Roscommon Town will be the place to be this Easter Weekend with four major events taking place on Saturday, Sunday and Monday the 7th, 8th and 9th of April. On Saturday 20 to 25 visitors from Roscommon’s twin town of Chartrettes in France will arrive in the town and they will stay with local families. Then on Sunday the traditional Easter Parade will start after 12.15 pm Mass and at 2.30 pm the 2007 Roscommon Co. Fleadh will be officially opened by members of the Roscommon All-Ireland winning minor football team in The Square and then at Lisbride Roscommon Hunt are holding a point to point meeting with six races starting at 3 pm. The Easter Parade Committee promise that this year’s Roscommon Town Parade will be the biggest and best to date. The Army Band will be one of the star attractions and several other bands have been booked to appear on the day. In addition to the usual commercial, sporting and commuinity floats there will be lot of novelty floats too and there will be stilt walkers and fire-eaters to entertain the crowds. The parade will assemble in the Abbeytown area as usual and will start at 1 pm. The reviewing stand will be in Main Street/The Square. There will be traffic restrictions in the town centre from 12 noon until after the parade is over. This is the second year in a row that the Co Roscommon Fleadh will be held in Roscommon town and there is a host of activities on Easter Saturday Sunday and Monday. On Easter Saturday there will be a warm-up ceili in The Square with the Killina Ceili Band between 2pm and 4pm. On Easter Sunday the fleadh will be officially opened at the Gig Rig in The Square by members of the Roscommon minor All Ireland winning team from 2006. At 2.30pm The Tom Markham Cup will also be there. Then there will be a free open air concert at The Square with members of Rahan (Co. Offaly) Comhaltas. There will also be set dancing competitions and demonstrations in The Square on a dance floor which will be set up there for the fleadh. Then at 8 pm on Easter Sunday night is the highlight of the weekend’s Fleadh when a gala concert will be held at The Castle Suite at The Royal Hotel at 8 pm. Appearing on the night will be Eilen O Brien(fiddle) Deirdre McSherry(flute and piano) and Nora Butler( singer)Jimmy Mc Greevey(button accordian)Patsy Hanley(flute)Marie Walsh(button accordian)John Wynne John Mc Evoy Ceoltoiri Ros Comain Knockcroghery Set Dancers(All Ireland champions) and Kevin Vesey(saxophone) Tickets for this fantastic concert are available from Bill Cunningham, John Hanily at The Royal Hotel or from any of the organising committee. There will be the usual informal music session in public houses and other venues throught the town from 10 pm. Then on Easter Monday competitions will take place all day at the CBS Seconday School starting at 10.30 am. At 2 pm on the Gig Rig in The Square there will be sean nos dancing and door dancing.The fleadh singers circle will perform at Gleesons Tonhouse resturant beteween 2 pm and 4 pm aslo on Easter Monday. Between 3 pm and 6 pm on Easter Monday there will be a free open air ceili and set dancing at The Square. Music by the Sean Norman Ceili band and informal music sessions will continue all day throughout the town. The Roscommon Hunt are hosting a point to point meeting on Easter Sunday. The meeting will be held at Lisbride on the lands of Michael McSharry. First race at 3 pm. The Roscommon Hunt have staged a point to point meeting for the past five years in November but this is an additional fixture and it is hoped that it might become an annual event according to the Roscommon Hunt. Preview of the Point to point meeting can be read elsewhere in this paper this week.
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