Frank discusses Corpus Christi processions, music artists and venues of the past, sports, local events, and more!
Way back in 2002, we took our first ever trip to Spain. I had booked an apartment in a little place called La Mata, through an ad I saw in ‘Buy and Sell’. It was a small two-bedroomed apartment, and it would have been lovely… only for the fact that it had no air conditioning.
Being that it was our first time in Spain, the heat took a while to get used to, and it’s safe to say that none of us got a lot of sleep.
However, one thing that was really something special over there was the Corpus Christi procession, which we were lucky enough to be there for, and which seemed to involve the entire village. The Blessed Sacrament was displayed in something called a monstrance and carried through the streets by a member of the clergy. In La Mata, the procession took place after dark, and people carried candles and little lights, and it really was hugely impressive. I had never seen such a procession here in Ireland – that is until last Saturday.
I am writing this on Sunday evening; yesterday evening (Saturday), I, along with several family members, attended Mass in Clonberne. It was a remembrance Mass for a number of deceased parish members, including my brother Peadar (second anniversary) and his wife Teresa (eighth anniversary). Fr Tommy Commins, brother of the renowned country music presenter Michael, was the celebrant, and when the Mass was over he announced that the Corpus Christi Procession would then take place.
And so, for the first time since La Mata all those years ago, I saw a procession which headed off around the village with a large crowd of parishioners taking part. What made it even more special was the fact that a whole load of children who had just made their first Holy Communion all took part, with the girls all wearing their really stylish Communion dresses and the lads looking resplendent in their new suits.
My old hip was playing up a bit, and so I didn’t join in, but I have to say it was nice to see it. Fair play to Fr Tommy for keeping up this tradition; having got to know him over the last few years, it’s always great to run into him.
Anyway, when all the excitement was over we headed to the Country Inn for a cup of tea and a sandwich (I was driving, so no Guinness), where I ran into an old friend, Sean Hynes. He had been watching the Leinster hurling final between Galway and Dublin, and he was more than impressed with the Galway display. I make no secret of the fact that I thought the Dubs would win so I was more than happy to get Sean’s report on the game. Today I watched the whole game on record, and to be fair, the Tribesmen were very good.
The Munster hurling final is just over as I write this, so on the assumption that Cork will beat Offaly, it looks as if we will meet the Leesiders in the All-Ireland semi-final. I would have to say it will be a tall order to beat them, but after yesterday, I wouldn’t write Galway off!
Memories of Hayden’s Hotel… and Meatloaf!
Staying with a little bit of nostalgia: during the week there was a nice documentary on RTÉ about the time in 1990 when the huge (in every way) international musical artist Meatloaf toured Ireland, doing 21 sellout shows over 29 nights.
He was down on his luck at the time, and his career had stalled a bit, but Tommy Swarbrigg took a chance in bringing him to Ireland and freely admitted it all paid off in spades.
Meatloaf played in all kinds of venues in small country towns, including Moate, Bundoran, and Dundrum in Tipperary, but it was the part that showed Hayden’s Hotel in Ballinasloe that really hit home with me.
As part of the documentary, the crew were allowed to film in the hotel as it is now; despite being closed for a number of years and more or less in a derelict state, it was possible to recognise the old bar and dining area, and the ballroom where I attended many a wedding. When Hayden’s was in its pomp, myself and Carol would go there every New Year’s Eve to celebrate her birthday, and looking at it last week – even in its present state – brought back a load of happy memories.
In those days, the hotel would be hopping with New Year revellers and there was never a time that we wouldn’t meet someone we knew. As hotels all over the country seem to be thriving, it’s hard to understand how Hayden’s, which was such an iconic venue, came to such a sad end.
Funnily enough, Meatloaf’s career took off again after his Irish tour, but sadly, from looking at the documentary, very few of the venues he played in – including Hayden’s – are still open.
Anyway, I have to say that I enjoyed the show, but it was sad to see such a lovely place in such a state.
Special Olympics team off to Dublin
Jacqui McCormack tells me that the Roscommon Special Olympics athletes are heading off to Dublin for the national finals on Thursday, June 18th, and we wish them all well.
The team comprises of athletes from the Roscommon Special Olympics Club, Creggs NS, Tarmon NS ,and St Michael’s School in Castlerea, and they have been training hard over the last few months, keeping their amazing volunteer chaperones and coaches very busy.
Jacqui wishes to thank the supporters and sponsors for their continuing generosity and she hopes the athletes have a very enjoyable experience.
Competitions take place from the 19th to the 21st, and it’s a great achievement to be going to Dublin and taking part in the national finals. Good luck to everyone!
TNR Church gate collection
I have written before about the stray cat population, and on that note, out here in Creggs the feral cat charity TNR are having a Church gate collection at Kilbegnet Church this Sunday, June 14th, at the 11.30 am Mass.
TNR stands for Trap-Neuter-Return – a safe, humane method of managing stray and feral cat populations. It all involves trapping wild cats, spraying or neutering them, vaccinating them, and then releasing them back to where they came from. All of these steps help to reduce the cat population, keeps the cats healthier and happier, and apparently encourages them to stop yowling and fighting and to co-exist with the human population.
TNR relies on local volunteer networks to keep it going and you can support it by donating generously this Sunday at Kilbegnet Church.
And finally…
I have to be honest and tell you that I don’t claim to be a hurling expert. My main hurling claim to fame is that I played in a full Roscommon junior championship run with Creggs in 1980, when we reached the county final and lost to Ballygar after a replay.
I also sat beside Limerick goalkeeper Nickie Quaid at a recent ‘do’, and judging by the two outstanding saves that he made in last Sunday’s Munster final, he must have listened to my goalkeeping tips!
I didn’t think he was paying attention when I recounted how our full-back line and goalie used to work together to keep the sliotar out of the net – a move which mainly involved our full-back (my brother, the Rasher) wrestling the full-forward to the ground, thereby leaving our goalie Gerry Galvin to have a clear sight of the incoming ball.
However, back to the Munster final: it seems to me that the Munster Championship has been blown up so much that no one can ever say a bad word about it. We are always being told that every game is an epic, despite the fact that in round five this year Cork beat Clare by 17 points and Limerick beat Tipperary by 16. And so we come to last weekend’s Munster final, and while it was exciting and came down to the wire, I thought it was a decidedly free-ridden, error-strewn game that was spoiled by an over-fussy referee.
And yet, Marty Morrissey was telling us that the Munster Championship always delivers, and that it was another epic struggle, and in today’s papers (aka Monday’s… you wouldn’t think it, but it takes a couple of days to write this stuff), they talk about a titanic battle.
Now any game that ends up being a one-point game will usually be exciting, but no one will ever convince me that Sunday’s game was as good as commentators want us to believe. At the risk of repeating myself, I think it’s all propaganda; the narrative around the Munster final is such that you can never have anything other than a memorable, outstanding encounter – but I didn’t have such a reaction to Sunday’s game!
‘Til next week, bye for now
