When you live, as I and a lot of the readers of this newspaper do, in rural Ireland, you get sort of sick at the constant stream of negativity that keeps coming our way regarding the apparently irreversible mortal decline of our parishes and villages, and the feeling that, like it or not, we can do very little about it.
However, sometimes something special can happen in an area, which can lift all our spirits, and out here in Creggs such a thing happened on Saturday night when the local GAA club launched its Sporting Times book, a history of the club over more than a hundred years.
Now, as we all remember, Saturday night was one of those nights that you wouldn’t let the dog out (in fact our pup, Hope, turned straight back the second she got to the front door, and refused to budge) and yet despite roads that were only fit for dingies and boats, an amazing crowd turned up for the launch, which was performed most efficiently – and entertainingly – by the new joint Roscommon football manager, Kevin McStay. Creggs GAA club is first recorded as being in existence around 1890, but was officially affiliated in 1941, and pretty much everything that has happened since then and before is documented in what is a wonderful production.
I have deliberately called it a ‘production’, because it is much more than a book, and has some of the most entertaining stories you will ever read – you don’t have to be from Creggs to appreciate it, because the stories, and memories, will resonate with everyone who ever played at any level for any football club, large or small.
For a long time now, all of us who weren’t really involved, were aware that some people were working on this book, but I would have to admit that none of us could have possibly imagined the quality of the finished article, and we are all justifiably proud of what has been produced.
Five people – Marty Duffy, Pauline Scott (Gavin), Gerry Keegan, my brother Sean (we usually call him Duff, but for important things I’ll give him his full title), and the Roscommon People’s own Martina, who got me to go email, were the driving forces behind this venture and all are to be congratulated for the way their efforts turned out.
As I said at the start, we are nearly conditioned to accepting that all is doom and gloom, but on Saturday night there was an air of pride in our little village that was a joy to experience. And as we reflected on Sporting Times, I think we all realised that we have people in our midst who should be national treasures, men like Mick Roarke, Noel Hanley, Harry Connolly, Micky Hurley, Seamus Keane and Sean (Bags) Keegan, who entertained us all with two brilliant recitations, and never missed a word.
All of those men won junior county medals in 1956, and some of them still look as if they could line out in this year’s championship. Also in attendance were two men who are definitely candidates for the imaginary titles of honorary Creggs men, Oran’s Padraig Whyte and Castlerea’s Danny Burke, while on a personal note I was delighted to meet up with Andy Quinn, one of our great players in the seventies, who, against all the odds, managed to make it all the way from Dundalk.
Without going into full details, he was a lot luckier to make it home on Christmas Eve 1974, when I did the driving, but that story is for another time. Galway Bay star, and our own parishioner, John Mulligan, was superb as MC on the night, and, all told, it was something that I will cherish for many a long year.
My last reflection on the event is that Roscommon have a very good management team in place for the coming year, and I was very impressed with the way Kevin McStay informed all the Rossie supporters in the crowd (all of us Galway followers kept suitably quiet) as to what they were doing, and how they were doing it, and he asked people to come out in big numbers and support their team in the big Division One games coming up in the New Year.
I must say that the signs are good and if the management continue to engage with the fans in the future, I can foresee a very successful season for the Rossies, and their supporters will no doubt flock in their thousands to cheer on the wearers of the primrose and blue.
A good news story
Changing subjects entirely, and while I agree with all who say that losing the A&E in Roscommon Hospital was – and is – an absolute disgrace and a disaster, at the same time many good things are taking place out there, and recently I have had the benefit of one of those things.
As part of my rehab for the bit of heart trouble I had recently, I have found myself every Tuesday morning in the cardiac section of the County Hospital, taking part in an exercise programme run by Rosemary Thorpe and Deirdre O’Reilly, and I can only say it has been a very positive and enjoyable experience.
I’m part of a regular class that gets put through our paces every week. Al of us have had some type of work carried out on the old ticker, so none of us are likely to be on the Olympic team for Rio, but it’s been good fun, very beneficial.
All our movements are monitored by the machines we are wired up to, and, in truth, up ‘till now I didn’t know such a facility existed. The two ladies do a brilliant job. I hope you never need to get there, but if you do, you’ll be in good hands!
And finally…
Finally for this week, just to remind you that the best social occasion of the year, the Senior Citizens Party (not confined to senior citizens, open to all) takes place in St. Mary’s Hall, Kilbegnet next Sunday, 13th of December at 2 pm, so don’t say you weren’t told. Get on your bike (not literally) and get yourself to the hall on Sunday, and, as Jack Charlton would say, give it a lash.
‘Till next week, Bye for now
