesday night, as we

took off from Dublin Airport, we wondered what kind of weather was in store for us. For the last few weeks curiosity had us keeping a close eye on the Spanish weather charts, and in truth it seemed to be raining almost nonstop over there. We had heard stories about beaches being almost washed away, and it was said that the Easter tourist trade was completely ruined. The taxi driver who collected us at the airport confirmed all that we had heard, but said the good news was that the worst was over and that all had settled back to normal. And as I write this, almost a week in, I can tell you that today is the first bit of cloud we have seen (it’s almost lifted now), temperatures are in the mid-20s (just ideal for us) and the sun will be back again in a few minutes. This is an area that relies entirely on sunshine to keep its thriving tourist trade alive, so any major weather

change would cause enormous economic concern to the locals. Anyway, back to Dublin Airport, and as we finally got our place in the queue for taking off, we noticed a commotion at the front of the plane, where it transpired that a lady had taken ill. Credit to the Ryanair staff…it was all handled with total professionalism. We had to turn around and go back, and by the time we came to a halt, the ambulance had arrived, and medical personnel were on board in a mat-

ter of moments. After the usual examinations, the lady was brought off to hospital, and we later found out she had only fainted and will (please God) be fine. As for us, we took off ninety minutes late, but we were all glad to hear that the lady would be okay, and for an airline that gets a lot of bad press, I must say I was impressed with the way the staff handled it all, including, for a change, keeping us (the passengers) informed as to what was

And finally…

‘Pool magic Changing to sport, but staying in Spain, on Wednesday of last week I watched the Barcelona-Liverpool Champions League first leg semi-final in O’Riordan’s on the Strip – and it was a most interesting, enlightening and enjoyable experience. The place was absolutely wedged, but the support was just about even, with the Spanish supporting Barca, and a great Liverpudlian crowd supporting the Merseysiders. It lent itself to a great atmosphere. We were sitting beside five true Liverpool lads, and as the game went into the latter stages they were actually delighted with what was going on. Liverpool were by far the better team, and Lionel Messi had almost disappeared out of the game. And then the little magician woke up and turned the tie on its head with a couple of bits of Messi magic. When he scored his second and Barcelona’s third goal, to their eternal credit the Liverpool fans actually applauded. Funny enough,

I thought Liverpool were the better side throughout, and I think they will score three or four in the home tie. The difficulty will be trying to keep Suarez and Messi scoreless, and that may be beyond them. But if I could put on a few bob (which you can’t do legally over here), I would have a little flutter on Liverpool. By the time you read this on Thursday you will know how it went, and I will have to brave the large crowd again in O’Riordan’s, and maybe even drink a few pints of his good Guinness if I want to watch the second helping. It’s a tough life. Editor’s note: Frank’s column was submitted from Spain on Monday, as explained. Liverpool did score “three or four” – four actually – on Tuesday night, and they did keep Suarez and Messi scoreless. Frank’s flutter on Liverpool would have been a successful one. Well done Frank, and we trust that the atmosphere in O’Riordan’s was pretty special!

going on, and as to our possible departure time. The delay meant we were very late getting to Cabo Roig, and all we were fit for was bed. However, since then, we have caught up with the nightlife on the famous Strip, and I have to tell you tell you the craic is as good as ever, the Irish pubs are doing a roaring trade, and we have already bumped into a number of Rossies – and I’m sure we’ll meet a few more before we head back to the Emerald Isle.

Finally for this week, the excitement is building ahead of two big sporting occasions in Creggs on Saturday, 11th of May. We have the Junior Rugby Interprovincial game between Connacht and Munster at 2.30 pm on the fabulous new 4G pitch at The Green, with a number of our own Creggs players involved. Later that same day at 7 pm the big local football derby will take place – the Mountain versus the Valley in the Paul Devaney Memorial game at the GAA grounds. Both of these games are sure to draw huge crowds to the village, and if that wasn’t enough sport to keep you happy, the Heineken Rugby Cup Final between Leinster and Saracens is sandwiched in between. Sadly that is the day we return from our visit to the sun, so I might miss the lot of them. Hopefully, however, you will be there, and if you come from either the Mountain or the Valley, bring your boots, (togs optional) and you might just become a local hero by scoring the winning goal or point. If you do either, you will be guaranteed free drink for an hour at least. As for me, I have a foot in both camps, so whoever wins will be okay by me!

Jürgen Norbert Klopp ... manager of Premier League club Liverpool

Till next week, Bye from Spain!

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

WeekendPeople SUNDAY GOSPEL REFLECTION Israel’s mission – to be God’s instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth (see Isaiah 49:6) – is fulfilled in the Church. By the “Word of God” that Paul and Barnabas preach in today’s First Reading, a new covenant people is being born, a people who glorify the God of Israel as the Father of them all. The Church for all generations remains faithful to the grace of God given to the Apostles and continues their saving work. Through the Church the peoples of every land hear the Shepherd’s voice and follow Him (see Luke 10:16). The Good Shepherd of today’s Gospel is the enthroned Lamb of today’s Second Reading. In laying down His life for His flock, the Lamb brought to fulfillment a new Passover (see 1 Corinthians 5:7), by His blood freeing “every nation, race, people and tongue” from bondage to sin and death. The Church is the “great multitude” John sees in his vision today. God swore to Abraham his descendants would be too numerous to count. And in the Church, as John sees, this promise is fulfilled (compare Revelation 7:9; Genesis 15:5). The Lamb rules from the throne of God, sheltering His flock, feeding their hunger with His own Body and Blood, leading them to “springs of life-giving waters” that well up to eternal life (see John 4:14). The Lamb is the eternal Shepherd-King, the son of David foretold by the prophets. His Church is the kingdom of all Israel that the prophets said would be restored in an everlasting covenant (see Ezekiel 34:23–31; 37:23–28). It is not a kingdom any tribe or nation can jealously claim as theirs alone. The Shepherd’s Word to Israel is addressed now to all lands, calling all to worship and bless His name in the heavenly temple. This is the delight of the Gentiles – that we can sing the song that once only Israel could sing, today’s joyful Psalm: “He made us, His we are – His people, the flock He tends”. – Scott Hahn Ph.D., www.salvationhistory. com (and courtesy of Sacred Heart Church)

THE BRIDGE CLUB Happy ‘71 Bridge Club President’s Prize (Mary Coyle) – 1st: T. & M. O’Keeffe, 2nd: K. Murray & M. Molloy, Gross: N. Murtagh & M. Shannon, 3rd: L. Curley & P. Cooney. Session 1: K. Kelly & B. Ferguson, Session 2: K. Dowd & C. McGrath. St. Coman’s Bridge Club President’s Prize (Mary Naughton): 1st: K. Hanley & M. Fallon, 2nd: B. Jordan & S. Hickey, Gross: M. Egan & M. Moran, 3rd: B. McLoughlin & J. Devaney. Session 1: A. Flynn & N. Hynes, Session 2: P. & M. Lalor. The Bridge Clubs will reopen at the end of September. Summer Bridge will commence in Hannon’s Hotel on Wednesday, June 12th at 7.45 pm. All welcome.

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Lust, land and murder-most-foul in rural Ireland

It had everything…obsession, revenge, greed, grief, emotion, lust, land and money, all culminating in the brutal, cold and calculated slaying of what we now know was a much-loved gentleman, Bobby Ryan. However, in what has been described as the longest running murder trial in the history of the State, we found out that, during this multi-layered case, killer Patrick Quirke’s appalling act was not, as we first thought, committed as an out of character crime of passion, (or, in keeping with the drama, a crime passionnel), rather it was all about one man’s voracious appetite for craving and control. Throughout the compelling circumstantial evidence, we also learned that, unlike those notorious gangland murders occurring across the country that we read about here in our lovely Roscommon idyll, as the jury of six men and six women found the respected award winning farmer, financial investor and all-round-good egg Quirke guilty, the man now facing life behind bars was far removed from the hoodie-wearin’ gun-totin’ macho thug; rather he was a well-dressed, middle-aged gent embroiled in what now appears to have been a seedy sex situation who harboured murderous thoughts, believing he could get away with commit-

ting the so-called perfect crime. Without being disrespectful to the memory of murder victim Bobby Ryan, this case bore all of the hallmarks of a Hollywood movie plot. Now, while I’m glad Mary Lowry is reportedly ‘in a new relationship,’ following what must have been her extremely distressing and mortifying ordeal, we must not fixate on the woman, whom, due to her illicit affair with murderer Quirke, was unfortunate enough to be the crucial witness on whom the whole case rested. She will, with a lot of soul-searching, and hopefully the support she needs, be able to move on. However, for wronged wife Imelda Quirke and murder victim Bobby Ryan’s family, whose unbearable loss may never leave them, I fear rebuilding their shattered lives will prove to be much more strenuous. During the trial, I admit, on a personal level, I felt a lot of sympathy for Imelda and I admired her for faithfully and loyally accompanying Quirke to court each day; for stoically standing by him, and for clearly loving him. (It wouldn’t have been me). It was evident that, as the thirteen weeks ticked by, and with each sordid revelation, the trial took its toll on this slightly built woman whose killer husband once described in a letter he sent to agony aunt Patricia Redlich, (which

What’s in your hea-ad Leo? Well folks, it seems it wasn’t enough for An Taoiseach to leave us ‘spinning around’ with embarrassment following his now famous fawning letter to singer Kylie Minogue, where he enthused about how he’d love to welcome the pop icon to our Emerald Isle – because he’s only gone and done it again, and this time on the streets of Limerick where he dueted with young County Offaly busker James McKelvey during his rendition of The Cranberries’ classic Zombie! Out canvassing for votes, cooldude head-boy Leo was joined on the streets of the Treaty City (and on vocals, doo-wop, doo-wop) by MEP Sean Kelly and Senators Maria Byrne and Kieran O’Donnell, and, looking painfully awkward, (in my opinion), in the course of only one chorus, our country’s leader managed to quash every single quality that might have made him even moderately desirable to voters – as well as being majorly distinguishable to other nations’ heads of state – as a hard-nosed skilled Taoiseach, capable of running our country. Now I don’t know about you folks, but from where I’m sitting, it appears

that Leo’s team of spin doctors totally missed the mark, and I have to ask what was ‘in their hea-ads, in their hea-ads,’ because if last week’s busking shambles was evidence of their pathetic attempts to mould him into some affable bloke-next-door who gets up early in da morning so he can be down with da kids, they need to realise that this time, their plan has totally backfired. You see, by encouraging him to stop for an off-the-cuff, out-of-tunecroon, Leo’s out-of-touch handlers have turned our designer suit wearing man-boy/fan-boy from being a leader whom now, more than ever, (given Brexit), urgently needs to embody a confident, skilled and experienced negotiator, into a bungling self-conscious juvenile who looked (and acted) more like a reject dumped from some cheesy manufactured boyband! And so, in response to Mr. Varadkar’s comment where he praised busker James – telling him “You’re really good, and I don’t do bullshit” – I have to say, neither do I Leo love, and, bless you, you were woeful and are defo not my ‘golden buzzer’ act!

formed part of the evidence), as having been ‘a tremendous support and (who) loves me deeply’. Now while I don’t get it, I do understand that some women, (and some men too) can become infatuated with a ‘bad boy/girl,’ winding up in a match made in misery; and I hope Imelda can rebuild her life independent of her ruthless husband. We must also never forget Bobby Ryan or his grieving family; most especially his adult children Robert and Michelle who are now left to try and pick up the remnants of their shattered lives following their dad’s horrific death at the hands an evil manipulator and his poisonous trail of ruination. Quirke’s devious, cold-blooded and heinous crime will not only leave a stain on their lives, it’ll also leave a smear on the decent folk of Tipperary who do not deserve it, as well as on the landscape as a whole. I extend my deepest condolences to the family of Bobby Ryan who, despite being visibly tormented by the evidence, showed enormous dignity throughout the trial. I’ve no doubt their precious dad would have been proud of his children’s distinguished composure. It must be said that at this time, lawyers for Quirke are allegedly considering grounds on which to launch an appeal.

Rossies showcasing their very best

Congratulations to everyone involved in making last weekend’s annual Lamb Festival a huge success. Myself, himself and herself, (darling granddaughter) headed to our county town on the sunny Sunday for what was a great day’s entertainment, and marvelled at the delights and creativity of the local craft stalls housed in the town centre’s marquees, before heading along to the family fun day in Loughnaneane Park where we met lots of lovely locals manning (and womaning) the many information stands. One such delightful lady was Roscommon Town Tourist Information Group volunteer Cáitlin Browne (I hope I’ve got the spelling correct), with whom I had the pleasure of chatting as hubby wandered round the castle and granddaughter queued to take part in the soccer skills comp. (The queue was too long and she gave up in favour of going for lunch). Well done to the Tidy Towns’ committee who did an exemplary, and very difficult job of keeping the park litterfree, especially as I witnessed some adults, (not the kiddies), shamefully discarding rubbish on the grass. Now, as I’m a vegan, I did not partake of any of the food on offer, but I can appreciate the enormous efforts put in by the hard-working committee, the volunteers, the restaurants, the sponsors and the exhibitors, who all lovingly showcased our county town at its very best.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

WeekendPeople

Justin Hunt and Jacinta Glover pictured at the 21st Strokestown International Poetry Festival last Sunday. Pic: Mick McCormack

Carmel Fallon and Jacqueline Holmes pictured at the 21st Strokestown International Poetry Festival last Sunday. Pic: Mick McCormack Pictured is the Strokestown International Poetry Festival committee celebrating the festival’s 21st year last Sunday. Back row (l-r): Margaret Hickey, Jacinta Glover, Noelle Lynskey, Shane Lynskey, Gemma Flanagan, Ann O’Leary and Pat Compton. Seated (l-r): Louise Cole, Padraig Holmes and Melissa Newman.

21st Strokestown International Poetry Festival

Pat Compton and Rachel Doorley pictured at the 21st Strokestown International Poetry Festival last Sunday. Pic: Mick McCormack

CATTIGAN’S Castle Street, Roscommon Saturday night: Featherhead Music on Monday night after the Races:

FEATHERHEAD All top sports action shown live on our four screens! Best of luck to Roscommon team

(Right) Padraig Holmes, Chairman of Strokestown International Poetry Festival, congratulates this year’s winner, Majella Kelly from Tuam. Pic: Mick McCormack

Brendan Leonard and Jim Callery pictured at the 21st Strokestown International Poetry Festival last Sunday. Pic: Mick McCormack

JJ Harlow’s Telephone: 090 6626225 Saturday 11th May:

THE HARTONES

Shannon Kuta Kelly, Rhonda Wilson and Breege Quinn pictured at the 21st Strokestown International Poetry Festival last Sunday. Pic: Mick McCormack

Sunday 12th May:

6PM IN THE MIDDLE BAR

Teddy, Gemma and Eileen Flanagan pictured at the 21st Strokestown International Poetry Festival last Sunday. Pic: Mick McCormack

" catsmeowmusic@gmail.com C facebook.com/catsmeowband

* No Cover Charge, all gigs are at 10pm approx unless stated otherwise * Search for us on facebook: JJ-Harlows - The- Square-Roscommon-Town

Kilmurry Community Centre

Good luck Rochelle and Kilbride! Good luck to Rochelle Mullaney and the Kilbride Ladies in the Roscommon LGFA Division One League Final in Ballyleague on Saturday evening.

Locally owned ... in the heart of the community

Ann O’Leary, Pat Compton and Margaret Hickey pictured at the 21st Strokestown International Poetry Festival last Sunday. Pic: Mick McCormack

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

WeekendPeople

Pictured at Rockford’s last Sunday night were Olaf Trojanowski, Oliwia Kobusinska, Arleta Makowska, Kuba Malinowski and Patryk Gliwinski.

Pictured at Rockford’s last Sunday night were Mairead Kenny, Leanne and Kathlynn Davis.

Faces & Places Rockford’s Pictured at Rockford’s last Sunday night were Aoife Regan and Aisling Reynolds.

Pics: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Pictured at Rockford’s last Sunday night were Nicole Bradley, Kealon Mannion, Aoife Keane and Aisling Fitzmaurice.

Pictured at Rockford’s last Sunday night were Joanne Watts and Jennifer Seville.

Pictured at Rockford’s last Sunday night were Emma Kilmartin and Tara Cuttle.

Pictured (above) at Rockford’s last Sunday night were John Tyrrell, Ivan Achty and Sean Gordon.

Pictured (right) at Rockford’s last Sunday night were Alanna Hanly and Hollie Fitzpatrick. Pictured at Rockford’s last Sunday night were Gemma Dwyer and Hollie Foley.

Pictured at Rockford’s last Sunday night were Noeleen Heneghan and Tara Hegarty.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

WeekendPeople

Faces & Places Macra na Feirme’s 75th Anniversary Reunion Dance Pictured at Roscommon Macra na Feirme’s 75th Anniversary Reunion Dance last Sunday night in Roscommon town were Christopher O’Connor, Debbie Rattigan, Ronan Beirne, Sinead Conry and Adrian Calry.

Pics: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Pictured at Roscommon Macra na Feirme’s 75th Anniversary Reunion Dance last Sunday night in Roscommon town were Claude and Monica Hastings, Mattie Kelly and David Finnerty.

Pictured at Roscommon Macra na Feirme’s 75th Anniversary Reunion Dance last Sunday night in Roscommon town were Deirdre Daly and Caroline Mockler.

Pictured at Roscommon Macra na Feirme’s 75th Anniversary Reunion Dance last Sunday night in Roscommon town were Mary Daniels, Anne Duffy, Bernie Heavey, Carmel Whyte and Marie Duffy.

Pictured at Roscommon Macra na Feirme’s 75th Anniversary Reunion Dance last Sunday night in Roscommon town were Michelle Killilea and Padraig Beattie.

Pictured at Roscommon Macra na Feirme’s 75th Anniversary Reunion Dance last Sunday night in Roscommon town were Sharon Corcoran and Debbie Donnelly.

Pictured at Roscommon Macra na Feirme’s 75th Anniversary Reunion Dance last Sunday night in Roscommon town were Kenny Kelly, Michelle Kelly, Keith O’Halloran and Colleen Kelly.

Pictured at Roscommon Macra na Feirme’s 75th Anniversary Reunion Dance last Sunday night in Roscommon town were Johnny Finnerty and Ailish Connolly.

Pictured at Roscommon Macra na Feirme’s 75th Anniversary Reunion Dance last Sunday night in Roscommon town were Niall Egan, Emma Coyle, Margaret Kelly and Edward Feeney.

Pictured at Roscommon Macra na Feirme’s 75th Anniversary Reunion Dance last Sunday night in Roscommon town were Eddie Feeney, Lauren McDermott and Padraig Fallon.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

PropertyPeople

PROPERTY PARTNERS

ipav

Institute of Professional Auctioneer & Valuers

PSRA Licence No. 001481

EARLEY

FOR SALE BY PUBLIC AUCTION ON THURSDAY 23RD MAY 2019 IN THE PERCY FRENCH HOTEL, STROKESTOWN AT 4 PM (UNLESS PREVIOUSLY SOLD) A QUALITY RESIDENTIAL HOLDING OF LANDS CONTAINING APPROX.

44.6 ACRES

LOCATED AT

ROOAUN, KILGLASS, CO. ROSCOMMON (with valuable frontage onto Kilglass Lake)

A prime residential holding of lands containing approx. 44.6 acres in total and offering panoramic views over Kilglass lake. Standing on the said lands is a character 3 B/R two storey residence of approx. 1,000 sq.ft together with a comprehensive farmyard servicing same. The said property can be sold in one or more lots should market interest dictate and is set out as follows: Lot 1: The Entire. Lot 2: Residence standing on approx. 1 acre. Lot 3: Approx. 25.6 acres of lands with farmyard standing thereon. Lot 4: Approx. 18.0 acres of lands with lake access. Legal: Maria McCahill & Co, Stone Ct, The Sq, Roscommon.

PRIME LANDS CONTAINING APPROX.

31.73 ACRES

LOCATED AT

TREANACEEVE, SCRAMOGUE, CO. ROSCOMMON

Prime lands located in a renowned farming district close to Strokestown just off the main N5 Strokestown/Dublin route. The said lands must be of interest to farmers in the area wishing to increase their existing holdings and the auctioneers now invite immediate viewings and enquiries. Legal: Jennifer Liddy Fehilly, Messers Liddy Neilan & Co, Roscommon.

FULL LEGAL PACKS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION FROM 3 PM ON THE DAY OF THE AUCTION OR IN ADVANCE FROM THE APPOINTED SOLICITOR.

Stone Court, The Square, Roscommon Email: jearley@propertypartners.ie www.propertypartners.ie Tel: (090) 6626579 / 6626796 Fax: (090) 6625405

View showhouse at Hillview, Ballinlough this Saturday John Earley (FIPAV) of Property Partners Earley is this week pleased to advise that showhouse viewings at the quality Hillview development in Ballinlough will take place on Saturday, the 25th of May from 12-1 pm. John commented: “We are pleased to offer the remaining houses in the quality Hillview development for sale with excellent value for money on offer. Buyers have a choice between a four-bedroomed dormer-style residence and a spacious four-bedroomed bungalow residence all located within walking distance of Ballinlough village and all amenities. Showhouse viewings are available by appointment or on the day from 12-1 pm”. For further details or to arrange a viewing, please contact John Earley (FIPAV) of Property Partners Earley, Stone Court, The Square, Roscommon on 090-6626579 or email jearley@propertypartners.ie.

Hillview development in Ballinlough

Prime Fourmilehouse lands hit the market at Earley’s

Coolnageer, Curraghboy, Co. Roscommon.

Final offers invited for prime bungalow David Diffley (MIPAV, TRV) of Property Partners Earley is this week inviting final offers for a prime five-bedroomed bungalow residence located at Coolnageer, Curraghboy, Co. Roscommon. David describes the property as “a primely located bungalow residence located in a select countryside location close to Curraghboy village and all amenities. “The property benefits from spacious

living accommodation throughout and stands on a mature site area of c. 0.5 of an acre. The auctioneers now invite immediate viewings and final offers for immediate sale. BER: E2”. For further details or to arrange a viewing, please contact David Diffley (MIPAV, TRV) of Property Partners Earley, Stone Court, The Square, Roscommon on 090-6626579 or email ddiffley@ propertypartners.ie.

John Earley (FIPAV) of Property Partners Earley, Roscommon is this week offering new to the market prime lands containing approx. 7 acres all set out in one lot and located at Derrycannan, Fourmilehouse, Co. Roscommon. John describes the lands as “a prime roadside parcel of agricultural lands containing approx. 7 acres and set out in one lot. “The lands must be of interest to local farmers wishing to increase their existing holdings and the auctioneers now invite immediate viewings and offers to sell. Price guide: €40,000 ono to sell”. To arrange maps or for further details contact John Earley (FIPAV) of Property Partners Earley, Stone Court, The Square, Roscommon on 090-6626579, email jearley@ propertypartners.ie or log onto www.propertypartners.ie. Find us on facebook at www.facebook.com/propertypartnersearley.

Derrycannan, Fourmilehouse, Co. Roscommon.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

FarmingPeople Tighe’s Agri New season’s

FERTILISERS

Goulding Grassland Brands

ANIMAL FEEDSTUFFS Aurivo, Corby Rock, Liffey’s

Tel. 086 8918883 or 071 9639040

Dead & Worn-Out Animals

Contact

TOM ROGERS

JOHN GREENE BALLINASLOE

Strokestown, Co. Roscommon Tel. (071) 96 34783 and (071) 96 33344

TEL: (090) 96 88606 (090) 96 88830 (090) 96 87651

Your LOCAL Collector Guaranteed lowest price

Lowest price guaranteed Daily collection

Get Walking, Get Talking for Green Ribbon campaign

GLAS payments of €10.8m still due – Brady

Pictured at the launch of ‘Get Walking, Get Talking – Forest Walks In Support Of Green Ribbon Campaign’ were (l-r): National Farm Family & Social Affairs Chairperson, Caroline Farrell, Charles Burke, Coillte and Joe Healy IFA President.

IFA President Joe Healy has encouraged farm families to attend and support ‘Let’s Talk and Walk’ forest walks organised by IFA in partnership with See Change, Coillte, and Mental Health Ireland in support of the Green Ribbon campaign this month. Walks have been organised in venues throughout the country during May, which is Green Ribbon month – a month dedicated to encouraging people in Ireland to End Mental Health Stigma. IFA President Joe Healy said: “This has been a particularly tough year for many farm families, the uncertainty of Brexit and continued high input costs and low prices have contributed to a lot of additional stress and strain on many farm families. It is hoped that the walks will provide an opportunity for friends, families and communities to connect while being mindful of their own and others’ mental health and wellbeing”. Jim Daly, Minister of State with Respon-

sibility for Mental Health welcomed the initiative, commenting: “We know that individuals who often work alone – like farmers – are identified as a priority group within our national strategy to reduce suicide, Connecting for Life. People working in this area can often feel isolated and may not be aware of how to access supports. These walks will help to strengthen connections within the farming and wider community, while sharing knowledge about what supports and services can maintain positive mental health”. Let’s Talk and Walk will take place in the following locations: Ards Forest Park, Co. Donegal; Rossmore Forest Park, Co. Monaghan (Sunday, May 12th); Galway Wind Park, Oughterard, Co. Galway (Thursday, May 16th); Emo Forest, Co. Laois; Doneraile Park, Co. Cork (both on Sunday, May 19th); Fore Valley, Castlepollard, Co. Westmeath (Sunday, May 26th).

IFA Rural Development Committee Chairman Joe Brady has welcomed the issuing of GLAS balancing payments worth €25m to 42,000 farmers. However, he has called for all outstanding payments to eligible farmers to be paid without further delay. IFA estimate that 1,500 farmers still have not received any payment for 2018, amounting to approx. €10.8m due in outstanding payments. Joe Brady has called on the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed to raise the need for transitional arrangements for the 25,000 farmers whose GLAS contracts finish at the end of 2020 with the EU Commission. He said: “This is necessary as it is now likely that the existing CAP will be rolled over beyond December 2020. “Farmers must have clarity as to whether there will be a gap year when GLAS contracts finish, as environmental payments are a key component of cash flow and farm income on all farms”.

BOVA AI Technician Covering: Castlerea, Roscommon and surrounding areas

Plots of Turf TO LET Castlerea area Contact Christopher

Contact Christopher Dineen on

086 4100508

083 8892883

Roscommon People MART WATCH For all your Veterinary requirements

Roscommon Mart sample prices Dry cows

Weanling bulls

Lim X 880kgs €1700, Simm X 865kgs €1540, Lim X 620kgs €1490, Lim X 760kgs €1485, Char 765kgs €1360, Char X 660kgs €1165, Simm X 640kgs €1155, Lim X 655kgs €1270, Lim X 575kgs €1070, Char X 690kgs €1320, Lim 670kgs €1470.

Char X 370kgs €1280 - €3.45 per kilo, Lim 465kgs €1120 - €2.40 per kilo, Char X 420kgs €1060 - €2.52 per kilo, Lim X 350kgs €965 -€2.75 per kilo, Char 335kgs €980 - €2.92 per kilo, Char X 360kgs €955 - €2.65 per kilo, Lim 380kgs €950 - €2.50 per kilo, 2 Char X 330kgs €910 - €2.75 per kilo, PTX 280kgs €815kgs €2.91 per kilo, Char X 255kgs €760 - €2.98 per kilo.

Bullocks

Castlerea Co-operative ve Livestock Mart Ltd. TELEPHONE: 094 9620300 email: info@castlerealivestockmart.com web: www.castlerealivestockmart.com

Char 745kgs €1780, Char 740kgs €1739, Char X 715kgs €1725, Char X 725kgs €1703, BBX 645kgs €1570, Char X 545kgs €1540, Lim X 585kgs €1400, Lim X 560kgs €1390, Simm X 590kgs €1380, 3 AAX 543kgs €1200, Char X 445kgs €1230, 2 AAX 537kgs €1235, 2 Lim X 490kgs €1270, Char X 465kgs €1180, 2 Lim X 470kgs €1170, Char X 365kgs €1055.

Heifers Lim X 650kgs €1375, Char X 640kgs €1350, Simm X 610kgs €1250, 2 Lim X 517kgs €1250, Char X 525kgs €1240, Simm 545kgs €1230, Char X 525kgs €1160, AAX 480kgs €1000, Lim X 465kgs €1000, Lim X 315kgs €705.

Weanling heifers

Spring lamb

BBX 455kgs €1090 - €2.39 per kilo, BBx 435kgs €1065 - €2.44 per kilo, Lim X 440kgs €1050, Lim X 380kgs €1020 - €2.42 per kilo, 2 AAX 382kgs €890 - €2.32 per kilo, BAX 335kgs €920 - €2.74 per kilo, Char X 360kgs €870 - BBX 390kgs €930 - €2.38 per kilo, Lim 205kgs €640 - €3.12 per kilo, BBX 255kgs €800 - €3.13 per kilo.

47.1kgs €132, 54.5kgs €132, 57kgs €127, 44.9kgs €126, 45.9kgs €126, 46kgs €125, 45kgs €125, 46.9kgs €123, 45.9kgs €122, 43.5kgs €120.

Finished hoggets 65.6kgs €120, 53.8kgs €115, 49kgs €110, 48kgs €110.

PROPERTY SERVICES PROVIDERS LICENCE NO. 002249

THURSDAY WEEKLY:

SALE OF BULLOCKS, HEIFERS, COWS, CALVES, RUNNERS AND WEANLINGS ALL STOCK PRE-BOOKED. YARD OPENS AT 8 A.M. 3 RINGS IN OPERATION. ALL SALES COMMENCE AT 11 A.M. FOR ENQUIRIES CONTACT MART OFFICE OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR DETAILS

KEEP YOUR FARM SAFE

Manager’s report… Brendan Egan, Castlerea Mart “Numbers presented for sale remaining strong for the time of year and the forward stores in particular reported a very good demand this week with a top price of €1,070 over recorded in the heifers, and the dry cows recorded over €2 a kilo for the forward lots. “In the weanling rings trade has remained firm also with strong farmer, feedlot and exporter activity this week while breeding stock remain a very good trade. “Cows with calves at foot made from €1,030 to €1,740 per head

and springers made from €1,050 to €1,250 per head. “There were 200 bullocks on offer at our recent sale with prices ranging from €350 to €905 over with an average of €597 over paid. Demand was very strong this week for the bullocks with a full clearance reported from a well-attended sale. “Sales continue at Castlerea Mart today (Thursday 9th) when we have our usual sale of bullocks, heifers, cows, calves, runners and weanlings. All sales commence at 11 am”.

Manager’s report… Maura Quigley, Roscommon Mart “There were good numbers on offer again this week with prices holding firm for all classes. Average prices for bullocks ranged from €2.32 per kilo up to €2.89 per kilo. Heifers fetched from an average of €2.17 per kilo up to €2.43 per kilo. There was a large entry of dry cows with prices averaging from €1.74 per kilo up to €2.40 per kilo. “There is a special sale of heifers this Friday (10th) at 11 am and a special sale of bullocks the following Friday (17th). Bookings accepted up to 5 pm today (9th). “There was a good entry of excellent quality stock on offer at Tuesday’s weanling sale. There was a lively trade for weanling bulls with prices fetching from an average of €2.48 per kilo up to €3.45 per kilo. There was also a brisk trade for heifer weanlings with lots averaging from €2.38 per kilo up to €3.13 per kilo. “There were similar numbers on offer at this week’s sheep sale. Prices for spring lamb fetched €132 for 47.1kgs. Prices for finished hoggets peaked at €120 for 65.6kgs. There was a steady trade for cast ewes with prices ranging from €68 up to €120. There was a large entry of ewes with lambs at foot on offer with a brisk trade and very high percentage of lots sold. Sales continue each Wednesday at 11 am”.

Castlerea Mart sample prices Heifers

Weanling heifers

Lmx 395kgs €1105, BBx 415kgs €1070, Chx 480kgs €1290, Ch 435kgs €1155, Ch 670kgs €1740, Ch 595kgs €1390, Lm 500kgs €1380, Lm 490kgs €1155.

Lm 295kgs €925, Ch 275kgs €870, Ch 255kgs €780, Ch 370kgs €1050, Lm 345kgs €1000, Lm 350kgs €985, Lm 445kgs €1140.

Calves

Bullocks

Hex Hfr €255, Ch Bull €430, Ch Hfr €355, Lm Hfr €405, Hex Bull €270, Fr Bull €50.

Ch 475kgs €1275, Lm 415kgs AA 490kgs €1205, AA 540kgs Ch 500kgs €1335, Lm 510kgs AA 575kgs €1480, Ch 600kgs AA 555kgs €1350.

Weanling bulls Ch 270kgs €870, Lm 275kgs €870, Ch 255kgs €780, Ch 370kgs €1050, Lm 345kgs €1000, Lm 350kgs €985, Lm 445kgs €1140.

€1230, €1370, €1305, €1470,

Dry cows AAx 495kgs €1000, Lm 950kg €1890, Ch 870kgs €1755, Lm 790kgs €1685, Lm 820kgs €1650, Lm 750kgs €1495.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

FarmingPeople

(Proudly serving farmers for over 59 years) Property Services Providers Licence No. 001373

Bullocks, Heifers and Dry Cows Every Friday at 11 a.m. -----------------------------------Pictured at the Teagasc Knowledge Transfer event on the farm of John Curley in Carntleva last Thursday as part of the Roscommon Lamb Festival were Mary, John, Paul, Molly and Veronica Curley. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Pictured at the Teagasc Knowledge Transfer event on the farm of John Curley in Carntleva last Thursday as part of the Roscommon Lamb Festival were Joan and Anthony Geoghegan. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

At Teagasc Knowledge Transfer event

Bealtaine Special Sale of Heifers Friday, May 10th at 11 a.m.

38 pens of Heifers on offer Also Bullocks & Dry Cows Also included 24 Red Limousin Heifers all high star ratings suitable for breeding (geonomically tested) 18-24 months old approximately ------------------------------------

Mid May Special Sale of Bullocks Pictured at the Teagasc Knowledge Transfer event on the farm of John Curley in Carntleva last Thursday as part of the Roscommon Lamb Festival were Tommy Morgan, Maria Hester, Kepak and Patrick Coffey, Coffey’s Wool, Lecarrow. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Friday, May 17th at 11 a.m. Also Heifers & Dry Cows Pictured at the Teagasc Knowledge Transfer event on the farm of John Curley in Carntleva last Thursday as part of the Roscommon Lamb Festival were Monica and Rachel Hastings and Maisie Reaney. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh.

IFA Cabinet protest is ‘start of rebellion’ Addressing the IFA protest on Brexit losses outside the recent Government Cabinet meeting in Cork, IFA President Joe Healy accused the Taoiseach and the Government of failing beef farmers who have suffered losses of €100m from Brexit. “Politicians have not delivered on their promises. Our message to the Taoiseach and his Cabinet here in Cork today is that farmers will judge politicians on their actions on this issue. Election day is three weeks away on Friday (May 24th), and May 25th will be judgement day,” he said. Farmers from all over the country travelled to Cork for the protest seeking support

for beef farmers who have suffered Brexit losses of over €100m. “We are sending a strong message to the Government that farmers are rebelling against inaction. The Minister for Agriculture has been standing idly by, adopting a ‘wait and see’ approach. This is not good enough,” he said. Joe Healy says that politicians have been “promising big” on Brexit losses, but it was now time to deliver. “Farmers are angry with the inaction from the Government and the EU Commission. Farmers have already taken a huge hit from Brexit-related losses. They need help now,” he said.

Bookings accepted up to 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 9th ------------------------------------

Mid May Special Sale of Heifers Friday, May 24th at 11 a.m. Also Bullocks & Dry Cows Bookings accepted up to 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 16th ------------------------------------

Friday, May 10th

60 Simmental X Breeding Heifers Sale at 6 p.m. Sharp Viewing from 5 p.m. to 5.45 p.m. Also 25 Pedigree Simmental Bulls Show at 6 p.m. Sale at 8 p.m. Enquiries 057 9324577 ------------------------------------

Special Sale of Weanlings Joe Healy, IFA President, speaks to An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at the IFA protest on Brexit losses outside a recent Cabinet meeting in Cork.

Also Sucklers Cows Tuesday, May 21st at 5p.m. Bookings accepted up to 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 16th

Tommy’s delight as Ifac shortlisted for top award Ifac, the farming, food and agribusiness professional services firm, have been shortlisted for Large Practice of the Year at the Irish Accountancy Awards. The firm has over 30 offices around the country including a branch in Roscommon. Tommy Fallon, Partner at ifac’s Roscommon branch, said: “We are

delighted to have been shortlisted for Large Practice of the Year at the Irish Accountancy Awards. At ifac we have over 40 years in business nationwide providing advice to farming, food and agribusinesses and the personal aspect is an extremely important part of our work. We are really looking forward to the awards ceremony and

hope to come away with the prize”. Ifac has also been shortlisted for Advisory Team of the Year, Young Accountant of the Year and PartQualified Accountant of the Year. The winners will be announced at the Irish Accountancy Awards taking place on Thursday, 16th of May in The Mansion House, Dublin.

------------------------------------

Lambs, Cast Ewes, Ewes with Lambs at foot Each Wednesday at 11 a.m.

ENQUIRIES 090 6626352

Live streaming of sales from Ring 1 See link on our Facebook page or website Email: roscommonmart@gmail.com Visit our website: www.roscommonmart.ie

Find us on facebook

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

‘19

Roscommon Lamb Festival ’19 Supported by Media Partners…

Maura Quigley, Marty and Grace McDermott pictured at the Roscommon Lamb Festival Family Fun Day at Loughnaneane Park on Sunday. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

The sun shone on Roscommon Lamb Festival’s Family Fun Day at Loughnaneane Park last Sunday. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Cllr. Laurence Fallon and Mattie Kelly, Macra na Feirme, with the winner and runners-up in the Pet Lamb Competition at the Roscommon Lamb Festival Family Fun Day at Loughnaneane Park last Sunday. Pictured are Éadaoin Connolly (1st), Laoise Connolly (2nd), Hugh Smyth (3rd), Emily Kelly (4th). Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

A Capoeira performance during Roscommon Lamb Festival’s Family Fun Day at Loughnaneane Park last Sunday. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Sheep Racing with Roscommon Macra na Feirme at the Roscommon Lamb Festival Family Day at Loughnaneane Park last Sunday. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Pictured at the International Sheep Dog Trials at Walsh’s Field, Racecourse Road on Sunday last was Shannon Conn. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Letter to the Editor

Great weekend in a lovely town!

Pictured at the International Sheep Dog Trials at Walsh’s Field, Racecourse Road on Sunday last were Patrick Connolly and John Driver. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Pictured at the International Sheep Dog Trials at Walsh’s Field, Racecourse Road on Sunday last were Tighe, Paidí and James Duignan. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Athboy, Co. Meath Dear Editor, We are just back from a great weekend in Roscommon town and I must say we were more than surprised with all there was to see and do, both day and night in that lovely town. Undoubtedly the highlight of our weekend was attending the International Sheepdog Trials in Walsh’s Field. With dogs and their handlers working in harmony and the castle in the background, it brought back memories of that great TV programme, One Man and his Dog. On the downside, what a pity that the view of the 13th century castle, from the N60, is obstructed by a row of spruce trees. Roscommon Tourism should do all in their power to enhance the view of the castle so as to entice more tourists to the town. But for now, it’s congratulations to all involved in the Roscommon Lamb Festival 2019. It was a great occasion. With fond memories, Yours sincerely, Jim Coffey

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

‘19

Roscommon Lamb Festival ’19 Supported by Media Partners…

Pictured at the launch of the River Jiggy Mini Orchard Project last Saturday were Roscommon Tidy Towns committee members and members of the public. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

James Mooney, Pat Connolly and Jimmy Harrington from the Dysart Rural Men’s Group pictured at the Roscommon Lamb Festival on Sunday last. The men displayed traditional farm crafts once commonplace in the countryside such as sheep ties made from hay and a nest (pictured) made from straw, hay and feathers, which in times past were used by geese. The nest would have been placed in a stable or outhouse to keep it dry, and there the goose would hatch and rear the young goslings. Photograph courtesy of Noel Hoare

Pictured at the RosFM Talent Show, which took place in the Roscommon Lamb Festival Marquee last Friday night, were Ros FM’s Daniela Stoica, John Tobin and MC Gerry Jago. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh.

River Jiggy biodiversity project unveiled The River Jiggy Biodiversity Orchard Project, a Roscommon Tidy Towns project on the Golf Links Road, was unveiled last weekend by Tidy Towns member Christine Walker. The project was undertaken in order to create awareness about the River Jiggy which flows through Roscommon town. The planting of trees will enhance the local biodiversity and provide a source of nectar for insects and bees which are vital to the ecosystem. The main group and funding provider was The Local Authority Water Programme (LAWPRO) which consists of a team of 58 people operating from 13 separate Local Authority centres across the country. Funding

for the project was granted through the Community Water Development Fund 2019. The group would like to thank Catherine Seale and Mick Keane (Community Water Officers) for their assistance on the project. Noreen Shryane from the Local Authority Water Programme was present on Saturday and informed the group that she will be working on the River Jiggy in the coming weeks and would welcome those with information about the river to contact her. There were a number of people who assisted the group with their expertise for the information sign. Ecologist Michael Bell provided information and photos on the flora and fauna and Delcan Skehan provided a photo of

an otter. Oisin Naughton from Inland Fisheries also provided information about the River Jiggy. The information and map for Jiggy was provided by the staff in the Environment Section, Roscommon County Council, Kieran Madden, John O’Gorman, and Gerard Hannon. John Mockler and David Macklin from the area office assisted with the erection of a sign at the bridge. The planting of the trees and roses was undertaken by the members of Roscommon Tidy Towns under the guidance of Richard Waters. The committee would also like to thank Gerry Browne and Feargal Beattie for supplying materials as well as the Kennedy family for allowing the use of their land.

Pictured is 16-year-old Aoife Duignan from Arigna who was the overall winner of the RosFM Talent show on Friday last as part of the Roscommon Lamb Festival.

Aoife wins RosFM Talent show 16-year-old Aoife Duignan from Arigna was the overall winner of the RosFM Talent show on Friday last as part of the Roscommon Lamb Festival. Aoife is a student at Drumshanbo Vocational School and performed Lady Gaga’s ‘Shallow’ on the night. Izbella Rone (11) was second in last

Friday’s talent show, singing ‘Your Song’ by Ellie Goulding and Sean Griffin (15), a well-known Sean Nós dancer from Fourmilehouse, was third. The standard was extremely high at The Marquee last Friday night with a wonderful variety of talented performers. Pic Michelle Hughes Walsh.

Guided tour of Donamon Castle LEFT: Pictured at a guided tour of Donamon Castle as part of Roscommon Lamb Festival last Friday was Fr. Norman Davitt. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh RGHT: A group pictured at a guided tour of Donamon Castle as part of Roscommon Lamb Festival on Friday last. The tour was kindly facilitated by Seamus Ward, Fr. Pat Hogan and John Hanley, Roscommon Lamb Festival committee member. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Pictured at the launch of the River Jiggy Mini Orchard Project last Saturday was the Roscommon Tidy Towns Committee. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

NewsPeople

Chartrettes visitors given warm welcome  DAN DOONER

Roscommon Town Twinning Committee PRO, Cllr. Orla Leyden, said that she and her fellow committee members had been “so happy” to welcome 31 visitors from Chartrettes to celebrate the 21st Anniversary of the twinning between the two towns last weekend. The Roscommon committee welcomed the Chartrettes committee including President Linda Lauro and Chartrettes Deputy Mayor Pascal Gros to the unveiling of a new street sign for Aleé De Chartrettes by French Ambassador Stephane Crouzat last Friday prior to a reception at Arás an Chontae. The group also visited Padraig Corcoran’s Organic farm in Lecarrow on Saturday and the Roscommon Lamb Festival Barbeque. Cllr. Leyden paid tribute to fellow committee members and added: “The Roscommon Twinning Committee would like to thank the principals, teachers and children of St. Coman’s Wood Primary School and Gaeilscoil de hÍde for the wonderful music and dancing performances they put on Friday for our visitors as well as Gerry Shannon for the Town Walk and Roscommon Castle tour. “Sincere thanks also to Roscommon County Council CEO Eugene Cummins, elected members and staff including Christina Fannon for funding and the support to make this event possible”. Roscommon Twinning Committee also thanked Roscommon Town Team, Roscommon Chamber of Commerce, RoscomMr. Stephane Crouzat, French Ambassador to Ireland, and mon Lions Club, AIB, Bank of Ireland, Permanent TSB, RosNoel Connolly, Roscommon Town Twinning Committee, common Credit Union, and The Big Hello fund. pictured at the official naming of Allée de Chartrettes in See also page 15 Roscommon last Friday.

Pictured at the naming of Allée de Chartrettes on Friday were Cllr. Orla Leyden, Deputy Mayor of Chartrettes, Pascal Gros, and Larry Brennan, Chairperson, Roscommon Town Team. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Pictured at the naming of Allée de Chartrettes on Friday were H.E. Stéphane Crouzat, French Ambassador to Ireland, Cllr. Kathleen Shanagher, Leas Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council, and Donal Mee, Roscommon Lamb Festival Chairperson. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Pictured at the naming of Allée de Chartrettes on Friday were John Earley, H.E. Stéphane Crouzat, French Ambassador to Ireland, Eugene Cummins, CEO, Roscommon County Council and Larry Brennan, Roscommon Town Team Chairperson. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Pictured at the naming of Allée de Chartrettes on Friday were Eamonn Gleeson, Chairperson of Roscommon Town Twinning, Seán Beirne, Senator Terry Leyden, Deputy Mayor of Chartrettes, Pascal Gros, and Larry Brennan Chairperson, Roscommon Town Team. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Pictured at the naming of Allée de Chartrettes on Friday were Bill Cunningham, Philip Rouseau and Fr. John Cullen. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Pictured at the naming of Allée de Chartrettes on Friday were Rita Oates, Carmel Reilly, Caitlín McConn, President of Roscommon Chamber and Sean Mahon, Roscommon Chamber of Commerce. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

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BOOM SPRAYER TESTING SERVICE • Sprayers tested on owners premises • Test report & D.A.F.M. stickers provided. • Small stock parts fitted on site (if necessary) Currently in 2019, sprayers are required to be tested every 5 years according to Dept. of Agriculture regulations. From 2020 all sprayes are required to be tested every 3 years Contact: Thomas Neilan on 087 2395171 or 090 6663069 e-mail: thomasneilan4@gmail.com

D.A.F.M. Approved Reg No: EL000083

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Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

Classifieds FENCING/GATES

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GARDENING DANGEROUS TREE REMOVAL SERVICE

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GARDENING SERVICES Including: • Hedge Cutting • Hedge Planting • Grass Cutting • Spraying • Strimming • Weeding • Garden Tidy-ups • Planting • Gutter Cleaning, etc. Chainsaw work also available

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 TO LET: Frenchpark 2 bed townhouse to let, mint condition, OFCH, close to local ammenities, bus stop etc. Telephone Sean: 087 2371716  TO LET: 3 bedroom townhouse (not in an estate) Frenchpark Town. Suitable for a family. Tel: 087 2661845  TO LET: Luxury 1 bed apartment to let in Roscommon town, private parking, close to all amenities. Tel: 086 8538519

CHAZEY PROPERTIES: We require properties for waiting tenants, we advertise, conduct viewings, arrange references, read meters, set up tenancy agreements and arrange direct debit payments straight into your bank. We charge a one off fee only if we are successful in renting your property. If not no fees are payable. Tel: 086 8212732

Family Notices • Anniversary Remembrance • Acknowledgements • Birthday Remembrance Call into our office on Abbey Street, Roscommon

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MORRIS LOHAN Consulting Engineers Castle Street, Roscommon Phone: 090 66 27950 • HOUSE/EXTENSION DESIGN • PLANNING APPLICATIONS • ASSIGNED DESIGN & CERTIFIER ‘New Building Regs’ • BER RATINGS ‘Domestic & Commercial’ • STRUCTURAL & CONDITION SURVEYS • FIRE DESIGN CERTIFICATES

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facebook.com/moleskinarch ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL We Conlon Consulting Engineering Ltd., are applying to Roscommon County Council on behalf of our client Ray Cassidy for permission and for retention permission for development for the site located at Creeve, Donamon, Co. Roscommon. F42 N671 The development will consist of: A) The retention of the as constructed dwelling house, septic tank, site services and existing site layout. B) The erection of a single story extension to the side of the existing dwelling-house & alterations to the existing elevations Signed: Conlon Consulting Engineering Ltd. CL Building, Racecourse Rd. Roscommon Ph: 0906665341 [Agent]. info@conlonconsulting.ie This planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee, €20, within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

PLANNINGS ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL I, Cormac Kelly, hereby give notice that I am applying to Roscommon County Council for full planning permission to erect a dwelling house and domestic garage/store and construct a wastewater treatment system and percolation area and all associated site works at Creemully and Aghagad Beg, Castlecoote, Co. Roscommon. Signed: Lo-Homes Limited Tonamaddy, Creggs, Co. Roscommon Mobile: 086 8551835 The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee of €20 within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application and such submission or observation will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL Aras an Chontae, Roscommon, County Roscommon Name of the applicant: McKeons Sand & Gravel Ltd. Location of the Land or Structure: McKeons Quarry, Culliaghbeg and Culliaghmore, Ballinasloe, Co Roscommon. Date of the planning application: 30/08/2018 Planning Reference No.: PD/18/436 Nature and extent of the development The proposed development will take place within an application area of 13.89 hectares and within an overall site ownership boundary of 15.53 hectares. The development will consist of: a continuation/resumption of use and the operation of an existing quarry including use of all existing buildings and plant and machinery. Existing buildings consist of a workshop, office/ weighbridge, and prefabricated canteen/stores. Machinery includes various items of mobile/semi mobile crushing and screening plant. The application and proposed development also provide for the operation of a construction and demolition (C&D) waste recycling facility within the quarry and the provision of new toilets, new wastewater treatment unit and associated percolation area. The operation of the construction and demolition (C&D) waste recycling facility will require the granting of a waste permit or waste licence. Permission was previously granted for quarrying at this site under permission reference No. PD/07/571. Permission is sought for a period of twenty years plus two years for final restoration. Following a requirement of the planning authority, a Natura Impact Statement (NIS) will be submitted to the planning authority in connection with the application. The NIS will be available for inspection or purchase at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, during office hours at the offices of the planning authority. Subject to the payment of any relevant fee a submission or observation in relation to the NIS may be made in writing to the planning authority within 5 weeks of the date of receipt by the authority of the NIS.

PLANNINGS ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL I, Matt Mannion intend to apply to Roscommon County Council for planning permission for change of house plan from that currently granted planning permission under PD/10/146 at Fearmore, Kiltoom, Athlone, Co. Roscommon. Consisting of a single two storey dwelling house and septic tank with percolation area. Signed: Matt Mannion The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee, within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt of the application by the planning authority.

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL We Stephen Duffy and Michelle Cahill intend to make application to Roscommon County Council for planning permission to construct dormer type dwelling, domestic garage, proprietary effluent treatment system and percolation area, associated site development works and services at Newtown, Whitehall, Co. Roscommon. Signed: Gaynor Architectural + Design Services Ltd. Architects Fallon Avenue, Roscommon Phone: 090 6626974 Mobile: 086 8115449 The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee of €20 within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application and such submission or observation will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL We Mary Leech and Clieve Raftery intend to make application to Roscommon County Council for planning permission to refurbish dwelling by way of replacing existing flat roof structure to pitched slated roof, raising existing chimneys, new gutters, rain water pipes, fascia and soffit and associated works at Celtic Avenue, Roscommon. Signed: Gaynor Architectural + Design Services Ltd. Architects Fallon Avenue, Roscommon Phone: 090 6626974 Mobile: 086 8115449 The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee of €20 within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application and such submission or observation will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

Classifieds PLANNINGS ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL I, William Walsh, intend to make application to Roscommon County Council for planning permission for construction of single storey extension to front and side/ rear to include renovation of existing dwelling house and all ancillary works at Racecourse Rd., Roscommon, Co. Roscommon. Signed: MoleskinArchitecture Mote Park, Roscommon 086 3482387 info@moleskinarchitecture. com The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee of €20 within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application and such submission or observation will be considered by the authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL I Kevin O’ Connor am applying for planning permission to Construct a 3 bay slatted shed with a 4 bay underground effluent storage tank and Silage Apron and all associated site development works at Pollboy Td, Ballaghaderreen Co. Roscommon. Signed: Kevin O’ Connor That the planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of the receipt by the authority of the application, and such submission or observations will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant the application.

To advertise, telephone 090 66 34633 or email advertising@roscommonpeople.ie

PLANNINGS ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL We are applying for planning permission for retention of alterations to house plans for which planning permission was granted under Planning Reg Ref PD 17 / 69, to include for omission of sun room and installation of window on gable of western elevation, and for planning permission for erection of concrete block wall , 1800 mm in height along western site boundary to site at Lisdillure, Drum, Co. Roscommon. Signed: B Lennon and T Browne The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee of €20 within the period of five weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application, and such submission or observation will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL I am applying for planning permission for erection of new commercial building to include (a) Licensed Premises with storage space, toilet and ancillary development, (b) Incubation Units at ground floor level, (c) bedroom accommodation at first floor level (d) installation of proprietary sewerage treatment plant and percolation area (e) off street car parking spaces at Curraghboy, Co. Roscommon. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee of €20 within the period of five weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application, and such submission or observation will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

Signed: Brian McGrath

Send your Classified advertisement to advertising@rosommonpeople.ie or alternatively call 090 66 34633

 SMYTH’S TRANSPORT: Require a full-time HGV Apprentice Mechanic. Tel: 087 2541720  SMYTH’S TRANSPORT: Require a full-time HGV Driver. Monday to Friday with nights out in the truck. Contact Stephen on 087 2541720

The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee of €20 within the period of five weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application, and such submission or observation will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

TAXIS AND HACKNEYS

Pete’s Cabs

Roscommon

TURF/FUEL/ FIREWOOD

 PERSON AVAILABLE: For kitchen work in restaurant/hotel/canteen or general work in schools in Leitrim or Longford areas. Box No: 2032 c/o Roscommon People, Abbey Street, Roscommon

also Peat Bedding Available

Supplied & Fitted From

SOULMATES SOULMATES - DON’T BE ALONE, LOVE IS ALL THERE IS: Find that special person for friendship and romance with like-minded people. Safe, reliable and confidential.

Telephone: 087 9216302 087 7720250 Acceptance of an advertisement or payment therefore is not to be taken as implying guarantee that the advertisement will be published. The right is reserved to refuse to insert any advertisement, without giving any reason; also to discontinue the publication of any advertisement previously published, without compensation for any loss or damage claimed for non-publication. Publication of an advertisement cannot be guaranteed on a specific week or at all, whether or not a particular week has been stipulated by the advertiser, and the company will not be liable for any loss claimed by such omission, whether from all editions or any particular edition or editions of the paper. Right is reserved to alter any advertisement without liability for any compensation for such alteration. Further, the company does not accept liability for any loss or damage caused by an error or inaccuracy in the printing of any advertisement.

(All areas)

Peter Lynch 086 8400002

TOM KILDUFF CABS Tel: (086) 2544662 086 3821515

KELLY’S EYE Taxi and Minibus hire.

PHONE:

087 2727888

 THIS WEEK’S SPECIAL OFFERS: • Bags of seasoned firewood only €2 per bag • Bags of turf only €2.50 per bag, buy 20 get 2 free • Tonne bags firewood/turf €35 per bay, or buy tonne firewood + tonne turf + 2 bags coal 20kg all for €80 delivered. • Stove coal 40kg bags only €14, buy 10 bags get 1 20kg bag coal free. • 8x4 trailer load firewood only €90. All includes free delivery. Contact Tom: 086 2628439 PREMIUM BLACK TURF For Sale BLACK RIDGE PREMIUM TURF Bagged or loose. Quantities of 10 or more bags delivered free of charge. Irish Bog Garden Products. Call Sean 087 6788674

TOMMY GILLIGAN

CABS

TELEPHONE: 086 8099 503

Padraig Healy Car & Mini Bus Hire Wheelchair Accessible Call car direct

(086) 2714879

JOHN BEATTIE Cab and Bus Hire Roscommon

086 2670670 BUS HIRE FOR ALL OCCASIONS

Quality Small Job Services For Home or Business

LOFT LADDERS

Tel: Donal

– Contact –

USEFUL SERVICES

2018 SEASONED TURF

086 2721812

SITUATIONS WANTED

Signed: John McDermott

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL I Brian McGrath am applying to Roscommon County Council for planning permission to retain as constructed dwelling house and ancillary site works (previously granted under PD/05/1143) at Frasnadeffa, Ballaghaderreen, Co. Roscommon.

Submit your Classified online

SITUATIONS VACANT

Aluminium

The company that can do all them small jobs

 WINDOW CLEANING: Competitive rates. All areas covered. Also gutters/ fascias. Contact John: 087 2291931

Family Notices • Anniversary Remembrance • Acknowledgements • Birthday Remembrance

 SHANE NAUGHTON ROOFING CONTRACTOR Roofing, slating, tiling, 1st and 2nd fixing and flooring. All aspects of carpentry and building undertaken. Tel: 086 3155329

CRASH REPAIRS

FROM

€190 094 96 31880 087 9100477

www.oddjobsolutions.ie Established since 2005  ELECTRICIAN AVAILABLE: Safe Electric Registered. Domestic and Industrial, All work considered - No Job too small. Phone Paul 086 2553153 or 090 666 3053 or Email p0862553153@ gmail.com.

HOME MAINTENANCE  HOME MAINTENANCE: All aspects covered, plumbing, electrics, carpentry and any household emergency. 24 hour call out. Phone Kieran: 087 7465281 or Jake 085 1002423  PAINTER & DECORATOR AVAILABLE: For all your painting needs, keen and competive prices. Tel: Tom on 086 0815802

WINDOW CLEANING

USEFUL SERVICES

 CLEANING SERVICE AVAILABLE: In County Roscommon. Whatsapp on 089 2316588. Ring or SMS to 083 1888257

Do you have a house or shed that you want cleaned out and all unwanted items removed? If so ring: 087 9657933 or 090 6626752

SEPTIC TANKS EMPTIED DRAINS/SEWERS CLEANED PERMIT NO: NW CPO - 09 - 03267 - 03

TELEPHONE MICHAEL HAVERTY: 086 8381227 or 086 1997815

DOMESTIC APPLIANCE REPAIRS: WASHING MACHINE, REPAIRS, DISHWASHER REPAIRS, OVEN AND TUMBLE DRYER REPAIRS Contact Paul on 086 0538977 087 4046478 www.appliance-repairs.ie

 BUILDER AVAILABLE FOR SMALL PROJECTS: Extensions, bathroom, conversions, replacement windows etc. Tel: 086 0512267

MARQUEE

Call into our office on Abbey Street, Roscommon

Phone: (090) 66 34633 Email: advertising@roscommonpeople.ie Our deadline for receipt of Family Notices is 2.30pm on Tuesday. We cannot guarantee publication after this time.

Selection of Marquees available for:

We also have a selection of tables & chairs, bar facilities and stages for any of the above. Please do not hesitate to contact us.

Ballintubber, Castlerea, Co. Roscommon

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

Classifieds

To advertise, telephone 090 66 34633 or email advertising@roscommonpeople.ie

Appointments

FAMILYNOTICES ....ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND ANNIVERSARIES

Chef Wanted Immediatley

SHIEL Mary

HOLIAN Eamon

RYAN JIM

(11th Anniversary)

Kilteevan (25th Anniversary) R.I.P

Creevy, Roscommon (15th Anniversary) In loving memory of Jim who died on 14th May 2004

ALSO

Commis Chef Excellent positions for suitable candidate Apply to Tullys Hotel, Castlerea Tel: 094 9620200

Nox Hotel are looking for an experienced

Assistant Accommodation Manager Applicants must have previous supervisory experience in a busy accommodation department. Please send applications to accommodationmanager@noxhotel.ie

Market Square, Roscommon Telephone: 086 - 0377088 Are you a team player and an enthusiastic person looking for exciting new start? We at Jack Edwards both in Roscommon and Castlerea are looking for the right candidate for the following positions:

HAIRSTYLIST (Position: Part-time - Flexi) Must be willing to commute between Castlerea/Roscommon. ● Minimum 5 years experience ● Confident in all aspects of hairdressing ie. Colourist: colour consultations/application/Highlights/Ombre ● All aspects of cutting/restyles ● Upstyles ● Gent Cutting ● General styling: Blowdrying/curling ● Reception work ● General upkeep of Salon floor duties.

CHEF REQUIRED

Les Petites Tartres Café Restaurant

In loving memory of Mary, late of Ballymoe, Co. Galway, who died on May 10th, 2008. R.I.P. A smile for all A heart of gold The very best this world could hold. Never selfish, Always kind, Those are the memories you left behind. Thinking of you Mary is easy We do it every day, But missing you is a heartache, That never goes away.

Sadly missed by her loving husband Mickie. Anniversary Mass in St. Croan’s Church, Ballymoe on Sunday, 12th May at 10.30am.

Main St, Athleague ● Tel: 090 6663343 3 years experience in a similar role Good communication skills ● A passion for quality food ● ●

If you think you can bring some creative talent to our team, please contact Anita on 087 2742844 or send your CV to anitabruneteau@eircom.net

KENNEDY Michael 24, Beech Grove & Corbo, Kilrooskey, Co. Roscommon (4th Anniversary) Who died on 9th May 2015

BEAUTY THERAPIST (Position: Full-time & Part-time - Flexi) Must be willing to commute between Castlerea/Roscommon. ● Minimum 5 years experience ● Fully confident in all aspect of therapies ie: ● Massage ● Waxing ● Tanning ● Nail/Shellac ● Eyelashes: extentions/eyelash lift a bonus ● Ear piercing

Call Ann Marie on 083 1552431

LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB? To have your advert seen by over 80,000 people every week advertise with us! THE MOST READ NEWSPAPER IN COUNTY ROSCOMMON!

As we look upon your picture sweet memories we recall A face so full of sunshine A smile for one and all. Though your heart has gone forever And your hand we cannot touch We shall never lose those memories of a brother we loved so much.

Love from your brother Christopher and Hilary.

Memories grow dearer as time goes on When you long for a smile and a face that is gone. Deep in my heart Your memory is kept To love and to cherish and never forget Happy thoughts of times together Old memories that will last forever Deep in my heart you will always stay Loved and remembered every day. R.I.P.

To love and cherish always, Margaret x ~~~~~~~~~~~ DAD We once had someone special That money could not buy We had a special father That could not say goodbye You taught us love and fondness You taught us how to care You bound us all together With love few families share But of all that life has given us And of all that’s left to do We never had a greater gift than the years we shared with you. The memories of your smiling face Are with us everyday So meet us in our dreams dear Dad And talk to us once more Ease the everlasting pain That makes our hearts so sore And when our lives are through We pray that God will take our hands And lead us straight to you.

TELEPHONE: 090

66 34633

EMAIL:

advertising@roscommonpeople.ie OUR DEADLINE IS STRICTLY 2PM ON TUESDAY We cannot guarantee publication after this time

Forever in our thoughts and prayers, sadly missed by your neighbours and friends. Anniversary Mass in Sacred Heart Church, Roscommon on Tuesday, 14th May at 8am.

GILLOOLY Paul Culleen, Kilteevan, Roscommon Called to his eternal Home on 9th May, 2011 (8th Anniversary)

SOMEONE SPECIAL Our joys will be greater Our love will be deeper Our lives will be fuller Because we had you in our lives.

Dad, Mom and family xxx

We love and miss you always Dad, from John, Eamon, Tom, Trish, Josie, Russell, Charlotte and Lara xx

THANKSGIVINGS

The local paper!

You always had a smile to share, A laugh, a joke and time to care. A wonderful nature, Warm and true, Those are the memories We have of you.

PRAYER TO ST. EXPEDITE My St. Expedite of urgent and just causes, please intercede for me with our Lord Jesus Christ, succour me in this hour of affliction and despair my St. Expedite, you who are a Holy warrior, you who are the Saint of the afflicted, you who is the Saint of the desperate, you who is the Saint of urgent causes, protect me, help me, give me strength, courage and serenity. Hear my plea. (Make request). Clearly express what you want and ask him to find a way to get it to you. My Saint Expedite, help me to prevail through these difficult hours, protect me from all those who want to harm me, respond to my plea with urgency, bring me back to that state of peace and tranquillity, my Saint Expedite, I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life and I will speak your name to all those who have faith. Now promise to give Saint Expedite a specific offering when your desire is granted. Amen. Say one Our Father, one Hail Mary and make the sign of the cross. Be sure to provide the offering you promised, if Saint Expedite grants your petition. Thank you so much for everything, for hearing and answering my prayer. And to St. Michael and St. John. Amen. M.C.

Submit your Classified online Send your Classified advertisement to advertising@rosommonpeople.ie or alternatively call 090 66 34633

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

Classifieds

To advertise, telephone 090 66 34633 or email advertising@roscommonpeople.ie

FAMILYNOTICES ....ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND ANNIVERSARIES MONAGHAN Carmel and Paddy

O’FARRELLY Larry

Cargins, Tulsk (6th and 23rd Anniversaries)

Lenanamalla, Four Roads, Co. Roscommon and 1 Riverside, Clonroadmore, Ennis, Co. Clare (4th Anniversary)

Time cannot steal the treasures that we carry in our hearts. Nor ever dim the shining thoughts our cherished past imparts For the memories of the ones we loved still cast a gentle glow, To grace our days and light our paths, wherever we may go.

Lovingly remembered by all their family. Anniversary Mass takes place on Sunday, 12th May at 11.30am in the Church of St Eithne and Fidelma, Tulsk.

BARRY David and Breda Abbeytown, Roscommon

Though your smile is gone forever, And your hands I can no longer touch, I still have so many memories, Of you whom I loved so much, Those memories of our time together Are my keepsake with which I’ll never part. God may have you in His keeping, I will always have you in my heart.

Helen

(31st Anniversary)

(23rd Anniversary)

In loving memory of our dear Mum and Dad, Breda and David, David who died on the 10th April 1988 and Breda who died on 19th May 1996 Lord grant them eternal rest.

Loved and sadly missed by your family.

THE MIRACULOUS PRAYER Dear Heart of Jesus in the past I have asked you for many favours. This time I ask this special one. (mention it). Take it Dear Heart of Jesus and place it within your own broken heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour, not mine. Amen. Say this prayer three times, for three days, promise publication and favour will be granted. A.M.K.

McCORMACK Ronan Woodview Court and Carrownabrickna, Roscommon Town (9th Anniversary)

Masses offered.

THANKSGIVINGS

Anniversary Mass will be held in The Church of the Good Shepherd, Four Roads on Sunday, 12th May at 11am.

McPHILLIPS Michael (4th Anniversary)

MONTH’S MIND THOMPSON John The Pines, Ballinasloe and Ballyforan, Co. Roscommon Who died on April 10th, 2019

John’s wife Yulia and the Thompson family wish to express our sincere thanks to everybody who sympathised with us on our recent sad loss. Our sincere thanks to all who attended the Reposal, Funeral Mass and Burial. To those who travelled long distances to be with us, those who sent Mass Cards, letters and messages of sympathy, sincere thanks. Thanks to all the staff of Portiuncula Hospital, Uniersity College Hospital, Galway and Dr. Martin Daly, Ballygar for John’s excellent care. Thanks to Fr. Francis Beirne for the beautiful Mass and Homily. Thanks to the beautiful choir which greatly enchanced John’s Mass. Thanks also to the Eucharistic Ministers and Altar Servers. Greateful thanks to Michael Dempsey, Undertaker, for his total professionalism and help and support with all the Funeral arrangements. Special thanks to the grave diggers who prepared John’s final resting place so beautifully. Grateful thanks to Dysart Community Centre and all the people who helped to porovide refreshments after the Burial. Thanks to Sean Mulry for providing the lovely hot meal. A special word of thanks to the Management and staff of Schneider Electric Galway for their support and understanding during John’s employment, his illness and over the days of the Funeral. As it is impossible to thank everyone individually please accept this acknowledgement as an expression of our sincere gratitude and heartfelt appreciation. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will be offered for the intentions of all. John’s Month’s Mind Mass will be celebrated in St. Joseph’s Church, Ballyforan on Thursday, 9th May at 7.30pm.

MONTH’S MIND BEIRNE (nee Dowd) Rose Ann Ballymacurley North, Roscommon Who died on March 27th, 2019

Death leaves a heartache No one can heal But love leaves a memory That no one can steal.

Sadly missed by all his family and friends. Anniversary Mass in the Sacred Heart Church, Roscommon Town on Monday, 13th May at 10am.

Ros Memorials Headstone, Memorial & Gravestone Specialists

KNOCKCROGHERY, CO. ROSCOMMON

PAT QUIGLEY: 087 7799076 PAUL O’CONNOR: 086 6052649

• Headstones • Kerbed Memorials • Grave Site Care • Headstone Cleaning • Monument Levelling • Gravestone Repair

Loved, cherished and remembered every minute of every day by your heartbroken family, Bob, Jacqui, Angelina, Fiona, Clement, Shane, Andy, Anne Gavin, Zoe and Dylan. Anniversary Mass in St. Patrick’s Church, Athleague on Friday, 10th May at 7pm.

(3rd Anniversary) Castleview, Ballybride, Roscommon

In loving memory of Frank who died on 27th May 2016 Our lives go on without you But nothing is the same We have to hide our heartache When someone speaks your name Sad are the hearts that love you Silent are the tears that fall Living without you is the hardest part of all You did so many things for us Your heart was so kind and true And when we needed someone We could always count on you The special years will not return When we were all together But with love in our hearts You walk with us forever.

Deeply missed and forever loved and remembered by his daughters Olivia and Janette, sister Marie and brothers Mattie and Martin and extended family. Anniversary Mass in Four-Mile-House Church on Saturday, 11th May at 8pm.

THANKSGIVINGS UNFAILING NOVENA PRAYER TO ST. ANTHONY Oh Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of saints, your love for God and charity for His creatures made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore of you to obtain for me (request). The answer to my prayer may require a miracle, even so, you are the ‘Saint of Miracles’. O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms, and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Publication promised for a great favour received. A.M.K.

With fond and precious memories of our wonderful son and brother, who left home on May 8th 2010 RONAN

Beautiful memories are wonderful things, They last the longest day, They never wear out, They never get lost, And can never be given away, To some you may be forgotten, To others a part of the past, But to us who loved and lost you Your memory will always last.

KELLY Frank

The family of the late Rose Beirne wish to thanks most sincerely all those who sympathised with us on the occasion of our sad loss and to those who travelled long distances to be with us. To the doctors who cared for her especially Dr. Farrell and Dr. Morris and all the staff in Rosmed Health Centre and all the doctors, nurses and staff of Roscommon Hospital. Also to Declan, nurses and carers for the wonderful care she received in the Oakwood Nursing Home, Roscommon during her short stay in their care. To Fr. Donal Morris for his beautiful Homily and Fr. Eric and Fr. Browne who concelebrated Mam’s Funeral Mass. To the choir for their beautiful music which enhanced the Mass. To Pat and Tom Smyth, Funeral Directors for their kindness and professionalism. As it would not be possible to thank everyone individually, please accept this acknowledgement as a token of our sincere gratitude. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will be offered for your intentions. The Month’s Mind Mass for our beloved Mother Rose will be celebrated in Ballinaheglish Church, on Sunday, 12th May at 11am.

UNFAILING NOVENA PRAYER TO ST. ANTHONY Oh Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of saints, your love for God and charity for His creatures made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore of you to obtain for me (request). The answer to my prayer may require a miracle, even so, you are the ‘Saint of Miracles’. O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms, and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Publication promised for a great favour received. A.M.K.

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Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

AtYourService CHIMNEY REPAIRS

To advertise, telephone 090 66 34633 or email advertising@roscommonpeople.ie LOCKSMITH

WINDOWS/DOORS

Chris’s Locksmith Service

CHIMNEY PROBLEMS SHOWROOM:

Racecourse Road, Roscommon

DOOLEY CHIMNEY REPAIRS • Lining • Relining • Rebuilding • CCTV Camera Inspection

CATHAL DOOLEY 087 6579064

20 Years Experience Free Insurance Quotes Nationwide Service Stoves and Ranges Fitted All Work Guaranteed

BLINDS

WE SUPPLY & FIT Double & Treble Glazed Windows & Doors, Patio Doors, French Doors, Porches and Conservatories

Also Wooden Venetians, Velux Window Blinds. Tel: 090 66 30521 Mobile: 086 8115928

CHIMNEY REPAIRS

uPVC Window and Door Locksmith We are the only Licensed Window and Door Locksmith in Roscommon

Telephone: 090 66 33026 www.roscommonwindows.ie

GLASS

Boyle Glass Ballinameen, Boyle,

and Frosted Glass - Double Glazed Units - Bevelled Glass/ Mirrors - Glass Shelves/Table Tops - Painted Glass Splashbacks - Balcony Glass

- STOVE GLASS - Fire Rated Glass Find us on Facebook/boyleglass

TARMACADAM - Chimney Repairs - Soot & Smoke Problems - Demolish, Re Build & Re Flue Line - Chimney Fires - Flexible Stainless Steel Liner - Insurance Claims processed

- CCTV Camera Inspection For Professional For Professional Advice Contact Advice Contact: John Hibbitt: Tel: 090 9673336 Mob: 086 2678350 Email: info@athlonechimneyrepairs.ie

DRY LINING

DRY LINING ROSCOMMON Attic Insulation ● Suspended Ceilings ● Metal Stud Partitions ● Plaster Boarding Contact: ●

089 4749447 A L L WO R K G UA R E N T E E D

●

Springfield, Williamstown, Co. Galway Window restrictors ● Burglary repairs ● Window locks ● Cylinder replacement ● Hinge replacement ● Glass replacement ● Lock replacement ● Window and door seals ● Window and door handles supplied and fitted ● Aluminium and uPVC doors and windows repaired.

Tel: 085 2191234 email: chrislocksmith.162@gmail.com

WIDE RANGE OF COMPOSITE DOORS

Tel: 071 96 68368 - Stained Decorative

BRENDAN DOOLIN

CLEANING

WINDOW AND DOOR REPAIRS

WINDOW AND DOOR REPAIRS • Door Handles • Door Locks • Letterboxes • Window Hinges • Patio Door Repairs • Misted and Double Glazed Units • Reseal Windows and Doors

INSTALLATION

Domestic & Commercial Prompt Service | Keen Rates | Fully Insured

Call John 087 610 8499 DRYLINING

Gerry Maguire DRY LINING Specialising in Air-tightness Slabbing Cosy Board ● Suspended Ceilings ● Metal Stud Partitions ● ●

Phone: 087 6660409

• Carpets & Upholstery Cleaning • WINDOW CLEANING • POWER WASHING Fascias & Soffits • Gutters & Down pipes • Drive ways ‘paths and patios’ KEEN and COMPETITIVE PRICES

M: 086 3912396 PH: 090 66 62892 LIFE COACH

CAROLINE BURKE COACHING CAREER COACHING: CV WRITING AND UPDATING / INTERVIEW GUIDANCE CHANGING JOB AND HOW TO JOB SEARCH PERSONAL COACHING: BECOME MORE ASSERTIVE/CONFIDENCE BUILDING! HELPING YOU TO LIVE A MORE BALANCED LIFE/DEALING WITH CHANGES IN PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES, E.G. RETIREMENT, NEW JOB, SEPARATION, STUCK IN A RUT ETC ...

EDUCATION COACHING: CHOOSING THE RIGHT COURSE FOR YOU! HELPING YOU TO MAKE BETTER MORE INFORMED COURSE CHOICES

For appointment call me on 086 8229606 OR email your enquiry to carolinebburke@gmail.com

DONAMON Tarmacadam

CContact: GGerry M Monaghan h

Kiltoom, Athlone, Co. Roscommon T: 090 64 93386 M: 086 8207242 or Darren on 086 8972265

Chasing / Core Drilling Service

CLEANING SERVICES • ROSCOMMON

TARMACADAM

DRILLING SERVICE

Contact David Martin on 087 9959417

Gerry Monaghan

SERVICES: • Tarmacadam • Kerbing • Patio • Domestic & Commercial

08383

STEPHEN HOARE

Bonded Bead Cavity Wall Insulation Cellulose, Sheepswool, Fibreglass, SIGA Airtightness

Specialising in Kerbing, Tar and Chips and Tarmacadam. Machine or hand laid.

New Buildings & Retroﬁt Call in or contact us for free advice and quotes

Contact Damian at (086) 4007158

DRIVING LESSONS

ROSCOMMON Driving School Phone 087 2295551 Road Safety Authority Approved Driving Instructor

Ballybane Industrial Estate, Unit 2, Ballybrit Industrial H91 P5k5 BlockEstate, 12, Galway Galway

091 768 768 info@ecowise.ie

To have your advert seen by over 80,000 people every week advertise with us!

www.ecowise.ie

E: gerrymonaghan1@eircom.net

FARMING

Dead & Worn-Out Animals Contact JOHN GREENE BALLINASLOE TEL: (090) 96 88606 (090) 96 88830 or (090) 96 87651 Lowest price guaranteed Daily collection

Submit your Classified online Send your Classified advertisement to advertising@rosommonpeople.ie or alternatively call 090 66 34633

THE MOST READ NEWSPAPER IN COUNTY ROSCOMMON!

OUR DEADLINE IS STRICTLY 2PM ON TUESDAY

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

SportsPeople

The Roscommon Ladies minor team pictured prior to last Monday’s Connacht ‘A’ final against Galway at Enfield. Pic: Mick McCormack

Terriﬁc Trill leads Galway to victory Connacht LGFA Minor ‘A’ Championship Final

GALWAY ROSCOMMON  SEAMUS DUKE

Roscommon’s dreams of breaking through at ‘A’ level in Connacht will have to wait another year as Ollie Colgan’s side were blown away by a very impressive Galway outfit at Enfield on

4-14 0-9 Monday evening. Having beaten Mayo in the semifinal, hopes were high of another big win but Galway were simply too strong, too slick and too fast for a very game Roscommon team. The final margin does not do justice to the huge ef-

fort put in by Roscommon throughout and Galway goalkeeper Emma Glynn made three outstanding saves during the match to deny Roscommon goals they badly needed. But in truth the home side were second best on the day and there was no shame losing to such a fine team. In front of a big crowd and on a fine dry evening, Roscommon started well and had two points on the board after three minutes with Aimee O’Connor and Kelley Colgan (free) on

Ellen Irwin takes on Galway’s Aoife O’Rourke, during last Monday’s Connacht LGFA ‘A’ Final in Enfield. Pic: Mick McCormack

target. But once Galway got motoring Roscommon were on the back foot, and it was 27 minutes before Roscommon scored again. In the 8th minute Megan Kelly was caught in possession in front of the Roscommon goal and Andrea Trill planted the ball in the net for Galway’s opening goal. With Trill, Aoife O’Rourke, Chloe Miskill and Ailish Morrissey devastating, it was one-way traffic. Kara Earle and Kelley Colgan had goal chances saved by the Galway goalkeeper Emma Glynn and by half-time it was Galway 1-9 Roscommon 0-3. Roscommon’s only other score coming from the boot of Oonagh Kelly in injurytime. The pattern was repeated on the restart with the visitors on top although they

only had one point to show from the efforts in the opening ten minutes of the new half. Chloe Miskill drove home a great goal in the 40th minute and Andrea Trill blasted home another opportunist goal in the 45th minute. Oonagh Kelly kicked Roscommon’s only second half score in the 56th minute and Galway sub Ciara Murray sealed their big win with a fourth goal on the stroke of full-time. It was a chastening experience for Roscommon but in fairness to them they never stopped trying and they have plenty to look forward to in the All-Ireland ‘B’ championship when they take on Clare. After the match, a disappointed Roscommon manager Ollie Colgan admitted that Roscommon were

Sarah McVeigh claims possession for Roscommon during last Monday’s Connacht LGFA ‘A’ Final in Enfield. Pic: Mick McCormack

beaten by the better side. “You have to hold your hands up after a defeat like that. They were much the better team. We missed a few goal chances and if we got a couple of them we might have done better and I don’t think the score line reflected the effort our girls put in. “I’m very proud of our girls. They are very disappointed there now. We had been matching Galway over the past couple of years but look, you will have days like that. Galway are a class team. “There is more football

Roscommon’s Kara Earle pictured in action during last Monday’s Connacht LGFA ‘A’ Final in Enfield. Pic: Mick McCormack

to be played. We are in a ‘B’ semi-final against Clare now. We told the girls to forget about this match and we will give them a few weeks off and we will go at it again,” he concluded.

Teams and Scorers Galway: Emma Glynn; Siobhan Fahy, Chelsie Crowe, Holly Reddington; Aoife Kilcommins, Kate Geraghty, Sophie Healy; Niamh McPeake (0-2), Laura Ahearne; Aoife O’Rourke (0-3), Chloe Miskill (1-1), Molly Hynes; Lorraine Meehan (0-1), Andrea Trill (2-4, 3 frees), Ailish Morrissey (0-3). Subs: Aoife Lynagh for Healy (51), Eimear Mitchell for Ahearne (55), Ciara Murray (1-0) for Hynes (58). Roscommon: Sasha Lavin; Rachel Mulligan, Saoirse Wynne, Aisling Walsh; Emma Kildea, Megan Kelly, Kate Phillips; Sarah McVeigh, Kate Nolan; Megan McKeon, Kelley Colgan (0-1 free), Ellen Irwin; Aimee O’Connor (0-1), Oonagh Kelly (0-2,) Kara Earle. Subs: Sheena Kilroe for Earle and Kate Harrington for Walsh (both half-time), Jennifer Brennan for M Kelly (48), Miceala Keogh for Nolan, Maeve Brogan for McPhillips. Referee: Gus Chapman (Sligo)

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

SPORTING WORLD WITH DAN DOONER Rossies set for Spar FAI Schools Finals! @dan_dooner

THE LEAD STORY Dan Dooner

Ballymurray NS won the Boys’ ‘A’ SPAR FAI Primary Schools 5’s Roscommon County Final last Thursday in Lecarrow.

Ballybay National School won the Girls’ ‘B’ SPAR FAI Primary Schools 5’s Roscommon County Final last Thursday in Lecarrow.

Roscommon Schools are set to take part in today’s (Thursday, May 9th) Spar FAI Primary School 5s Connacht Finals following the county finals on Thursday, May 2nd at RDFL Grounds in Lecarrow. In the Girls’ B section, Ballybay, Cornafulla, Roxboro and Abbeycartron were in action with Ballybay emerging victorious over a gallant Cornafulla team. The Boys’ A section proved extremely popular with four groups of three battling it out for a place in Castlebar. Carrick NS, Knockcroghery NS, Ballymurray NS and Cloontuskert NS navigated the tricky group stages to make the last four. Ballymurray beat Carrick to book their place in the final while Knockcroghery knocked out Cloontuskert to set up a local derby decider. Ballymurray took the lead in the final before a superb long-range effort in the dying seconds took the game to extra-time. Ballymurray eventually came good in the end to book their place in today’s Connacht final. The Boys’ B section contained two groups and following some titanic battles, Cloonakilla NS took on Cornafulla in another local derby final. It was Cornafulla who came good in the end to take the title. The last final to be played was in the Girls’ A section, which featured four groups of three. Lisacul NS, Glanduff NS, Lisaniskey NS and Curraghboy made it through the group stages. Lisacul beat Glanduff 5-3 in the final. The best of luck to all teams in Castlebar today as they go in search of Connacht glory.

Cornfulla National School won the Boys’ ‘B’ SPAR FAI Primary Schools 5’s Roscommon County Final last Thursday in Lecarrow.

Lisacul National School won the Girls’ ‘B’ SPAR FAI Primary Schools 5’s Roscommon County Final last Thursday in Lecarrow.

In the sporting diary .... FAI small sided games workshops The FAI and Roscommon County Council will deliver two small sided games workshops for coaches and parents. The workshops are three hours each and will both run this Saturday (11th) at the RDFL grounds in Lecarrow. The 7v7 Workshop runs from 10 am until 1 pm and the 9v9 Workshop will run from 2 pm until 5 pm. Workshops cost €25 each and places must be booked online at www.fai.ie. For further queries please contact Adrian 086-0455957 or email: adrian. carberry@fai.ie.

Coaching Course in Lecarrow

Pictured is the Shannon Gaels U-16 team and management who defeated Pádraig Pearses in the Roscommon LGFA U-16 Division 2B final at Ballyleague on Sunday.

The FAI and Roscommon County Council are running an FAI PDP2 Coaching course (2nd Coaching Badge) for coaches and parents at RDFL Grounds in Lecarrow. The course will run on Saturday (May 25th) and Sunday (26th) from 9 am until 6 pm. To participate on this course you must have completed your PDP1 and the cost is €75. Please book online at www.fai.ie.

The sporting brief Golf Weekly round We begin our golfing round-up in Roscommon where the Pierce Purcell team is in action this Saturday against Portumna and the ladies’ intermediate team will take on Athlone on Monday. In the recent ladies’ 18-hole competition, Ruth Kilduff emerged victorious with 37 points while Paula Quinn was second also with 37 and Paula Miley was third with 36.

Rosemary O’Brien won the Roscommon Lamb Festival 9-hole competition with 23 points with Mary O’Gara second with 18. The ladies’ senior competition was won by Vera White. In the men’s section, Enda Naughton took home the Roscommon Lamb Festival Wool Merchants Cup with a 66. Seamus Beirne was second with 67, Simon Walker took gross with 72, Patrick Farnan was third and Fionn Hoare took the junior prize. The men’s senior competition was won by Charlie McDonnell. Maura Kelly was best of the ladies in

Castlerea recently with 68 nett. Valerie Callaghan was second and Mary O’Gara finished third. Keith Revins won the men’s competition with 64 nett while Gerry O’Gara was second with 67. Terry Canning was top of the pile again in Boyle recently when he won the men’s voucher competition with a score of 63 nett. Terry also picked up a year’s free membership for his troubles. Cian Smith wasn’t too far behind with 64 while Sean Heslin took gross, also with 64. Karl Keenan came third with 66.

Meanwhile, the 12-hole competition won by Patrick Egan with 27 points, with Vincent Egan taking second place with 24 points. To Athlone next and news that Eamonn Farrell won the recent Wednesday Open with 40 points. Eamonn was just too good on the day for Tony Reape who finished in second with 37. Tom Campion, Michael Tallon, Patricia McTiernan and Eimear Quinn, meanwhile, won the AWGS and Club 97 Joint Scramble. This week’s competition is the PGA

Tankard, the first Golfer of the Year competition this year. Finally, Carrick hosted the Murphy Cup over the May Bank Holiday weekend in memory of the late Damian Murphy. The club would like to thank John and Marian Murphy for attending the presentation last Monday night. The club also made a presentation to the North West Hospice. Anna Smith was best of the ladies’ section with 35 points while Colm Meath Griffin was top of the men’s leaderboard with 44 points. Best dressed was won by father and son, Brendan and Charlie Boyle.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

SportsPeople Creggs RFC Report

THE GAIN LINE

Creggs to host Interprovincial decider Creggs Rugby Club will host the Junior Interprovincial decider in Creggs this Saturday afternoon between Connacht and Munster on the new 4G pitch. The new terrace facility will be used in full for the first time and a big crowd and great atmosphere is expected in the village ahead of the 2.30 pm kick-off. There are seven Creggs men (Aidan Leech, Maurice Buckley, Brian Donohue, Brian Diffley, James Brandon, Andrew Callaghan and Shane Dowd) in the squad and the forwards coach is the Creggs head coach Pat Cunningham, adds a great deal of local interest to the occasion. After losing out to Ulster two weeks ago, Connacht travelled to Wicklow last Saturday and came away with a great bonus point 33-31 win over Leinster. Munster, meanwhile, defeated Ulster, after going down previously to Leinster. It’s now wide-open with no one willing to

call which of the four provinces will win the Inter-Provincial title this Saturday. Saturday’s game promises to be a tough and competitive affair, and will hopefully result in another Connacht win. A statement from Creggs RFC read: “Congratulations to all the players from Creggs involved in the Connacht squad. They’re looking forward to the big game and we hope they enjoy the occasion. “Commiserations to James Brandon, who gave a man-of-the-match performance in the away win over Leinster last weekend. James isn’t available for Saturday due to a college exam the same afternoon. The six other Creggs players are in the match-day squad for Saturday. “Creggs RFC hope to see many supporters, sponsors, players of all ages, members, and the many friends of the village club in Creggs on Saturday to enjoy a great occasion and the new facilities”.

Horses for Courses Racing today is in Tipperary with a national hunt card off at 5.10 pm with the last three races confined to point to pointers. Tomorrow, there are two meetings scheduled, on the flat at Cork, off 5.35 pm and over the sticks at Downpatrick at 5.25 pm. Saturday hosts the second of a two-day meeting at Cork with a national hunt card away at 1.50 pm and racing on the level is at Naas, stalls open at 1.35 pm for the first. Sunday sees a national hunt card, the first of a three-day meeting at Killarney away at 1.35 pm with flat racing in Leopardstown at 1.45 pm. Killarney continues racing on Monday as Roscommon holds it opening meeting of 2019. Lenebane’s mixed card on Monday consists of a 3-Y-O only 1m 2f Irish Stallion Farms EBF Auction Race, a 1m 2f handicap for 4-Y-O+s, an Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies maiden over 1m 3f and a 1m 3f handicap for 3-Y-Os+. Then there is the 2m 4f bumper sponsored by Kepak, Athleague for amateur riders only, with the penultimate a 2m handicap hurdle sponsored by Connaughton Auctioneers, Athleague and racings ends with a 2m 4f maiden hurdle. There is a large entry of 144 horses with 28 in the bumper, 31 in the maiden hurdle and 23 in the 1m3f flat handicap with good racing guaranteed. The Best Turned Out prize will be sponsored by Hamrock’s Bar and Lounge, Athleague and there will be music in the main bar after the second last race with The Usual Suspects. Entry is €15 per person with a concession rate of €10 for OAP’s and students with a card. There is a Ros Special available, which includes admission, race card, two course meal and a €10 betting voucher for €35.

General News Multiple Group One-winning jockey Pat Smullen has announced his retirement 12 months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He has been undergoing treatment since and his doctors have advised him over exertion could affect his immune system. On Monday night in Roscommon there will be a tinge of sadness in Lenebane at the recent death of Billy Greene. Billy, from Athleague, has been associated with racing at Lenebane for the past number of years and will be sadly missed. Our sympathies to his wife Mary, son Liam, daughters Anne-Marie and Angela and extended family and friends. May he rest in peace.

Competition Time

Pictured (L-r) after Connacht defeated Leinster last Saturday in Wicklow by 33-31 were Creggs’ Pat Cunningham (Forward’s Coach), players James Brandon, Brian Diffley, Aidan Leech, Brian Donohue, Maurice Buckley, and Shane Dowd. Also pictured (inset) is Andrew Callaghan, who unavailable for last Saturday’s game. Connacht now play Munster in Creggs on Saturday (KO 2.30 pm) in the deciding match.

Winners of the tickets for Lenebane are Kathleen Keegan, Beechwood, Jim Gordon, Castlerea and Patrick McDermott, Ballintubber. Last chance to win tickets for Kilbeggan on the May 17th. We want you to tell us which horse won the Gold Cup at Punchestown last week? Answers please on a postcard to The Roscommon People, Abbey Street Roscommon or by e-mail to tomred17@gmail.com by 12 pm on Wednesday, May 15th and don’t forget to include your name, address and a contact phone number with all competition entries. As usual all tickets will have to be collected in the office in Abbey Street.

by Tom Red

Point to Point Racing on the northern circuit this weekend is set to start tomorrow at Necarne at 4.30 pm and they race again on Saturday starting at 2.30 pm. There is a quiet day in the south on Sunday with only one meeting down for decision at Bartlemy south of Fermoy in Co. Cork away at 2 pm. The scheduled meeting for Borris House has been cancelled as has next week’s Saturday meeting at Largy. There are 93 entries in Necarne on Friday and 76 on Saturday and Bartlemy has 156 entries on Sunday.

Punchestown 2019 wrap-up On Thursday, the longest race in Ireland, the La Touche, was won by Peter Maher’s Ballyboker Bridge, given as a good e/w in the column last week so I hope you all made a few bob at 12/1. A chance ride for Sean Flanagan, he beat outsider, 50/1, Vital Island and the favourite, Enda Bolger’s Josies Orders, 25l and 4¼l. The first Grade 1 race of the day, The Stayer’s Hurdle, went for export as Harry Fry’s Unowhatimeanharry came home in front of the Mullins pair Bacardys and Bapaume by 3l and a head to repeat his 2017 win. The Grade 1 Ryanair Novice Chase the Willie Mullins trained Chacun Pour Soi ridden by Robbie Power, beat English raider Defi Du Seuil and another Mullins inmate Duc Des Genievres the mount of new stable jockey Paul Townend. Townend had a double in his new role on My Sister Sarah and Elfile. On Friday the opening KFM Hunters Chase was won by outsider Flirting Lisa and the second, the Grade A Novice Handicap Chase, went to Real Steel from the WP Mullins yard with Paul Townend aboard. The Glencarrig Lady Mares Handicap Chase was won by the DG Hogan trained and ridden Moyhenna. In the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle the favourite, Buveir D’Air, returned to winning form under Davy Russell beating Supasundae and Wicklow Brave for trainer Nicky Henderson. The Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle also went for export as Robbie Power drove Reserve Tank home for Colin Tizzard with Sam’s Profile and Eglantine Du Seuil filling the minor places. In the champion Hunter Chase raider Caid De Burlais trained by Rose Loxton and ridden by William Biddick repeated their win of 12 months ago beating Burning Ambition and Fenno’s Storm to complete an English treble. The International Novice Hurdle was won by Gardens Of Babylon trained by Joseph O’Brien, owned by JP McManus and ridden by Derek O’Connor who went on to win the bumper aboard Sean Mulryan’s Longhouse Poet trained by Martin Brassil and gave the connections some compensation for the defeat of City Island. So, we reach the end of another national hunt season with Willie Mullins winning another trainers title, his 13th in all passing Tom Dreaper. Paul Townend, new No 1 to Mullins, won the jockeys title, the amateur title went to Patrick Mullins, and the leading female rider to Rachel Blackmore. Donal McInernery claimed the champion conditional jockey accolade for the second time and Lisa O’Neill is leading female amateur.

SICK AS A PARROT/OVER THE MOON ROSCOMMON & DISTRICT LEAGUE NEWS

Dooner’s weekend predictions Ballymoe FC upset the odds last weekend with a very impressive 3-2 win in the semi-finals of the Premier Division Cup to wreck any hopes St. Peter’s FC had of claiming back-to-back trebles. Ballymoe will now face Ballinasloe Town in the final of that competition. Elsewhere, Dunmore Town maintained their Division One status with a hardfought 3-2 win over Ahascragh United after extra-time. Ahascragh will now face Roscommon United next weekend with the winners playing in Division One next season. Finally, St. John’s Athletic will play CP Ajax this weekend for a place in the Division One Cup Final following their 2-0 win away to Ballinasloe Town B last weekend.

Friday, May 10th Topline Ward’s Division Two Cup Semi-Final Glen Celtic v Cloonfad United B. 8 pm Celtic to progress. Prediction: Glen Celtic

Norio’s Takeaway Division One/Killeen Sportsgrounds Division Two Promotion/Relegation Play-off At Lecarrow: Ahascragh United v Roscommon United. 8 pm Momentum is vital…as we saw on Tuesday night at Anfield. Prediction: Roscommon United

A very difficult one to call. Ballymoe will be full of confidence and it will take a very good Ballinasloe performance to beat them. Prediction: Ballinasloe Town Norio’s Takeaway Division One Cup Semi-Finals (11 am)

Ballaghaderreen FC v Moylough ’79 Moylough to go through. Prediction: Moylough ‘79 St. John’s Athletic v CP Ajax This is one that could go either way. St. John’s to edge it based on recent form. Prediction: St. John’s Athletic

Saturday, May 11th Joe’s Bar RDFL Challenge Cup SemiFinal At Lecarrow: Boyle Celtic v Moore United. 7.30 pm Boyle will be favourites to progress to the final but Moore are certainly no pushovers. Prediction: Boyle Celtic

Sunday, May 12th Hanly Quarries Premier Division Cup Final At Lecarrow: Ballymoe FC v Ballinasloe Town. 12 pm

The completed John Sherlock stand at Roscommon & District Football League Headquarters in Lecarrow.

Soccer Results Hanly Quarries Premier Division Cup Semi-Final Ballymoe FC 3 St. Peter’s FC 2 Norio’s Takeaway Division One Cup Quarter-Final Ballinasloe Town B 0 St. John’s Athletic 2 Norio’s Takeaway Division One Relegation Play-off Dunmore Town 3 Ahascragh United 2 Topline Ward’s Division Two Cup Semi-Final Glen Celtic v Cloonfad United, postponed.

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

@SeamusDuke

Seamus Duke ON SPORT

Rossies back in action this weekend Is it me, or does the championship seem to come around faster every year? We are back in the thick of it on Sunday in Dr. Hyde Park and the game against Leitrim is previewed in detail elsewhere in the paper this week. I am expecting a spirited challenge from Leitrim but I am expecting a comfortable win for Roscommon. The Roscommon hurlers are playing this weekend too and they face a huge task against Kildare who hammered them last year in Newbridge. I was there that day and it was one of the heaviest defeats that I have seen in the many years that I have been covering Roscommon hurlers. But as the song says: ‘The

only way is up!’ and I have been impressed with how Ciaran Comerford has gone about his business this year, quietly and under the radar. I know that the players have worked hard and a good league campaign will give them confidence. It’s probably too much to expect them to win against Kildare but watch out for a big improvement. It’s a pity that the game is not being played in Dr. Hyde Park on Sunday. Athleague may be the home of Roscommon hurling but fixing the game there with a throwin time of 12.45 pm will ensure a very small attendance. Good luck to all concerned.

Racing returns to Lenebane Roscommon Races are back on Monday for another season and this year they will unveil their magnificent new facilities, which include new changing rooms and a sauna, new press facilities, first aid room and a new secretary’s office. There is hardly a year that goes by that Roscommon have not upgraded their facilities and Michael Finneran has done a marvellous job there as manager. He deserves huge praise for his hard work at the track over the years and hopefully it will be another very successful year at Lenebane.

Connacht championship up and running The matches for Mayo and Galway last weekend in the Connacht championship were all about winning and both did so, and will now move on. Galway were poor against London but Kevin Walsh will be happy with the win and with another fairly easy match coming up against Sligo, the Tribesmen can prepare for a Connacht final. Mayo were never out of second gear as they hammered New York and they are spending a week out in the Catskill Mountains on a training camp ahead of tougher tests down the road. One can only marvel at the level of support that Mayo footballers have. Everyone saw the video clips of thousands of Mayo supporters singing and dancing in Times Square last Saturday and if Roscommon are able to beat Leitrim on Sunday there will be at least 25,000 people at the Mayo v Rossies clash on May 25th and 20,000 of them will be supporting Mayo. It seems that their support base is growing all the time which is phenomenal.

Championship Watch Leinster SFC Round One Wicklow v Kildare in Aughrim on Saturday at 7 pm Wicklow have had a poor league campaign and can have no lofty ambitions about this game never mind the Leinster Championship. Kildare are a notch or two below a top eight side but they will be far too strong for John Evans’ men. Prediction: Kildare

Wexford v Louth at Wexford Park on Sunday at 3 pm Not a tie to set the pulses racing. Louth had a reasonable league campaign and only narrowly missed out on promotion from Division Three. Wexford have slipped down the rankings. Louth might just have enough. Prediction: Louth

Meath v Offaly on Sunday in Navan at 3 pm Meath are on a high after promotion to Division One and are definitely improving. John Maughan will be hoping that his side can keep the margin to a respectable level. I just hope that it’s not too one-sided. Prediction: Meath

Munster SFC Quarter-Finals Flashback to 2018! David Murray forces Shane Quinn away from the Roscommon goal during last May’s Connacht SFC Semi-Final between Roscommon and Leitrim at Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada. Picture: Andrew Fox

Title race goes right to the wire! The Premier League title race is going right down to the wire and after weeks of predicting that there would be a twist in the tail of the season, it’s looking very much like Manchester City will nick it at the death. When Divock Origi scored that late goal for Liverpool on Saturday night against Newcastle I thought that Liverpool’s name was on the trophy. But just as Manchester City looked like they were going to slip up against Leicester City up comes Vincent Kompany with a contender for goal of the season on Monday night. On Sunday next Liverpool should beat Wolves at Anfield but City should be far too good for Brighton. It’s unlikely we will see any shock result. If that happens Liverpool will have gathered an amazing 97 points and not won the title. Liverpool and City have been miles ahead of the rest this season and they will be even stronger next season.

Tipperary have not been as impressive this year as they have been for the past four or five. Nevertheless, Liam Kerins’ charges should be too good for Limerick. Prediction: Tipperary

Clare v Waterford in Ennis on Saturday at 7 pm No record breaking crowd expected in Ennis for this one. Clare are a very solid outfit under Colm Collins and it would be more than a surprise if they don’t prevail here. Prediction: Clare

Ulster SFC Preliminary Round Tyrone v Derry in Omagh on Sunday at 4 pm

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, talks to captain Vincent Kompany after Monday’s win over Leicester City at the Etihad.

As for Manchester United, they are going from one crisis to another. It could be many years before they are contenders again. I am happy with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager. At least he has respect for the club and the people who follow them. Mourinho had respect for no one except himself.

Irish women to the fore The annual Byron Nelson Championship this weekend on the PGA Tour will see a lot of the big guns in action as it is only one week ahead of the second major of the year, the PGA Championship, which this year will be held at Bethpage in New York. Tiger Woods is not playing this weekend and he will go straight to the PGA and play on a course that he has won the US Open on in the past. In women’s golf Stephanie Meadow and Leona Maguire have both qualified to play in the forthcoming US Open which is huge for them. Maguire is steadily making her way to the top of the sport and

Tipperary v Limerick in Thurles on Saturday at 7 pm

it is only a matter of time before the County Cavan woman is competing for the top prizes in the professional game.

Cavan golfer Leona Maguire will be playing at the upcoming Women’s US Open.

NOTE: An article about the late Eugene McGee can be seen in the Straight Talking Column this week.

Only a few short years ago this would have been the game of the day in the football championship. But with Tyrone looking a very good side and genuine All-Ireland contenders, it will be easy for them at home. Prediction: Tyrone

Leinster SHC Round One Kilkenny v Dublin in Nowlan Park on Saturday at 7 pm Now this should be interesting. Kilkenny are short a few vital players through injury. Mattie Kenny seems to be getting a nice tune out of this Dublin team. This could be a cracking game settled by home advantage. Kilkenny by two or three points. Prediction: Kilkenny

Galway v Carlow in Pearse Stadium on Sunday at 3 pm Prediction: Galway

Munster SHC Round One Waterford v Clare in Waterford on Sunday at 2 pm If the Munster championship is half as good last last year’s then we are all in for a treat. Fasten your seatbelts folks the roller coasterride begins here. I have a suspicion that Clare will be a dark horse this summer. Prediction: Clare

Cork v Tipperary in Pairc Ui Caoimh on Sunday at 4 pm Assuming that they have looked after the pitch, this promises to be another thriller. Tipp are under pressure to perform under Liam Sheedy. Cork were probably the unlucky team in last year’s championship. They can start with a win on home soil. Prediction: Cork

Connacht SFC Quarter-Final Roscommon v Leitrim in Dr. Hyde Park on Sunday at 3.30 pm Comprehensive preview elsewhere in our sports section. Prediction: Roscommon

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

Pictured is the Four Roads team which won the Minor Hurling Championship (Brian Donnelly Memorial Cup) last Monday in Athleague against Roscommon Gaels.

GAA Results Seamus Carthy Auctioneers AFL Division One St. Faithleach’s 2-14 Fuerty 2-5 Clann na nGael 1-17 St. Croan’s 1-12 Western Gaels 1-17 St. Brigid’s 4-6 Boyle 2-12 Michael Glavey’s 0-11 Roscommon Gaels 0-19 Pádraig Pearses 1-8 Connaughton Fuels AFL Division Two Éire Óg 1-14 Strokestown 1-11 Kilbride 3-6 Tulsk Lord Edwards 0-15 Elphin 1-11 St. Aidan’s 0-11 Castlerea St. Kevin’s 2-14 Kilmore 1-16 Leydon Brothers AFL Division 3 St. Barry’s 3-17 Elphin 0-7 St. Dominic’s 3-11 Western Gaels 3-9 Kilglass Gaels 1-19 Ballinameen 0-11

GAA Fixtures Friday, May 10th Connaughton Fuels AFL Division Two At Johnstown: Clann na nGael v Oran. 8 pm AFL Division Four At St. Dominic’s: St. Dominic’s v Roscommon Gaels. 8 pm AFL Division Five Mid South At Ballyforan: St. Aidan’s v Kilbride. 8 pm At Kiltoom: St. Brigid’s v Pádraig Pearses. 8.30 pm

Saturday, May 11th AFL Division Four (7 pm) At Abbey Park: Boyle v St. Faithleach’s At Kilteevan: St Joseph’s v Tulsk Lord Edwards At Strokestown: Strokestown v St. Michael’s At O’Rourke Park: Castlerea St. Kevin’s v St. Ronan’s AFL Division Five North (7 pm) At Pairc Naomh Bearraí: St. Barry’s v Ballinameen At Peadar Earley Memorial Park: Michael Glavey’s v St. Croan’s At Kilmore: Kilmore v Shannon Gaels G&G Electric Junior Hurling Championship At Athleague: Athleague v Oran. 7 pm At Lisnamult: Roscommon Gaels v St. Dominic’s. 7 pm At Woodmount: Pádraig Pearses v Four Roads. 7.45 pm

Pictured is the Four Roads team which won the U-14 Féile Final against Pádraig Pearses last Monday in Athleague.

Connaughton returns for Christy Ring opener

BREAKING BALL

Christy Ring Cup Round One Roscommon v Kildare in Athleague on Sunday at 12.45 pm  SEAMUS DUKE

Roscommon hurlers will open their Christy Ring Cup campaign with the same opposition that they faced in round one in 2018 and they will be trying to erase that match from their memory banks as they take the field against the Lilywhites on Sunday in Athleague. Last year Kildare handed the Rossies a 4-26 to 1-9 beating in Newbridge and Ciaran Comerford and his men will be trying to put the record straight on Sunday. The promotion from Division 3A and the victory in the league final will stand to Roscommon on Sunday however it has to be said

that this match is a huge step up in class. Ciaran Comerford was upbeat when he spoke to People Sport on Tuesday. “We have trained well over the past few weeks. It’s good that we have Naos Connaughton back but Johnny Coyne is still out. We are looking forward to the match on Sunday and we won’t be thinking about what happened against Kildare last year. We just didn’t turn up on the day. “The lads are training well and there is a good vibe in the camp. We decided to play the game in Athleague because it is the home of Roscommon hurling and our lads would be more

comfortable there. We had Dr. Hyde Park available to us (for the match) but we prefer to play the game in Athleague to be honest. “Look, Kildare are a very strong team. They are short a few players from last year but they will come looking to win. It’s a huge step up from Division 3A but we will give it everything and what we are looking for is a performance to build on for the rest of the competition and I think we will get that on Sunday,” he concluded. This is a very difficult start for Roscommon on Sunday. With a trip to London coming up two weeks later and another match against Meath on the horizon, it

Roscommon begin their Christy Ring campaign against Kildare in Athleague this Sunday. Pic: Sportsfile

will take something really special for Roscommon to emerge from this group. On Sunday all the fans can hope for is a good display and a tight

game. But anything other than a win for the visitors would constitute a sizeable shock. Prediction: Kildare

Ladies update

Sunday, May 12th

Results

AFL Division Five Mid South At Mulhern Park: Fuerty v Oran. 11 am

Gannon’s Eggs and Poultry, Carrick-on-Shannon U-16 League Finals Division 1A St. Brigid’s 2-17 St. Dominic’s 2-10 Division 1B Boyle 4-15 Kilmore/Elphin 1-5 Division 2A Oran 5-11 Roscommon Gaels 3-7 Division 2B Shannon Gaels 5-18 Pádraig Pearses 4-4 Division 3A St. Croan’s 3-6 Kilbride 0-7 Division 3B St. Ciaran’s 9-7 St. Barry’s 5-5 Division 4A St. Mary’s 3-9 St. Michael’s-St. Ronan’s 2-7. AET Division 4B Four Roads 4-13 Michael Glavey’s 4-5

Underage update Thursday, May 9th U-12 Spring League Division One At St. Dominic’s: St. Dominic’s v St. Brigid’s. 7.15 pm U-12 Spring League Division Six At St. Dominic’s: St. Dominic’s v St. Brigid’s. 6 pm U-16 Division Three Football League Knockout At TBC: St. Dominic’s v Elphin-Ballinameen. 7 pm U-16 Division One Football League Knockout At Kiltoom: St. Brigid’s v Clann na nGael. 7 pm

Friday, May 10th U-16 Football League Division Four Knockout At TBC: Clann na nGael v St. Brigid’s. 7 pm

Cathal Hurley of EPS pictured making a presentation to members of the Kilbride Ladies underage panel, Sandra Shanagher (Ladies Chairperson), Marie Farrell (Ladies Secretary) and management, Margaret Leonard, Aaron Shanagher and Joan O’Grady. Missing from the photo are the U-14 Girls.

Monday, May 13th U-12 Spring League Division One (7 pm) At Woodmount: Pádraig Pearses v Castlerea St. Kevin’s At Johnstown: Clann na nGael v St. Dominic’s At Lisnamult: Roscommon Gaels v St. Brigid’s U-12 Spring League Division Two (7 pm) At Kilbride: Kilbride v Boyle At Orchard Park: Elphin v St. Croan’s At Croghan: Shannon Gaels v Western Gaels U-12 Spring League Division Three (7 pm) At Rockfield: Oran v Kilmore At Peadar Earley Memorial Park: Michael Glavey’s v St. Michael’s At Ballyforan: St. Aidan’s v St. Ciaran’s U-12 Spring League Division Four (7 pm) At Ballyleague: St. Faithleach’s v Tulsk Lord Edwards At Strokestown: Strokestown v Kilglass Gaels At Pairc Naomh Bearraí: St. Barry’s v Éire Óg

Fixtures Saturday, May 11th

St. Brigid’s captain Robbie Dolan accepts the Minor Football League Division One trophy after his side defeated Oran-St. Croan’s 1-15 to 2-9 in a thrilling game at Lisnamult last Sunday evening to claim their third title in-a-row.

All-Ireland U-14 Championship At Longford Slashers: Roscommon v Offaly. 11 am At Longford Slashers: Roscommon v Meath. 12 pm At Longford Slashers: Roscommon v Clare. 1 pm Hannon’s Hotel AFL Division One Final At Ballyleague: Clann na nGael v Kilbride. 7.30 pm Castlerea Vehicle Recycling Division Three Final At Elphin: Castlerea v Boyle. 7.30 pm The Old Stone House Division Two Semi-Finals At Tulsk: St. Mary’s v St. Dominic’s. 7 pm At Kiltoom: St. Brigid’s v Shannon Gaels. 7 pm Relegation Play-Offs At Woodmount: Pádraig Pearses v Éire Óg At Tarmonbarry: St. Barry’s v Michael Glavey’s

Roscommon People Friday 10 May 2019

BALLAGHADERREEN