End of an institution
It’s late for me to be writing this, as it’s Tuesday afternoon, and although the sun is splitting the stones and the countryside looks so beautiful and inviting, I have to admit to a great feeling of sadness.
It’s not long since I heard of the death of Mick Lally, which was bad enough, but just now on the local news comes the end of another institution, The Roscommon Champion.
Miley was someone, that anyone who lived in Ireland over the last 20 -30 years, know almost as a brother. He was in our sitting room every Sunday evening year after year and in most houses nothing else could be arranged until, first Bracken, and later, Glenroe was over. The Riordans was the first of our major Irish country dramas, and Mary and Tom, and son Benjy, and their daughter, Maggie, kept us riveted to our black and white tellies as they struggled to keep it all together down on the farm.
There was almost anarchy and revolution when The Riordans was axed, but soon Gabriel Byrne and Joe Lynch gave us all hope again when ‘Bracken’, which was set in sheep farming country in Wicklow, came on our sets. For some reason the Bracken series was short-lived but, fortunately, it sort of re-appeared as Glenroe. And how we lapped up the activities of the Byrne family. Joe Lynch as Dinny, with his famous limp, which he could turn on and off like a tap, Mick Lally as his son Miley, Mary McEvoy as Miley’s long-suffering wife, Biddy, became stars on a par with any of the big Hollywood names, and were as instantly recognisable here in Ireland as even the likes of Gay Byrne (no relation even though the name was the same) or Joe Dolan.
We all followed Miley’s long drawn out courtship of Biddy until finally, he married her and even later he scandalised the whole country when he was unfaithful with Biddy’s cousin. Tonight there is emptiness all over Ireland as the man who made an entire generation say ‘Holy God’ about everything is mourned by his many thousands of loyal followers. His, for me, most memorable moment was, when he was told that dad, Dinny, was having an affair with his neighbour Mary McDermott. He exclaimed ‘he can’t be, sure she’s a married woman’. That line alone just about illustrates what the times and ‘Glenroe’ were all about. Anyway Miley, may you rest in peace!
I suppose my remark about the end of The Roscommon Champion is, hopefully, a little premature as, maybe, someone might step in and save them but it was like a bolt from the blue when I heard, on the three o’clock news, that the Alpha Group which owns The Champion, The Athlone Voice and The Longford News was pulling out, with the loss of twenty five jobs. Now I have always told you (although you shouldn’t really have to be told) that I am not a real journalist and I look on myself as an ordinary everyday reader of all the local papers. I grew up with The Champion when it was owned by the Quigley family, and I remember being in their premises many times in Castle Street down through the years, getting little printing jobs done, when David Gibbons seemed to be able to make those huge big machines talk. There were no computers or software back in those days, but anything I ever had to get, invariably came out on time.
Back in the fledgling days of Creggs Rugby Club, The Champion was a great friend, and some of today’s national premier sports journalists gave us valuable and, indeed, quite extensive coverage on the local pages. Donal Keenan did a full page spread on us before our first ever Cup Final in 1979 and later on Eamon Sweeney was to take up the cudgels on our behalf.
The Champion kept us up to date with all the local happenings in the courts and for years I proudly kept a headline ‘Frank Fined Fifteen’ which related to a penalty I was given in the District Court many years ago for having a bad tyre (or two or three) on my white Hillman Avenger. Anyway for us in this area we always looked on The Herald as being for North Roscommon, and The Champion was for us, even though this column is coming to you because of the good grace of the Roscommon People and its owners Paul and Fiona Healy, I can honestly tell you that I am sorry to hear the news today and (if it is final) I will miss The Champion. It, and its staff, always served us well.
However life, as they say, must go on, and so I want to tell you about a ‘do’ that’s coming up on Saturday 11th September, in Donamon Castle to celebrate The Golden Jubilee of the United Stars, winning the Co. Senior Football Final by defeating Na Fianna by 1-5 to 0-3 in St Coman’s Park, Roscommon.
Funny enough it is exactly to the date as it was on 11th September 1960, that the Creggs-Oran combination defeated the Strokestown-Killina men to take their first, and only, ever Senior County Title. All but two of the men who were on the panel are alive to this day, Joe Ryan and John Timothy being the two who are sadly deceased, and there is a Golden Jubilee Dinner in honour of the team in Donamon Castle on Saturday 11th September at 8 pm (sharp).
There is already great interest in the night and if, as I’m sure you do, you want to go you can still get tickets from Christy Hannon and Michael Kenny (Oran) or Seamus Keane or Sean Brandon (Creggs). I’m sure it will be a great night, and one not to be missed but to illustrate the difference in preparation between, then and now, The Stars full forward, Joe Ryan, for some reason missed the entire first half, but came at half time and duly took his place for the second half. I can imagine lots of club managers ‘having a foal’ if that was to happen in a County Final nowadays. Anyway it was a great victory by a great team and let’s hope Saturday 11th September is a night to remember.
Sticking with football, another nightmare decision was made on Sunday, which definitely put Down into an All-Ireland Final. I am constantly writing about umpires and referees getting it wrong, and cannot see, when the big screen is already there in most of the big game venues, why the GAA utterly refuse to acknowledge the value of modern high quality technology. If they did there would certainly be different Leinster Champions, and later on this year, maybe even All-Ireland Champions. Surely those facts alone are enough to persuade the GAA hierarchy to have another look at the issue.
Finally for this week the Lourdes invalid people are on their annual pilgrimage to the French area of worship, when they are back we will try to raise some more funds for their hugely beneficial efforts in bringing people to Lourdes, as well as for Cancer Care West when we will be round to your doors to sell tickets to the dance in Gannon’s on September 18th. As I said before the music is by The Inspectors and admission is entirely optional – every little helps and its all appreciated. Looking forward to seeing you all over the next few nights.
‘Til next week,
Bye for now.
