ALANNAH ITA HEALY reports on a festive journey into the heart of Ballaghaderreen
With the much-anticipated switching-on of the Christmas lights set to take place this Sunday, the Roscommon People travelled to Ballaghaderreen this week to get a sense of the festive spirit building in the town ahead of this year’s holidays.
Our visit began in the landmark Towey’s Spar Express, where we spoke with owner Pat Towey, and with staff member Anita Nicholas. Under the tree at Towey’s Spar, the holiday ambience is already evident, with the shop very nicely done up for the festive season with garlands and other Christmas decorations.
Speaking to Pat and Anita about what it’s like in Ballaghaderreen at Christmas, the idea of the holidays being a time of homecomings was immediately emphasised as a significant factor in enhancing the town’s atmosphere at this time of year.
“It makes for a great Christmas vibe when you see people that have been away coming back and spending time with their families and loved ones”, said Pat. “It’s important to have the diaspora coming back. People do make the effort and it’s good to see them return. It’s very important”.
Anita seconded this sentiment, adding that for her, part of what makes Christmas in Ballaghaderreen so special is the fact that it’s her home town: “I live local, I work local, and so it’s nice to see the people come back to Ballaghaderreen”, she said.
Pat also highlighted the importance of reaching out during the holiday season, saying, “Christmas can be a very lonely time for some as well, and a simple gesture like saying ‘Hello’ and ‘Happy Christmas’ can go a long way to feeling like you are part of Christmas”.
A Christmas treat at Edmonstown House
Additionally, Pat Towey spoke to us about all the different groups and people holding events across the area to mark the festive season, from carol services and charity events to concerts and plays.
One such event is a theatre production which is taking place over 8-10th of December, and so after we finished up in Towey’s Spar, we travelled over to Edmonstown House (also commonly referred to as Bishop’s Palace), where preparations were underway for their upcoming production of Conor McPherson’s ‘Dublin Carol’.
The three-person play, which is set on Christmas Eve, is being directed by Tony award-winning David Grindley, and stars the very talented cast of actor/playwright Genevieve Hulme Beaman, Denis Conway of ‘Brooklyn’ and ‘Michael Collins’, and Killian Filan of ‘Normal People’.
We had a chance to sit down with the director and cast, who, among other thing, had glowing comments to make about Ballaghaderreen’s Edmonstown House as the setting for the eagerly anticipated festive production. David Ewings, who runs Edmonstown House with his wife Chloe, spoke to us about how great it was to have such a calibre of talent performing a show locally. (To read more about Edmonstown House and the upcoming production of ‘Dublin Carol’, see overleaf.)
After finishing up our conversations with everyone at Edmonstown House, we thanked Mr Grindley and let him and the cast get back to their preparations, while we travelled back across town and over to Duffy’s SuperValu. There, we spoke to Lorna Duffy about how the store is preparing for the holiday season.
Local traders
“We are very much looking forward to Christmas here at Duffy’s”, Lorna said. “We feel lucky to be working in the shop as we get to see lots of friends and families who return home for Christmas. With the arrival of our Christmas trees this week, the mayhem will truly begin!”.
Lorna also spoke about the exciting atmosphere building in Ballaghaderreen ahead of the various festive events taking place: “There is a real buzz around town this Christmas, with the Ballaghaderreen Players kicking off the season on the first weekend of December, touring their show ‘Big Maggie’ in Westport. Then we hope to go to the turning on of the lights at the square, St Nathy’s’ carol singing, Conor McPherson’s ‘Dublin Carol’ at Edmonstown House, and Bingo Loco in The Brusna Inn, to name a few events. I think when it’s all over, I’ll go for a nice relaxing sauna at Errit Lake – and a cold dip!”.
After our call to Duffy’s, we checked out the town centre, where there is already evidence of the mammoth effort that has been put in over the last number of weeks by local volunteers on the lights committee. In addition to the lanterns and strings of fairy lights draped along the streets, the town Christmas tree is to be found standing in the centre of the square, ready for the official switch-on this weekend, which will see Santa Claus himself visit to do the honours.
The effort put in by local volunteers ahead of the big switch-on is something that has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated by the town’s residents. Speaking to Imelda Towey of M Towey’s (newsagents), this was something she made sure to give specific mention to, commending and thanking the volunteers “for all the great, hard work they do”.
While there, we also spoke to Imelda about Ballaghaderreen town itself and the festive spirit that builds within the community at this time of year.
“We have one of the best towns in the west of Ireland”, she told us. “Ballaghaderreen has everything you’re looking for”.
Imelda spoke about all the things that the town has going for it, commenting that the community boasts “excellent employment” and adding that this time of the year really exemplifies how the town has been able to successfully regain a sense of busyness “after the pandemic”.
The atmosphere in Ballaghaderreen was something she highlighted as well, describing the “real excitement” building in the community, and the sense of “peace and quiet” the town experiences around the holiday season.
While popping into local businesses in the town centre to get a further sense of this building excitement, we made sure to call into JJ Egan Jewellers to speak to Aidan Egan of the Ballaghaderreen Christmas Lights Committee. In addition to the increased traffic his own business experiences over the Christmas period, Aidan has spent recent weeks working with the rest of the committee to ensure that the town lights are up and looking well in time for this weekend.
He spoke of the dedicated volunteer crew who, yet again this year, have put in hours and hours of their free time over countless wet and dark evenings to make sure that the town is ready for the holidays.
“It really adds to the atmosphere (to have the lights up)”, he said, encouraging everyone to come along to the big switch-on at 6 pm this Sunday.
Ozanam Day Care Centre
During our visit, we also got in touch with Mary Quinn of the Ozanam Day Care Centre in Ballaghaderreen. The charity group is a prime example of how the Christmas spirit of giving and of coming together is valued in Ballaghaderreen, with the group holding several festive events this year in addition to the usual services they provide for the community.
Looking out for the elderly, those dealing with isolation, and anyone in need in the community, forms the key component of the Day Centre’s objectives, with a number of services such as laundry facilities, a meals-on-wheels service, and community events among the many positive things the centre provides in Ballaghaderreen.
And this spirit of giving and bringing together is only being further prioritised as we move into the holiday season, with one key example being the big Christmas Party set for December 21st, which will see a Dinner being provided, as well as a visit from Santa and gift-giving, followed afterwards with some music.
Festive displays
One of the last stops on our visit was Mulligan’s furniture, homeware, and giftware store (Brian Mulligan & Co), where we spoke to father-son duo Brian and Shane. Even before entering the store, which was decked out in Christmas decorations and wares throughout, you could get a taste of the festive spirit just by looking at the beautiful, intricate holiday displays set up in the store windows.
Brian and Shane spoke about how busy the Christmas period always is in the store, with the push to start selling decorations, etc. beginning before Halloween is even over. The store remains open right up until Christmas Eve, as “you inevitably get the few people in panic buying” for last-minute gifts.
Like many of their fellow residents, the festive spirit and atmosphere that the town experiences each year was a particular focus for the Mulligans when talking about Christmas in Ballaghaderreen.
“You’d notice over the last couple of weeks that there’s more people around”, said Brian. “It’s definitely getting busier”.
Once again, local appreciation for the lights committee was expressed, with Brian and Shane commenting how it was “so good to see the Christmas lights going up” over the past couple of weeks, and that it helps “generate a buzz” and excitement for the holiday season. They also gave mention to the various festive events set to take place locally over the coming weeks, including the annual Ronan Regan Memorial Tractor Run, as part of the Ballaghaderreen Christmas Cracker Weekend in December.
After finishing up our conversation in Mulligan’s, we rounded off our visit at The Fiddlers Elbow, where we enjoyed a tasty bite to eat before heading back to Roscommon town.
Heading out of Ballaghaderreen as the sun began to set on the town square, it was easy to imagine the place all lit up with lights come Sunday evening, or thronged with people come the town’s Christmas Cracker weekend. The sense of anticipation for the upcoming holidays, and appreciation locally for the buzz the season adds to the town, was palpable from every resident we spoke to.
What was perhaps even more striking however, was the deep local appreciation for certain community-based aspects of Christmas: the idea of loved ones returning home, the idea of bringing people together with festive events, the idea of making small gestures and hosting community gatherings specifically to make sure no one feels isolated or alone during the holidays. Even little things like the scale of the appreciation for the local lights committee was testament to a theme that rang true with every person we met: that community, coming together, and the people around us is what makes the Christmas period so enjoyable – both in Ballaghaderreen and beyond.
