5 YEARS AGO
What happened when Gerry came knocking at FG door
Colourful by-election candidate Gerry O’Boyle (Independent) made an unexpected appearance at a Fine Gael meeting last Friday – but not for long.
Fine Gael hosted the Roscommon-Galway AGM in Gleeson’s Townhouse, Roscommon, on Friday night. Events took an unscheduled turn when Mr. O’Boyle, a candidate in last October’s Roscommon-South Leitrim by-election, turned up.
He told the Roscommon People that he did so with a view to potentially joining the party. “I went along because there was an article in The Irish Times last Wednesday, where Finance Minister Michael Noonan said he was leaving the door open for Independents to go into coalition with them (Fine Gael) after the next election”.
Mr O’Boyle, who has previously said he will contest the next general election in the Mayo constituency – as an Independent – says he wasn’t made very welcome by his would-be Fine Gael suitors.
He said: “When I turned up at the meeting…I was told I was not a member of Fine Gael. I said that I knew I wasn’t a member of Fine Gael, but when I get elected in Mayo next year, I want to know who I am getting into bed with…I said I would pay my membership, but they refused to take it off me”.
Mr. O’Boyle alleged that a party officer and an elected representative accused him of hijacking the meeting and promptly ‘threw him out’ – (not literally).
(From 6 March 2015)
10 YEARS AGO
From Frank Brandon column
You will have seen on all the papers that Harrod’s in London was sold this week, supposedly to members of the Qatar Royal family. Don’t believe a word of it, because after our recent visit there when we were at the rugby match, I can now proudly reveal that myself and Johnnie Whyte are the new owners. It was only €1.6 billion so I gave Mohammed Al Fayed a cheque and told him not to cash it ‘til the weekend!
(From 31 May 2010)
From Seamus Duke column
The events of the past week have shown once again just how much of a disconnect there is between politicians at the top and ordinary people.
It has been my firm opinion for a long time that the vast majority of Oireachtas members have not got a clue about what it’s like for a lot of families at the present time. What a lot of people do not realise is that the savage budget that we saw in December is only part one of four. God himself only knows what the country will be like after part four.
It’s not that a Fine Gael/Labour government will improve things much either, but they deserve their chance after 14 years of almost non-stop FF Government. Maybe a new Government would produce people with new ideas. I doubt it, but they deserve a chance at least.
(From 26 February 2010)
Angelina Jolie for Boyle? Surely not!
As exclusively revealed in the Roscommon People a number of weeks ago, Boyle man Paul Young is in contention for an Oscar following the news that an animated film which he produced – ‘The Secret of Kells’ – had received a nomination in the Best Animated Feature category.
The Oscars take place on March 7th next. Paul is son of Sean and Ann Young from Boyle and we liked this reference to the whole happy episode in the Boyle GAA Club notes this week:
“Oscar mania has struck Boyle and Sean and Ann will be rubbing shoulders with the Hollywood glitteratti as they support Paul as he bids to win an Oscar…we wish them every success. Rumour has it that Angelina (Jolie) will be invited to the opening of our new clubrooms!”
(From 26 February 2010)
12 YEARS AGO
Dawn and out
The Ballaghaderreen area was dealt a huge blow on Friday evening last when it was revealed that Dawn Meats is to close its meat factory in the town, with the loss of 200 jobs to the town.
Discussions on redundancy packages and a timescale for the plant closure involving both Dawn Meats and trade union representatives, took place yesterday (Wednesday) but little progress was reported and another meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday.
Local representatives this week expressed their shock and disappointment at the announcement and called on the IDA and the Government to find replacement jobs for Ballaghaderreen. 80 workers will lose their jobs and the remaining 120 will transfer to a sister plant in Ballyhaunis.
(From 11 January 2008)
From Marta Kaminska ‘Musings’ column
When I was in Poland I occasionally co-operated with our Polish TV. We made a documentary movie about people who experienced problems at work. I had really good fun and I was really surprised that I got paid for this good fun. After five years, I have in my head my own movie.
I am lucky because I live in a time when with average equipment, a few ideas and hard work, using my home computer, I can create a movie. Still, we hear fantastic stories about amateur film makers who, for small money, make movies and put to shame huge Hollywood productions. It’s a fact that the most important thing is the idea and not just an idea for the topic, but also an idea for its cheap realisation. It’s also like that with my movie, which I decided to make in Roscommon.
For two years I have been observing the town and it has surprised me in many ways. First of all, it surprised me how many different nationalities and cultures live side by side. From one side, Roscommon is a one hundred percent Irish town with tractors, a mart, wellingtons and Guinness. Alternatively, you can meet people from the other side of the world. Before, I thought that Dublin was an amazing great place where a cultural mix can live side by side. But the city has lost its true roots along the way and the modern community wants to be super European. Roscommon and its inhabitants is a really interesting idea for the movie.
My main characters are three normal people living in a normal Irish town. One Polish, one Irish, one Brazilian, three different roots, three different way of thinking, living in one town, shopping in one place, drinking in one pub. How did it happen that they found a common language…no longer think about English language? I know how this usually starts. We are fascinated with different cultures, really curious, very fast at making friends, but how does this look on a normal day when surrounded by the simple everyday problems, when difference, which before was fascinating, now starts to reveal little problems? My story starts at this point.
Now with me as director and operative and my boyfriend as photographer and co-director, we are fighting with misfortune, trying to make our dream become a reality. We really want to make this movie and we can do it. We have an expression when something looks impossible to do, that you are taking on the sun with a hammer – and sometimes I think that it’s like that with our project. But the world is moving because of dreamers and mad people…
(From 11 January 2008)
