We had our lip sync challenge in Creggs last weekend. I wasn’t so sure about it during the build-up, but I was wrong; it is widely accepted that there has never been a better night’s entertainment in our village! Not since the halcyon days of the carnivals in the 1960s has as big a crowd attended an event in Creggs.
Grace Curley, nee Cunniffe, came up with the idea, i.e. to raise funds for the Sunshine Room in Creggs National School, and in fairness to her she left no stone unturned in her efforts to make it a success. However, in her wildest dreams, she could never have imagined how successful it would turn out.
Local legendary DJ Bobby Jennings started it all off as Queen, Eve Smyth, Laura Curley and Kate Hanley were The Supremes, while Eugene Hanley was House of Pain. 5ive were the footballing group of Conor Gore, Shane Dowd, Noel Gately, Enda Conneran and Gerry Keegan – they showed a level of fitness on the stage that we seldom see on the pitch. Elaine Hanley, as Cher, had the unenviable job of following the boys, but she was quite brilliant. Sister Act, comprising Dympna Hurley, Emma Curley, Edel Maloney and Bobby Jennings (again) brought the first half of a super night to a close.
The second half started with the winning act, Guns N’ Roses, i.e. Shane and Grace Curley, followed by Anouska O’Grady, who was simply the best as Tina Turner. Then it was our turn – me and Jacinta Hanley (Gibby), as Kenny and a very well endowed Dolly. We were followed by the personality of the parish – the hair-banded, guitar strumming Tom Connolly, as Dire Straits.
Next, Darragh Connelly could have been Liam Gallagher, so good was his take on the Manchester superstar, and then we had the amazing motorcycle entry of local TD Michael Fitzmaurice, as Meatloaf. Fitz, and an entourage that would have done justice to Beyoncé, did Bat out of Hell, and it is doubtful if any Meatloaf performance ever had as big, in every sense, an impact on an audience. It was befitting a true superstar, and brought the curtain, and nearly everything else, down on one of the great nights in the village.
One of our own, the very elegant John Mulligan (from Galway Bay FM) was an excellent MC. The three local judges –Councillor Dominick Connolly, former Roscommon footballer, Karl Mannion, and Helena Donoghue – were as entertaining as they were informative.
Grace and Shane were the very popular and worthy winners, but in truth we were all winners, because it was such a privilege to have been a part of a great night’s fun, one that will be remembered in our little village for a long time to come.
If you didn’t make it in person, the video is being shown in Mikeen’s on Saturday evening at 8.30 pm. I’m sure you can still donate to a very worthy cause.
No golf scoring thanks to the coring
It’s Thursday afternoon last and it’s one of those June days that makes you think God has hit the gin bottle a bit too hard, and –feeling a bit down – has made us all pay with a strong, squally wind, and equally strong heavy and persistent showers. It’s a day fit for the bed, or the high stool, if you could find a daytime high stool any more, but for some unknown reason – except I suppose my slightly odd make-up – I wanted to go golfing, and so, some time after dinner-time, I hit for that beautiful golfing oasis that is the Castlerea Golf Club.
On my way down, I encountered a shower so heavy that it would nearly have taken the paint off the old Almera, but fortunately, she hasn’t had a wash for a long time now, and the mud was caked so thick onto it, that not even the strongest power washer would get through to the black painted exterior, and so she, and I, arrived intact at the gates of Castlerea Golf Club.
Amazingly, the rain had disappeared and the sun was making an appearance, and I said to myself it was my lucky day, as I reckoned not too many others would be mad enough to be out on such a changeable afternoon and that the course would be nice and quiet. As I arrived at the gates, I thought I was proved right as there were only two cars in the carpark. And then I saw the sign…the course was closed until further notice, as there was coring (whatever that is) taking place on the greens. I have never been as disappointed, but there was nothing for it, so I went back into the Almera and headed for home.
On the way, I stopped into a shop in Castlerea, the name of which rhymes with, ‘Crispies’, and there I met a young lady who told me she always reads this column, and actually loves it, and, to my eternal shame, being so sad about not getting any golf in, I didn’t ask her her name or anything about her. If you read me this week, my sincerest apologies, and if you see me anywhere again come up to me and we’ll have a right auld chat – it was all down to the coring of the greens.
Well done, Rossies!
Finally for this week, well done to the Rossies on reaching the Connacht final, and I’m sure as we close in on the 9th of July, the craic will be ninety in our border village.
‘Till next week, Bye for now
