09 February 2024 Roscommon People by RossiePeople

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09 February 2024

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The Irish Cancer Society is appealing to Roscommon People readers to once again support Daffodil Day, which takes place this year on Friday, March 22nd. Pictured in Croke Park last Friday at the Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day Supporters Launch 2024 were Brendan Courtney (MC), Monica Fallon from Roscommon, and Irish Cancer Society CEO Averil Power. See report inside.

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Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

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AT H L O N E Ι M O AT E L A N E S B O R O U G H Ι G A LWAY In contentious business, a solicitor may not calculate DOLORES*GACQUIN – SOLICITOR fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of Tel: 090 6478433 • info@bccsolicitors.ie any award or settlement

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I have heard that marketing companies use the Register of Electors for direct marketing purposes. Is this true and is there anything I can do to protect my personal information from marketing companies? I would like to register to vote but I would like some advice regarding protecting my personal information first. In order to vote in an election or referendum in Ireland, you must be registered to vote. To be eligible to be included on the Register of Electors, you must be at least 18 years old and have been ordinarily resident in Ireland. If you have more than one address, you should give the address where you want to be registered. You can only be registered at one address.

e l p o e WATCHING P With PAUL HEALY

All I did was offer some friendly advice… to Davy and Paraic!

Wow! What a telly treat that was at the weekend… Huh? The telly, the other night… Oh yeah, yer man off the Hothouse Flowers, he has some look going on! I’d say a night out with him would be some craic! No, I mean the other other night! TV gold! CYCLING All those ACCIDENT wonderful sidesteps, that balance, those elaborate moves, it was magic! I’ve told you before… I CANNOT watch If you were involved in a cycling Dancing with the Stars! accident contact NO! Not that! I’m talking about Ireland v Byrne Carolan France in the rugby on Friday night! The Cunningham Solicitors Irish players waltzed through the French defence! TV gold!

Endangered Species The barstool boyos

(They pause to read up on the new Deposit Return Scheme, with furrowed brows…) So why weren’t you in your usual seat at the Hyde on Sunday? Sorry! I got delayed! Okay… So I decided to base myself in the stand on the Athlone Road side… What are the folks like there? Oh much the same as the folks on the ‘main stand’ side! Had you a boring afternoon? On the contrary, I had quite an eventful afternoon! Hardly… I did! Due to arriving late, I had to go all the

way down near the fencing. I was just to the right of the Roscommon dugout… and had full access to Davy Burke! NOBODY has full access to Davy Burke on match-day… well, except his management colleagues… Not true! I had an ongoing engagement with him throughout the game! WHAT? A conversation! Advice, that type of thing!

You’re not telling me Davy Burke chatted to you DURING the game? Okay, it wasn’t exactly a two-way conversation, moreso me chipping in with suggestions… And Davy? Well, Davy alternated between ignoring me and giving me the odd stare! Oh dear… Towards the end, I moved up to the Galway dugout to engage with Paraic Joyce… REALLY? All I did was hold up five fingers, and rant a bit… Hold up five fingers? Yes, to point out that this was the fifth time the Galway goalkeeper had delayed his kickout! AND? Mr Joyce was too focussed on the game to thank me for my stats, but a nearby Galway supporter was very nice… Huh? There I was, in the heat of the moment, giving out about their goalkeeper, but this Galway fan at least acknowledged me… Go on… I held up the five fingers, and he gestured back. I presume his calculation was that the goalkeeper had only delayed on about TWO kickouts… What makes you think that? Well, he was staring at me quite intently… and holding up two fingers!

It’s been a GOOD week for…

Two constitutional referendums on family and care will be held on 8th March 2024. You must apply to your local authority by 20 February 2024 to register to vote in this referendum.

☺

In order to register to vote you must complete an RFA voter registration form. Your application must be received by the local authority at least 15 days before an election or referendum.

The Irish rugby team, this after Andy Farrell’s men shook off their World Cup hangover by beginning the Six Nations tournament with a brilliant 38-17 win away to France

Until recently, an edited version of the Register of Electors was available. This edited version could be used for direct marketing purposes. Since October 2022, there is no longer an edited version of the Register of Electors.

The people of Northern Ireland, with power-sharing finally returning to Stormont

It is an offence for an organisation/commercial body to contact someone from the full electoral register for direct marketing purposes.

All associated with acclaimed TV drama series Succession, the big winner at Monday night’s Emmy Awards (collecting six in all)

This column is prepared by Dolores Gacquin, Solicitor. Byrne Carolan Cunningham have offices in Athlone, Moate, Lanesborough and Galway.

It’s been a BAD week for…

A person should always contact their solicitor to obtain legal advice specific to their own situation. The above column contains general information and cannot be relied upon as legal advice. * In contentious business, a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement

☹

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PIC OF THE WEEK: A friendly exchange between Roscommon player Conor Cox and referee Conor Lane at Dr Hyde Park last Sunday. Cox scored 0-5 as Roscommon and Galway shared the spoils in the NFL Division One fixture. Pic: Bernie O’Farrell

Donald Trump (arguably), this after a US court ruled that the former President does not have presidential immunity and can be prosecuted on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 US election

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

BALE OF ECO BRIQUETTES

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

NewsPeople

Temporary library to open in Ballaghaderreen later this month News that the temporary library in Ballaghaderreen is expected to be opened to the public on Friday, February 16th next has been welcomed by local public representatives. The library will occupy one of the currently vacant properties near SuperValu. Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane said: “This is really welcome, as the space for people that the library provided has been a huge loss since it closed, and while the mobile library has done its job in providing books, it did not replace the space that was lost – and that is really what people have missed. “I understand from Roscommon County Council that a number of IT issues are being sorted and it is expected that the temporary library will open on February 16th”. The TD added that the library is just temporary and that the ‘permanent library’ will reopen later this year. In a press statement, Cllr Liam Callaghan (Fine Gael) outlined that a special meeting of Boyle Municipal District had recently approved Part 8 planning to open the temporary library in Ballaghaderreen. Cllr Callaghan said he looked forward to the temporary library opening on the 16th of this month, which he added is “good news for all the people of the area”. As to the upgrading of the main library at Dillon House, Cllr Callaghan said it is hoped works will be completed there by October of this year. In her statement, Deputy Kerrane added: “I want to commend the Council for pushing to ensure that the works in the permanent library go ahead on schedule in March – that is still the plan and I know they are very conscious of

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Ballaghaderreen's public library at Dillon House has been closed as it awaits refurbishment works

meeting this timeframe. It has to be met”. Deputy Kerrane’s Ballaghaderreen-based Sinn Féin colleague, Cllr Michael Mulligan said: “I was delighted to propose the go-ahead of the

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temporary library building for Ballaghaderreen at the recent Council meeting. This is good news for the town and I look forward to the permanent library reopening later this year”.

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Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

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NewsPeople

PAUL HEALY’S WEEK A column by Roscommon People editor

paul@roscommonpeople.ie

THURSDAY Hamlet without Prince

Rather like the senior management of An Post, I didn’t attend this evening’s special Council meeting on the future of the postal services in Roscommon Town. However, I did watch every minute of the two-hour meeting online, taking notes throughout (see report on pages 18-19). It wasn’t the most enthralling Thursday evening of my life; in fact it wasn’t even in the top ten. To be fair to our councillors (and the Oireachtas members present), what do you do when a State body arrogantly lands a hammer blow on an unsuspecting community on a January day (as An Post did recently)? Readers will be aware that An Post confirmed its intention to threaten decades of good relations with the Roscommon public (or, as they prefer to frame it, ‘move to a contractor-run post office model’). In short, the magnificent Roscommon Post Office building which adorns the Square in our county town is soon to be emptied of its vibrancy and energy. It will, to paraphrase the classic Monty Python dead parrot sketch, be an ‘ex-post office’. (‘This post office is no more. It has ceased to be’ etc, etc). Having shredded the status quo, An Post will usher in a new era, in the form of a new postmaster, who will base the service in another building (most likely a supermarket or some such entity). An Post will then seek to cash in by selling the iconic red-brick building that is such a landmark for thousands of Roscommon people. This evening’s meeting was notable for the absence of any representation on behalf of An Post (decision-makers or PR gurus). While this wasn’t particularly surprising, it certainly left a sour taste. It also left our public representatives venting in the wilderness

SATURDAY Room to improve?

RTE TV’s live coverage of today’s welcome return of power-sharing in Northern Ireland is billed as an ‘RTE News Special’. The next programme listed is ‘Room to Improve’. Indeed!

SUNDAY Hyde sideshows!

(notwithstanding that the meeting was being livestreamed). The politicians fired broadsides of varying degrees of frustration and anger at the ‘invisible enemy’. With An Post having disrespectfully turned down the invitation to attend, it was all a fairly pointless exercise, very much ‘Hamlet without the Prince’ territory. At least those present were able to underscore a communal message: (A) The people of Roscommon are angered by An Post’s plans; (B) There is united opposition to same. Predictably, it was decided that a Council deputation (with local Oireachtas members) should seek a meeting with both An Post management and Minister Jack Chambers. They will have done remarkably well if they can make any progress with An Post’s shy and retiring decision-makers/PR gurus.

FRIDAY Monkey business…

Some mornings, just before leaving on the school run, I’ll switch the TV on for a few minutes to check in with Sky News. It’s the simple pleasures in life, after all… When I turned the TV on this morning, some channel was showing one of

those ‘animals do the craziest things’ type programmes. “Never tease a monkey” the presenter quite solemnly advised/warned. As I pondered that unexpected counsel at 8.30 am, I realised there wasn’t time to switch to Sky News. And so it was off on the school run, with that very clear advice – to never tease a monkey – revolving in my mind. Ah yes, every day really is a school day…

FRIDAY In praise of Del Boy

I read online that David Jason is 84 today (any excuse to mention the English actor is to be grasped with enthusiasm). Even if I am one of the world’s greatest proponents of proclaiming Fawlty Towers to be the best sitcom of all time, I am respectful of the claims of Only Fools and Horses. I actually considered the latter to be a comedy-drama, and in that sense almost a different genre to the more slapstick chaos associated with the hotel in Torquay. Only Fools and Horses had elements of quaint drama about it… it was nostalgic, essentially celebrated family, and we invested a lot in the characters.

David Jason has had many career successes (A Touch of Frost, Open All Hours, etc) but will always be most revered for his role as Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses. Happy birthday to the great man. (You can enjoy almost daily repeats of Only Fools and Horses on TV these days).

SATURDAY When Tommy met Paul

Tonight’s Tommy Tiernan Show was a really good watch. The host’s chat with former Arsenal and England soccer star Paul Merson was both sad and inspirational. Merson spoke with great honesty and humility about his addictions over the years – alcohol, drugs and gambling – starkly outlining the devastating impact on both himself and his relationships. He came across as a very genuine and brave man who is winning his battle with addiction, while certainly not complacent about the potential for pitfalls arising. Tiernan handled the interview superbly, and there was a strong bond between the two. Readers who missed it can catch up via the RTÉ Player.

I kind of enjoyed Roscommon v Galway at the Hyde today. People criticised it, but that wind was as unreasonable as a monkey that has been persistently teased (I do hope readers read the entire column). Admittedly, most of my enjoyment came from watching Davy Burke engage in good-humoured, light squabbling with the sideline official. Well, that and watching Galway goalkeeper Connor ‘Slow kickout’ Gleeson auditioning for Dancing with the (GAA) Stars (slow set strictly). Anyways, I was glad the Rossies eked out a league point…

MONDAY ‘New’ bank holiday

This is the ‘new’ bank holiday. Many self-employed people find themselves in a slight quandary on such momentous occasions. Do we work, or relax? I did a bit of both. After some remote working, we settled down to enjoy Narcos on Netflix. It was either that or consider teasing a monkey (I do hope readers read the entire column).

TUESDAY The late John Bruton

This week’s column ends on a sad note. The death has just been announced of former Taoiseach John Bruton. I interviewed him on a couple of occasions. A major political figure in our history, he most certainly did the State some service. May he rest in peace.

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

NewsPeople

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Snow and ice warning for Roscommon today A Status Yellow snow and ice warning is currently in effect for County Roscommon. The warning, which came into effect at 5 am this morning, was expected to bring sleet and snow, with the most significant accumulations on higher ground. According to Met Éireann, the impact of this predicted weather will lead to hazardous travelling conditions,

poor visibility and ice on untreated surfaces. Other counties affected by this weather warning are Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo and Longford, with multiple warnings in place nationwide. The warning will stay in place until 8 pm tonight (Thursday).

Roscommon fans Aaron Walmsley and Daniel Dowd pictured with Emily and Joanne Walmsley and Magellan Dowd at Dr Hyde Park last Sunday ahead of the Allianz NFL Division One match between Roscommon and Galway. Pic: Bernie O’Farrell

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Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

TIDY TOWNS AND AMENITY GRANT SCHEME 2024 Roscommon County Council is currently accepting online applications under the Tidy Towns and Amenity Grant Scheme 2024. Applications will be accepted from: Tidy Towns Associations Local Development Groups Sub-Aqua Groups The scheme provides funding for eligible small scale amenity projects. Full details of the scheme is available on www.roscommoncoco.ie Applications must be made via My Online Services at: https://roscommon-self.achieveservice.com/ Register for My Online Services at www.roscommoncoco.ie The closing date for receipt of completed online applications is 5pm on Monday, 11th March 2024 Incomplete or late online applications will not be considered Any queries relating to the scheme may be emailed to amenitygrants@roscommoncoco.ie

NOCHT DO THUAIRIM AR Nocht do thuairim ar AN an BPLEAN OIDHREACHTA NUAnua CHONTAE ROS COMÁIN bPlean Oidhreachta Chontae Ros Comáin TáTátús ChontaeRos RosComáin, Comáin,arna arnaéascú éascú Oifig túscurtha curthaag ag Fóram Fóram Oidhreachta Oidhreachta Chontae agag Oifig OidhreachtaChomhairle Chomhairle Contae Contae Ros a ullmhú dodo Oidhreachta RosComáin, Comáin,lelePlean PleanOidhreachta Oidhreachtanua nua a ullmhú Chontae Ros Comáin. Chontae Ros Comáin. Nochtdo dothuairim thuairimararárársuirbhé suirbhégairid gairid ar líne anseo Nocht anseo http://tinyurl.com/2pyzmcrj http://tinyurl.com/2pyzmcrj Is féidir foirmeacha suirbhé a chomhlánú freisin tríd an bpost, déan teagmháil le do

Is féidir a chomhlánú freisin chun tríd an bpost, déan teagmháil thoilfoirmeacha leis an Oifig suirbhé Oidhreachta ar 090 6637136 cóip den fhoirm suirbhé a le do thoil leis an Oifig Oidhreachta ar 090 6637136 iarraidh.chun cóip den fhoirm suirbhé a iarraidh. Is deis é an suirbhé seoseo dodo thuairim Is deis é an suirbhé thuairima achur churininiúl iúlmaidir maidirlelefoirmiú foirmiúár árgcéad gcéad phlean phlean eile do 2024 go 2028. eile do 2024 go 2028. Is éIsDé hAoine an dáta dátadeiridh deiridhlelefreagra freagra a thabhairt ar an é Dé hAoine16ú 16úFeabhra Feabhra 2024 2024 an a thabhairt ar an suirbhé. suirbhé. Tá Tátuilleadh tuilleadh eolais eolais ar ar fáil fáil ar ar www.roscommoncoco.ie www.roscommoncoco.ie nó nótrítríríomhphost ríomhphost óó heritage@roscommoncoco.ie heritage@roscommoncoco.ie

Mark Keaveney, Director of Services

TEMPORARY CLOSING OF ROADS ROADS ACT 1993, SECTION 75 TEMPORARY CLOSING OF ROADS ROADS REGULATIONS 1994, ARTICLE 12 ROADS ACT 1993, SECTION 75 ROADS REGULATIONS 1994, ARTICLE 12

Roscommon County Council intends to close theset road outschedule in the schedule hereunder Roscommon County Council intends to close the road outset in the hereunder for for periods andreason the reason specified. the the periods and the specified. Road Reference LS-5640

Townland

L-6023

Cartronagor

LS-5625

Portahard

LS-5629

Dungar

Cashel (ED Bellanagare)

Closure duration From 19th March 2024 to 18th March 2025 From 19th March 2024 to 18th March 2025 From 19th March 2024 to 18th March 2025 From 19th March 2024 to 18th March 2025

Section of Closure

Proposed Diversion

Length of closure 150m. Closure starting 100m from Junction with LS5641 and finishing 250m from Junction with LS5641 Length of closure 150m. Closure starts 100m from Junction with R369 and finishing 50m from Junction with L-6023 Length of closure 130m. Closure starts 90m from the Junction N5 and finishing 220m from Junction with N5 Length of closure 130m. Closure starts 400m from the Junction with the N5 and finishing 530m from the Junction with the N5

Diversion will be by the N5 heading towards Bellanagare Village, and turning left onto the L-5640 Diversion will be by the L-6023

Diversion will be west along N5 for 600m and onto LS-5632 for 750m and east for 900m to get back onto the LS-5625 Diversion will be the N5 to Frenchpark, along the R361 to the south end of the LS-5629

Reason for facilitate N5 Road Project Reason forClosures: Closures:ToTo facilitate N5 Road Project Objections in respect of the proposed closure may be made in writing to the Roads and Transportation Department or e-mailed to roads@roscommoncoco.ie to arrive not later than Objections in respect of the 2024. proposed closure may be made in writing to the Roads and 5pm on Friday 16th February

Transportation Department or e-mailed to roads@roscommoncoco.ie to arrive not later than Greg O’Donnell 5pm on Friday 16th February 2024. A/Director of Services Greg O’Donnell, A/Director of Services

CLÁR SPARÁNACHTA EALAÍONTÓRA 2024 Tá Oifig Ealaíon Chomhairle Contae Ros Comáin ag glacadh le hiarratais ar líne anois ó ealaíontóirí cleachtacha atá ag obair i ngach seánra le haghaidh Sparánacht Ealaíontóra 2024. Ní mór d’iarratasóirí a bheith ina gcónaí i nó ó Ros Comáin. Tá an clár seo deartha chun forbairt na gcleachtóirí gairmiúla i ngach foirm ealaíne a chur chun cinn, d’aon chuspóir a chuideoidh go follasach le forbairt an ealaíontóra agus, trí é sin a dhéanamh, feabhas a chur ar chaighdeán agus ar fhorbairt na n-ealaíon i gContae Ros Comáin. Tá sonraí iomlána an chláir ar fáil ag: http://www.roscommoncoco.ie/en/services/ community/arts-office/grants-and-bursaries.html

Ní féidir iarratais a dhéanamh ach trí Mo Sheirbhísí Ar Líne ar shuíomh gréasáin Chomhairle Contae Ros Comáin nó cliceáil ar https://roscommon-self. achieveservice.com/ chun clárú mar úsáideoir. Anseo gheobhaidh tú an fhoirm iarratais ar líne agus an áis chun doiciméid tacaíochta a uaslódáil. Is féidir gach fiosrúchán a dhéanamh chuig bursaries@roscommoncoco.ie Is é an dáta deiridh chun foirmeacha iarratais comhlánaithe a fháil ná 5pm, 16ú Feabhra 2024. Ní dhéanfar iarratais dhéanacha a phróiseáil.

Rhona McGrath, Oifigeach, Ealaíon, Comhairle Contae Ros Comáin

OPENING HOURS IN ÁRAS AN CHONTAE: MOTOR TAX OFFICE 9.30am to 1.00pm only Monday to Friday. ALL OTHER SERVICES are open 9.30am to 1.00pm and 2.00pm to 3.30pm Monday to Friday. PHONE SERVICES AVAILABLE from 9.30am to 1pm and from 2pm to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Phone: (090) 6637100 Email: customerservices@roscommoncoco.ie

@RoscommonCountyCouncil @roscommoncoco

www.roscommoncoco.ie

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

NewsPeople

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Service for families who have experienced loss of a baby or child Portiuncula University Hospital in Ballinasloe is inviting parents and their families who have experienced bereavement through the death of a child or who have lost a baby through miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth or after birth, to a remembrance service which will

take place in the hospital on Monday, February 12th. Deirdre Naughton (Director of Midwifery at the hospital) said, “This service offers parents who have experienced bereavement an opportunity to reflect on their grief journey through symbol, music and prayer. Parents who have attended

this service in the past have shared with us that they have found it to be a time of healing and comfort”. The service will take place at 7.30 pm on Monday, February 12th in the hospital chapel, and families are welcome to join other families for light refreshments afterwards.

Pictured in Croke Park last Friday at the Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day Supporters Launch 2024 are Brendan Courtney (MC), Monica Bruen, Sheila O’Flanagan, Bernadette Crawley from Castlerea, and Irish Cancer Society CEO Averil Power.

Roscommon locals in call to support Daffodil Day The Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day Supporters Launch took place in Croke Park last Friday, February 2nd, and among the Roscommon supporters in attendance at the event were Bernadette Crawley (Castlerea) and Monica Fallon (Roscommon). Roscommon locals and the Irish Cancer Society are urging the local community to support Daffodil Day

2024, which takes place on Friday, March 22nd. Whether you want to get involved with your school, company, or in your community, there are lots of ways to go all in and support cancer patients across Ireland. Averil Power (CEO, Irish Cancer Society) said, “Every three minutes someone in Ireland hears the words ‘you’ve got cancer’. There isn’t a family that hasn’t felt

the devastating impact of a cancer diagnosis. But no matter what cancer brings, the Irish Cancer Society is here to help. “All of our essential services, like free counselling, Night Nursing, and patient travel are fuelled by fundraising. We simply can’t provide them without the public’s generosity. “The more we raise on Daffodil Day, the more we

can do. The more help we can give to children and adults going through cancer. The more lifesaving research we can fund. And the sooner we can ensure all cancer survivors have the support they need to live life to the full. We’re all in because you are. Join us this Daffodil Day and help us do more”. Visit cancer.ie to get involved or learn more.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Reader’s concern at ‘frenzy of felling of healthy mature trees’ Mote Park, Roscommon Dear Editor, I am writing to express my concern regarding the frenzy of felling of healthy mature trees taking place across the Roscommon countryside under the guise of ash dieback. I have witnessed, in the last few weeks and months, healthy mature oak, sycamore and beech needlessly felled along roads in the area. This is being fed by the ongoing narrative in local media from some sources advo-

cating for the removal of trees along public roads. It is very concerning to see these actions and this narrative developing at a time when we should be focusing on increasing tree cover and retaining those healthy mature trees we have in the landscape. It is also a serious concern from a biodiversity and nature restoration perspective. Yes, there are some trees that are dangerous but the narrative that has developed is that all trees along public roads are a hazard and need to be removed. ‘Ash die-

back’ and ‘insurance concerns’ are consistently rolled out as excuses to needlessly fell healthy trees without a felling licence. Instead of advocating for the wholesale removal of roadside trees, the narrative needs to change to retention and pruning of healthy trees, providing funding to landowners for assessment of trees by qualified tree surgeons and the planting of more trees in our hedgerows and landscape. Yours sincerely, Eilish Feeley

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Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

TO LANDOWNERS AND OCCUPIERS OF LAND DANGEROUS TREES AND HEDGES ON PUBLIC ROADS ROADS ACT 1993 Roscommon County Council would like to remind all landowners and occupiers of property adjacent to public roads of the importance of maintaining trees and hedges. The Roads Act 1993 (Section 70) places a legal responsibility on the owner or occupier of lands to take all reasonable steps to ensure that trees, hedges and other structures are not a hazard or potential hazard to persons using public roads. They also must not obstruct or interfere with the safe use or maintenance of public roads. Examples of hazards are dead or dying trees, ditches or hedges interfering with traffic, blocking footpaths, obscuring road signs or obscuring a view of the road ahead. Dead and unsafe trees should be removed and hedges should be cut and trimmed. It is recommended that landowners and occupiers of land seek professional advice on the condition of road side trees from time to time. When landowners are maintaining hedges or trees all reasonable care should be taken to ensure the safety of road users while this work is being carried out. The owner/occupier is obliged to ensure that all works are carried out in accordance with current Safety, Health & Welfare at Work Act and Associated Regulations. Adequate signage must be provided if working on the public roadway. Hedge/Tree cutting should only be carried out during the period from 1st September to end of February as it is an offence, under Section 40 of the Wildlife Act 1976, to cut or destroy any vegetation growing in land not then cultivated, or vegetation growing in any hedge or ditch during the period 1st March to 31st August. The only exception to this is if there are grounds to act for road safety reasons. County Councils can and do, either take direct action themselves or serve a notice on the landowner to do something in such instances. No material, including muck and dirt, should be left on the public road arising from any works that may, in the opinion of Roscommon County Council, be a hazard or potential hazard to persons using a public road or obstruct or interfere with the safe use of a public road or the maintenance of a public road. In cases where landowners fail to comply with their obligations the Council will take whatever action is necessary to ensure compliance and seek to recoup costs from landowners. The Council wishes to acknowledge the co-operation of those landowners and occupiers of land who are and have been complying with their responsibilities down through the years. Any member of the public who is aware of a hazard or safety issue may contact the Roads and Transportation Department on 090 6637152 or by email to roads@ roscommoncoco.ie Greg O’Donnell, A/Director of Services

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST TURNKEY HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS/HOUSING SCHEMES AND/OR LAND FOR THE PROVISION OF SOCIAL HOUSING Roscommon County Council is seeking expressions of interest from Developers, Contractors and Landowners for the provision of schemes of houses and/or land for Social Housing purposes in the Roscommon Town Area. Housing schemes/lands to be considered must be within walking distance of shops, schools and local amenities. Housing Design Standards should at a minimum meet the requirements and criteria set out in the Department of Housing and Planning publication, ‘Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities’ and other relevant statutory planning and construction standards including Building Regulations. Land to be considered must, where land zoning applies, be residentially zoned. Please visit www.etenders.gov.ie or request an information pack from the Housing Office, Aras an Chontae, Roscommon County Council or at housing@roscommoncoco.ie for further information. Submissions must be received not later than 4pm on Friday, 8th March 2024 Roscommon County Council is not obliged to purchase any housing scheme or land submitted as part of this process. Please note that Roscommon County Council is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. If you consider that any of the Information supplied by you is either commercially sensitive or confidential in nature, this should be highlighted and the reasons for its sensitivity specified. In such cases, the relevant material will, in response to FOI requests, be examined in light of exemptions provided for the FOI Act. Dated: 8th February 2024 Fiona Ní Chuinn, A/Director of Services

REPORTING OF POLITICAL DONATIONS BY ELECTED MEMBERS LOCAL ELECTIONS (DISCLOSURE OF DONATIONS AND EXPENDITURE) ACT 1999 AS AMENDED BY THE ELECTORAL (AMENDMENT) ACT 2001 (SECTION 58), THE ELECTORAL (AMENDMENT) ACT 2002 (SECTION 5) AND THE ELECTORAL (AMENDMENT) (POLITICAL FUNDING) ACT 2012 Donation Statements submitted by Members of Roscommon County Council for the period 1st January 2023 to 31st December 2023, in accordance with the above legislation, are now available for public inspection. Statements may be viewed, during opening hours, at the Corporate Services Department, Roscommon County Council, Áras an Chontae, Roscommon, F42 VR98. Caitlín Conneely, Director of Services. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TUAIRISCIÚ TORTHAÍ POLAITIÚLA ÓN MBALL THOFA AN tACHT UM THOGHCHÁIN ÁITIÚLA (SÍNTIÚIS AGUS CAITEACHAS A NOCHTADH), 1999 MAR A LEASAÍODH AN ACHT TOGHCHÁIN (LEASÚ) 2001 (ALT 58), AN tACHT TOGHCHÁIN (LEASÚ) 2002 (MÍR 5) AGUS AN ACHT TOGHCHÁIN (LEASÚ) (CAITEACHAS PHOLAITIÚIL) 2012 Tá Ráitis Síntiús a chuir Comhaltaí Chomhairle Contae Ros Comáin isteach don tréimhse 1 Eanáir 2023 go 31Nollaig 2023, de réir na reachtaíochta thuas, ar fáil anois lena n-iniúchadh ag an bpobal. Is féidir ráitis a fheiceáil, le linn uaireanta oscailte, ag an Rannóg Seirbhísí Corparáideacha, Comhairle Contae Ros Comáin, Áras an Chontae, Ros Comáin, F42 VR98. Caitlín Conneely, Stiúrthóir Seirbhísí.

@RoscommonCountyCouncil @roscommoncoco

www.roscommoncoco.ie

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

NewsPeople

An Post plans: Local politicians to meet Chambers on Friday Special Council meeting See pages 18-19

Roscommon Post Office at The Square in Roscommon Town. Pic: Kieran Croghan

A delegation from Roscommon County Council and Oireachtas members from Roscommon-Galway will meet with Minister of State Jack Chambers this Friday evening to discuss the controversial plans by An Post to move its service from its present location in Roscommon Town. The meeting, which has been arranged by Senator Eugene Murphy at the request of members of Roscommon County Council, will be held in the Hodson Bay Hotel. Separately, a decision was taken at last Thursday’s special meeting of Roscommon County Council to invite An Post management to attend any such meeting between Minister Chambers and local politicians, but there is no indication as of now that the company will agree to this request. Confirming that the meeting will proceed this Friday, Senator Murphy commended his Oireachtas colleagues for their support and cooperation. He also acknowledged the united front coming from members of Roscommon County Council. In a press statement, Senator Murphy said that people do not want the post office service to move from its traditional base at the Square. He added that most people feel that An Post can “do better” than proposing to close and sell the existing building. Senator Murphy added that the members of the public who use the service at the Square deserve more respect on this issue. “I will be bringing those views to the table on Friday evening and I feel Minister Chambers may have some interesting things to say to us. In my opinion the debate has only started”.

Kerrane raises post office issue with Tánaiste Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane raised An Post’s plans to close the post office building in the heart of Roscommon Town with the Tánaiste in the Dáil last Thursday. Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Kerrane said: “There is great anger in Roscommon Town following the announcement by An Post of their intention to close the iconic building in the Square… and put the building on the market.The building was built in 1911 and means a great deal to the people of

Roscommon – they do not want to see it closed. “It appears Roscommon is the first county town to lose its An Post-run post office. The post office service is not being taken away and is to move elsewhere, maybe into a local supermarket or another building. This is not good enough. “We have seen where post offices have been shoved into supermarkets and shops, usually cramped, with little or no privacy, almost out

of the way. Is that what we want for our post office network? “That model of co-location might work in smaller towns and villages where it saves the post office – and this model works in some villages – but it should not be a one size fits all (approach) and it should not be the model for county towns where the post office is thriving”. Addressing Deputy Martin, the Sinn Féin TD added: “Elected representatives of all parties and

none, including your own, at Council level and here, are against this move”. Deputy Kerrane asked the Tánaiste to bring the issue to the attention of the Minister and to ask him to engage with elected representatives on these plans before they go any further. The Tánaiste acknowledged the size of Roscommon Town and the importance of serving it and committed to raise the matter with the Minister.

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Underwater Search & Recovery Unit express thanks for support

The members of the Roscommon Underwater Search & Recovery Unit would like to express their sincere gratitude to the people of County Roscommon for your generous response to their recent street and Church gate collections. In a statement, the group said: “Thanks also to all those who have supported our iDonate fundraising page, and to all those who organise fundraising events for Underwater Search and Recovery activities in the Midlands Region. “Your support allows us to recruit and train new members, and to maintain and update vital equipment. Thank you”.

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

NewsPeople

FRANK

BRANDON

FRANK BRANDON’S unique take on life ...

The day I was duped by an old lady (and almost abandoned in Bandon) Our man Frank on when Mr Brandon went to Bandon; The importance of ‘puppy love’ (or caring for your pets)… and the hot issue: beef noodles and Haggis crisps ‘For sale! Red Ford Fiesta – immaculate condition, one owner from new, driving perfectly, owner emigrating, first to see will buy!’ This ad, or one almost exactly like it, appeared once upon a time in ‘Buy and Sell’, which back then was the undoubted bible of the day, where you could literally buy or sell everything and anything. I suppose it was the forerunner of online options like Done Deal, eBay, and Amazon, and for years it was an absolute must to get the weekly edition. Anyway, when that ad appeared, a member of my family was looking for a small car – at small money. So when I rang the lady who had posted the

ad and was (reluctantly) selling her prized Fiesta, I couldn’t wait to get to Cork to seal the deal. However, the day I was to go to Bandon coincided with a family wedding, and there was no one available to drive me to the west Cork town. I was so anxious to get my hands on this immaculate Fiesta that I took a bus from Athlone, a journey that took about four hours. When I arrived in Bandon, I was met by the lady who had advertised the Red Fiesta. In hindsight, I suppose I should have seen a red flag straight away, as the woman was definitely in her 70s, which would have been a little late for emigration. But I was still fully focused on the car, and after a journey of about seven or eight miles out the country we arrived into a large farmyard. There were a couple of tractors, a number of trailers, and a few items of farm machinery, and right in the middle of it all was a Ford Fiesta whose original colour might have been red, but which by now was a massively faded pink.

I can’t deny that my face fell, but the lady was quick to reassure me that I would forget all about the colour as soon as I drove the car. Handing me the solitary key, she told me to go for a spin and said we could do the deal when I got back. At this point, I realised that I had to buy this pink car, as there was no bus back to Athlone that night and I was literally in the middle of nowhere. And so I turned the key and… nothing. Not a meg out of it! “Don’t worry”, said the lady, “Jimmy (her husband presumably) will sort it out – he always gets it started every time that happens” – (which she now revealed was a regular occurrence). Sure enough Jimmy arrived, did a bit of fiddling under the bonnet and away it went. Feeling a bit backed into a corner, I completed the deal – if I didn’t I would probably have had to sleep in the hayshed, since there was no offer of a lift back to Bandon. Before I left, as the fuel gauge wasn’t working, I enquired as to what

If dogs are man’s best friends, let’s look after them!

As we all know, Christmas is a great time for giving and receiving presents, but it seems that buying children puppies is not always the best idea – because as soon as the novelty wears off, the challenge of actually looking after a pup can be too much for either children or parents. Dogs have to be looked after almost like a human – they must be fed, watered, exercised, cleaned and washed, and like people, they will have many different medical problems. Today I see that more than 400 dogs have been handed in to Dogs Trust Ireland since Christmas, while the charity had more than 4,000 requests to take in unwanted dogs in 2023. Niamh Curran-Kelly of the Dogs Trust charity says that a lot of the dogs they take in are actually

abandoned, but have extensive medical requirements, which makes her wonder if the owners simply can’t afford to keep them. She says there is a huge increase in the actual abandonment of dogs. Last year, the charity launched a campaign called ‘Save the Next Dog’, which aims to highlight the number of vulnerable dogs who have uncertain futures. We all speak of the fact that a dog is ‘man’s best friend’, so anyone who has one should make every effort to keep it well fed, happy and safe – much the same as you would look after your baby. Dogs Trust is appealing for financial support from the public, so if you can, give them a few bob, and help to make life a bit better for some unfortunate dogs whose owners can’t, or won’t, look after them.

the story with petrol was. “Plenty in it”, she told me, “it’s full”. And with that comforting news, off I headed off across country to Creggs. All went well, that is until there was a bit of a chug on the motorway near Cahir. Initially I wasn’t worried, but then all of a sudden the Fiesta simply ‘died’. Luckily enough my good friend, the late Jim (Gunner) O’Rourke, happened to be a Garda in Cahir at the time, and after I rang him, Jimmy and a squad car of fellow guards arrived out to try and get me mobile again. These lads knew a bit about cars, and having checked various bits and pieces they came to the conclusion that I had run out of juice. The lady had obviously told me yet another lie. Anyway, the guards brought me to a filling station where I got sorted and hit the road again. Somewhere south of Thurles we broke down again, and this time there was no guardian angel (another awful pun) to take me out of trouble. A few days later I got the car back

to Creggs, had the banjaxed alternator fixed, and was told by my family member that they wouldn’t touch it with a 40 ft pole. The outcome was that I sold it for 50 euro less than I paid for it, after paying to fix the alternator and missing my family wedding. All of this came to mind recently as I drove on the motorway (or is it just a dual carriageway?) into Galway and spotted a poor motorist broken down on the hard shoulder. There is no doubt that the Celtic Tiger left us with a fantastic road infrastructure, with motorways connecting the entire country, but I have to say that since that Bandon trip I have an irrational fear of breaking down on one of them. Anyway, the unlucky car outside Galway was there for two days before it got moved, and I’m sure it would have cost a pretty penny to do so. I have to say my heart went out to him as it brought back memories of my own similar misfortune.

Musings on beef noodles … and ‘Haggis crisps’ Some months ago, after several failed attempts to get my hands on McDonnell’s BBQ Beef noodles, I decided to give them a ring to see why I couldn’t get them anywhere, and to ask where they could be located in the locality. Funnily enough, I am not a noodles man at all, but several members of my family loved them, and up to that time they could get them in most local supermarkets. Anyway, I got through to a very nice, friendly lady. She had no idea why I couldn’t get them, but went off and found out they had been replaced by Sizzling Steak BBQ noodles. Despite my heartfelt pleas, they had no plans to reintroduce them. I never thought about McDonnell’s BBQ beef noodles again until this week, when I read about a ten-year-old Edinburgh girl, Grace, who wrote to Taylor’s Snacks when she

couldn’t get her hands on her favourite Haggis crisps and said if they didn’t bring them back, she would be sad. The head of Taylor’s was so moved by her letter, along with her picture of a sad face, that he decided to put the crisps back on sale immediately and sent her a taxi-full of a year’s supply of Haggis flavoured crisps. A taxi-full of BBQ beef noodles might have been a bit much, but it goes to show that a nice letter from a nice young girl has a lot more power than a phone call from a disgruntled old-aged pensioner! Anyway, well done Grace – fair play to you, and I hope you enjoy the year’s supply of crisps! For my gang, the consolation is that Bachelors have a BBQ beef pack of noodles, so they are making do with them. However, if the Roscommon People has any readers up in the Boyne Valley region

of Meath, maybe call in and give the boss of McDonnell’s a copy of the paper and tell him I am sad – and if any of you see a taxi-load of noodles heading west, you will know where they are going.

And finally… On Saturday morning last, 350 children arrived into Creggs for an underage rugby blitz, and it was a sight to behold! Along with parents and coaches and officials and grounds committee people, it must have been one of the biggest crowds seen in our little village since Bridie Gallagher in the 1950s, and Parnell himself back in 1891. Long may it last!

for now ’Til next week, bye

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

NewsPeople

Feighan in tribute to former Taoiseach John Bruton (RIP)

The late John Bruton, former Taoiseach and Fine Gael Leader

Deputy Frank Feighan has paid tribute to the late John Bruton, former Taoiseach and Fine Gael Leader, following his death on Tuesday. Expressing his shock and sadness, Deputy Feighan said: “When I was first elected as a public representative for the party in 1999, John was our party leader. His successful time as Taoiseach from 1994 to 1997 encouraged me to join the party and to get involved in public service as a member of Roscommon County Council. “John’s time as a member of the Dáil and representative of the people of Meath over 35 years was exemplary, serving in so many roles in government, in particular his role in economic ministries in Industry and Finance before been elected by Dáil Eireann as Taoiseach in 1994”. The Boyle-based TD added: “John

Bruton’s efforts to engage with the unionist and loyalist communities, his efforts to understand their fears and concerns about this country’s position, and his efforts to engage and to ensure the minority catholic community was something I admired greatly. “As Taoiseach and leader of the opposition, he was a regular visitor to Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, and Donegal, ensuring he supported his elected TDs and senators, who he assisted in their endeavours to fight for infrastructural developments and investment in our local communities in the Northwest”. Deputy Feighan extended his sympathy to John Bruton’s wife Finola, their children, extended family, the people of Meath and the late Mr Bruton’s Fine Gael colleagues.

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Roscommon Drama Festival to st be launched on February 21 The Roscommon Drama Festival will be officially launched on Wednesday, February 21st, by Councillor John Keogh, Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council. The Festival, which has quickly established itself as one of the highlights in the Roscommon Social Calendar, takes to the boards on Friday, March 1st, and runs to Saturday, March 8th. Each year, the Festival boasts a wide range of amateur talent from all over Ireland in both the Open and Confined sections, with many of the plays progressing to honours at national level. A special feature of the Festival is the ever-popular Children’s Story Writing Competition. A short-

list of the four plays in the programme has been made available to the primary schools in the area, and students in fifth and sixth classes are encouraged to participate and write a story based on any one of them. The launch and presentation of prizes are both set to take place in Aras an Chontae. Tickets are on sale on sale now at Roscommon Arts Centre, priced at €15. A special five-night ticket costs €65, while a season ticket costs €95. Demand is brisk so nights are filling up fast and you are advised to book as quickly as possible. For more information or to book now, see online at roscommondramafestival.ie.

This year’s line-up… The Festival line-up is as follows: On Friday, March 1st, ‘Dancing At Lughnasa’ by Brian Friel will be performed by Holycross/Ballycahill Drama Group.

On Saturday, March 2nd, ‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller will be performed by the Dalkey Players. On Sunday, March 3rd, ‘The Ferryman’ by Jez Butterwort will be performed by the Bal-

‘Dancing At Lughnasa’ by Brian Friel will be performed by Holycross/Ballycahill Drama Group on Friday, 1st March.

lyduff Drama Group. On Monday, March 4th, ‘The Outgoing Tide’ by Bruce Graham will be performed by the Glenamaddy Players. On Tuesday, March 5th, ‘Eclipsed’ by Patricia Burke Brogan will be performed by the Ray Leonard Players. On Wednesday, March 6th, ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell will be performed by the Phoenix Players. On Thursday, March 7th, ‘Agnes Of God’ by John Pielmeier will be performed by the St Patrick’s Drama Group. On Friday, March 8th, ‘The New Electric Ballroom’ by Enda Walsh will be performed by the Newtownstewart Theatre Company. On Saturday, March 9th, ‘I Do Not Like Thee Dr Fell’ by Bernard Farrell will be performed by the Kilmuckridge Drama Group.

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

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Tidy Towns grant scheme announced Roscommon County Council is currently accepting applications under the Tidy Towns and Amenity Grant Scheme 2024. Funding will be made available to Tidy Towns Associations and Local Development Groups to help them to carry out smallscale amenity projects. Roscommon County Council will prioritise the Tidy Towns Associations who enter the Na-

tional Tidy Towns Competition during 2024 in order to support their ongoing work in their respective communities. Local development groups who carry out small-scale local enhancement or amenity works but do not enter the National Tidy Towns competition will also be considered for funding. Due to the limited amount of funding available, large-scale capital pro-

jects cannot be considered. Applicants should be aware that payment will only be made in respect of eligible, approved projects on receipt of valid vouched expenditure and confirmation that proposed projects have been completed. The maximum grant payable will be the amount allocated or 75% of the value of invoices submitted, whichever is the lower. Grants

will be payable retrospectively. Successful applicants must ensure they are registered with Roscommon Public Participation Network (PPN), their tax and insurance affairs are in order and that they hold evidence of same. All applications will be processed through the ‘My Online Services’ portal, accessible on Roscommon County Council’s website, www. roscommoncoco.ie.

Roscommon County Council recognises the benefit of this scheme for local communities and also recognises the amount of work that is undertaken by local communities each year. It is important all applicants make themselves familiar with the terms and conditions of the scheme to ensure their eligibility prior to making an application. The closing date for completed

online applications is 5 pm on Monday, March 11th. It is intended decisions in relation to funding will be made at the March plenary meeting of Roscommon County Council and that all groups will be notified thereafter. Any queries relating to the scheme may be emailed to amenitygrants@roscommoncoco.ie.

‘Keeping it Lit’ mental health event in Castlerea next week Harding amongst guest speakers

Roscommon supporters Adam and Patrick Farrell pictured at Dr Hyde Park last Sunday ahead of the Allianz NFL Division One match between Roscommon and Galway. Pic: Bernie O’Farrell

A ‘Keeping it Lit – Sustaining Mental Health and Wellness in Rural Communities’ event is taking place next Thursday, February 15th at 7 pm in the Trinity Arts Centre, Castlerea. This is a free event focused on sustaining mental health and wellness in rural communities which is supported by the HSE and is being funded by the ‘Roscommon Well Connected – Social Prescribing Project’ through Roscommon LEADER Partnership. This event will be compered by Castlerea native Breege Callaghan, who has spent over 20 years working in the Roscommon mental health services. The main guest speaker on the night will be well-known Irish author and

poet, Michael Harding, who has firsthand experience of living with mental health issues. Another speaker at the event will be John-Gerald Murphy from Lecarrow Wellness, a wellness specialist who has experience of working in the area of stress and anxiety management with rural farming communities. The final guest speaker on the night will be Dara Bruen, manager of the Castlerea St Kevin’s senior men’s team, who will speak to attendees about resilience, self-belief and confidence. There will be a selection of displays on the night from support services available in the area, answering questions you may have and providing information you may need. If you require more information about this event please email trinityartscastlerea@hotmail.com.

Irish author and poet, Michael Harding

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

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Roscommon in the olden days… evocative photos of Roscommon from circa 1940s

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Beautiful selection of Jewellery, Candles, Bags and Fragrances for loved ones

Catherine Healy M.P.S.I. At the healthy heart of the community

The exterior of Walsh’s shop in Castle Street, pictured circa 1953, on the occasion of an annual religious procession.

Castle Street, Roscommon, as pictured in the 1940s.

The exterior of James C Doorly’s (shop and pub). This photo may date from before the 1940s.

Lanesboro Street in the 1940s, with a local lady in the foreground having spotted the photographer!

*Photographs submitted by well-known Roscommon resident Benny Mulhern. Our thanks to Benny for his courtesy and cooperation.

THE BRIDGE CLUB The recent results from the local bridge clubs are as follows: Roscommon Bridge Club – 1st: Mary and Pearse Mellett; 2nd: Tresina and Tommie Murphy; Gross: Larry Shine and Eugene Cummins. Happy ‘71 Bridge Club – 1st: Mary McDermott and Ann Kilduff; 2nd: Kathleen Kelly and Judy Adamson; Gross: Phil and Seamus Cooney. St Coman’s Bridge Club – (Maureen Mulryan Memorial) 1st: Susan Farrell and Evelyn Curley; 2nd: Rita Roughneen and Josephine Devaney; Gross: Nuala Costello and Chris McGrath, and (31/1/’24) 1st: Ann Flynn and Peggie Kelly; 2nd: Martha and Steve Gregory; Gross: Evelyn Curley and Susan Farrell. Ballymurray Bridge Club – (North/South) 1st: Maria Hickey and Rita Roughneen; 2nd: Marion and Sean Quinn; Gross: Judy Adamson and Evelyn Curley. (East/West) 1st: Gertie Spillane and Josephine Devaney; 2nd: Mary Naughton and Kitty Gately; Gross: Bernadette Maher and Jane Hunt. Kilbride Bridge Club – 1st: Sheila Macken and Margaret Scott; 2nd: Eileen Dowling and Moira Farrell; 3rd: Bernie Fallon and Phil Murray-O’Brien.

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Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

NewsPeople

GivEnergy All-in-One System ADVERTORIAL

Storm Isha has reminded us just how vulnerable we are to power outages, especially in rural Ireland. Standard Solar Photovoltaic systems produce electricity during daylight hours and when paired with a battery allows for energy storage. This only happens while connected to a live grid connection. In the event of a power outage the system shuts down immediately and will not produce power or allow usage of energy from the battery until a live grid connection is restored again. The GivEnergy All-in-One system changes all of this. With the additional GivEnergy Gateway, the All-in-One can provide whole house back-up in the event of a power failure, keeping your lights, heating and broadband running seamlessly. The Giv-Gateway also facilitates a connection point for your solar PV system by allowing it to continue to generate energy even without a grid supply, therefore powering your home directly or adding power to the battery during this time. The Giv-Gateway provides seamless switching between grid and battery, ensuring that your property is always powered. The GivEnergy All-in-One is a one of a kind home battery and inverter – unrivalled for power and price point. The GivEnergy All-in-One AC coupled system has many advantages such as 6kW continuous peak power. With this, the

charge and discharge rate of these batteries helps better take advantage of lowest energy tariffs. Also, the system is complete with a substantial 13.5kWh useable battery pack and allows for 100% depth of discharge. Allowance for additional energy storage of up to 80kWh will be available in the coming months. With inbuilt isolator, CT clamp, metering, switchgear, and a gateway requiring no additional distribution board, there’s little to fit and minimal wiring. Above all else, the All-in-One unit has a fantastic premium look and a good deal of capacity – at a very affordable price.

‘Rambling House’ comes to Cloonfad!

Amongst the special guests will be renowned seanchaí, Vincent Pierse.

The second in a series of Rambling House-type gatherings being held countywide will take place on this Sunday, 11th of February, in Cloonfad. The day’s activities will begin at 4 pm and everyone is welcome! This unique community event is the brainchild of Cllr Anthony Waldron and has the backing of renowned charity ALONE, which caters for people who are living in isolation and/or experiencing loneliness. Roscommon LEADER and The Suck Valley Way are also supportive of the initiative. The ‘Rambling House’ event will feature the traditions associated with Ireland’s famous rambling houses of bygone years – including music, storytelling, and craic. The venue for the second such event – the last one

was held in Ballintubber in December – is The Three Counties public house in Cloonfad, County Roscommon. There will also be a serious, supportive aspect to proceedings, with representatives from ALONE addressing attendees to outline the services and supports that are available locally. Roscommon LEADER will also be represented. Amongst the special guests will be renowned seanchaí, Vincent Pierse. A number of other guests will also perform. It promises to be a memorable day in The Three Counties in Cloonfad on this Sunday, 11th of February. Make sure to go along, and bring a family member, friend or neighbour!

newsbriefs Latest date for receipt of County Fleadh entries Fleadh Cheoil Ros Comáin 2024 will be held in Ail Finn/ Elphin over the Easter Weekend, with the competitions taking place on the Monday. Details of venues and other activities will be available to see in local newspaper advertisements at a later date. Entries should reach your local Comhaltas branch rúnaí/secretary not later than 15th of February 2024. Updated entry forms will be available to download from Facebook page comhaltas bhaile ros comain. Entries may be sent to Peadar Brandon, Cloverhill (090 66 25382) or to Bill Cunningham, 1 Cloonbrackna Avenue (086 3345 817). As usual, late entries will not be accepted.

Special Family Tree Healing Mass in Curraghboy

A Special Family Tree Healing Mass will take place at Our Lady Star of the Sea Prayer Centre, Curraghboy, Athlone, on Monday, January 12th, commencing at 8 pm. The celebrant will be Fr Anton Pasalic from Croatia. Confessions will be available from 7 pm, and the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet will be recited at 7.30 pm. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Individual Blessings for Healing will take place after Mass. Refreshments will be available afterwards, and all are most welcome. The eircode is N37W704.

Glenamaddy District Ploughing & Agricultural Show AGM

Sponsored by Friends for Life 087 674 1862

The AGM of Glenamaddy District Ploughing & Agricultural Show will be held on Friday, 16th of February (at 8 pm) in Glenamaddy Community Centre. The meeting will involve the opportunity for a catchup, the election of officers and the welcoming of new members. Everyone is welcome to attend the AGM and we would love if you would like to get involved and support our Glenamaddy District Ploughing & Agricultural Show 2024. The show is due to take place on Sunday, 29th of September 2024.

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

NewsPeople

Regulation needed to stop misuse of AI tools and spread of harmful content online Let’s talk about ... AI and explicit content

(A student’s perspective)

Alannah Ita Healy

AI and its future, fear around it, and whether or not any such fear is warranted, has been a popular topic in mainstream media and discourse for some time now. Almost a year ago, I wrote a column touching on some AI concerns following the launch of ChatGPT (an AI chatbot), and shortly before fake AI-generated pictures of the Pope wearing a puffy jacket went viral because of how many people had thought they were real. In both situations, there was a lot of talk about how relatively easily AI-generated content could be passed off as ‘genuine’, and what implications this could have in the future, and such talk has only snowballed in the year since.

Taylor Swift deepfakes

This takes us to recent days, and now the issue has gained heightened prominence following an incident which saw deepfake pornographic images of singer Taylor Swift rapidly spread through X/ Twitter. The fake images were eventually removed and searches for her name were blocked to stop the spread, but not before the pictures had been shared over and over, one particular image amassing 47 million views before it was finally taken down. I say finally, because it took a considerable amount of time before X/Twitter began to act on the situation. In fact, tackling the spread (initially at least) largely ended up being done by Taylor Swift’s fans, who mobilised to massreport the images. The majority of Taylor Swift’s fans are women, particularly young women, and their solidarity with the singer has often been touted as not just arising from enjoying her music but also because of her public persona as someone who champions women, who talks often about feminism and womanhood. In coverage since the photos were spread, many of the fans who mobilised others to get them taken down commented they were spurred to do so – yes particularly because they’re fans of Swift – but also because it was the just thing to do, and for many, as women, they felt the need to ‘stand up’ in a sense for their fellow woman. Taylor Swift is far from the first public figure this kind of thing has happened to. Many other A-list celebrities, influencers, streamers, etc have faced similar situations – situations where their likeness has been superimposed onto explicit pictures and/or videos. And while celebrities are easiest to deepfake since there are so many highquality pictures of them out there to use,

horrifyingly, this is not something that can’t also happen for the average person; there are countless apps that allow users to create deepfakes with one photo and zero expertise. It is gross violation and a sickening situation to imagine, and while it’s unfortunately been happening for some time now, it’s a topic that’s remained relatively out of mainstream discourse up to now. What made this particular incident such a big news story was not just Swift’s massive renown, but also the fact of X/ Twitter’s failure to respond properly and promptly. When we talk about AI, between those who welcome it as the way forward and those who consider its future inevitably sinister, one opinion everyone has in common is that we need to ensure AI’s progress is met with an equivalent progress in our regulations and standards around it. Tech companies behind AI programmes need to be kept in check and social media platforms AIcontent ends up on need to too.

The AGM of the County Roscommon Historical & Archaeological Society will take place on Tuesday, the 13th of February, at 8 pm in the Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, Tulsk. All members are requested to attend. After the proceedings, a short talk entitled ‘The lost wayside cross of Cloonburren, Co. Roscommon’, will be given by the Secretary of the society, Albert Siggins.

Kilronan/ Arigna Fine Gael branch AGM

Kilronan/Arigna Fine Gael branch will host their 2024 AGM on Monday night, 12th of February, in Roddy’s Bar, Keadue, at 9.30 pm. Deputy Frank Feighan, Senator Aisling Dolan, Councillor Liam Callaghan, and local election candidate Dympna DalyFinn (from Arigna) will be in attendance. All members have been asked to make an effort to attend and to support local lady and branch member Dympna in her election campaign. New members are welcome.

AI as a tool – for better or worse

In the previous column I mentioned earlier, I spoke about how while it’s easy, and perhaps understandable, to be wary of things like AI-chatbots because of how well they can produce ‘genuine’seeming content, it’s also conceivable that gone about the right way and alongside proper regulation, they could instead serve as a tool, something that helps humans instead of something that replaces ‘genuine’ or human content. The type of focus we have when we develop AI programmes and regulations around them will massively influence what the future of AI will look like – whether it’s closer to being a way forward that helps us, or something closer to the more sinister reality some fear. Because the inherent problem in the fact that at its best, AI is a tool that can ultimately aid humans, is the fact that there are a lot of humans out there seeking to do sinister things. Before despicable people created AI deepfake porns, despicable people photoshopped others onto explicit pictures. Before that, they cut and pasted physical photos. The recent Taylor Swift situation didn’t happen in a vacuum; the core issue is long-standing and ever-present still in modern society, it’s just been catalysed by the proficiency and availability of AI. In fact, I can speak to an anecdotal example that comes to mind thinking about all this talk about AI and women pictures being used pornographically without their consent, which happened recently when I visited Paris with a friend the other week. We were taking the metro home one evening when a (highly inebriated) man took a seat beside two other girls in the carriage. We noticed him take out his phone and try to take pictures up one of the girls’ skirts, so we quietly informed them of what we had seen and the four of us left the carriage. We had a

Roscommon Historical Society AGM

brief conversation with the girls before we went our separate ways, exchanging pleasantries about where everyone was from and what everyone is doing, but also talking about what had just happened. One of the girls told us that unfortunately, this kind of thing was not uncommon in Paris and that what can often happen in tandem is they will take pictures of the girl’s face also and put it into Google Lens (an AI image recognition technology) to find her social media accounts to harass her and/or to find her personal information. It was chilling to hear about those girls’ experiences and to think what some people are capable not just of doing, but even conceiving of. But in other ways, it was par for the course; we were horrified, but not surprised, to see the man taking pictures, but we had not yet heard about something like the Google Lens the girls told us about, so that part did surprise us as it was a new form and methodology of harassment we hadn’t even conceived possible. Everyone adapts to the times, adapts to change and progress, adapts to the tools at their disposal – and this includes even the amoral among us, those who may use those tools for harm.

Going forward

This experience came to mind thinking about the Taylor Swift situation, not just because of the obvious links between women’s pictures being used pornographically without their consent and how AI is used for that, but also because of the fact that in both scenarios, the

immediate mitigation for the problem wasn’t done by the powers-that-be (X/ Twitter in the Swift story, and security staff in the metro story), but by everyday people – and notably other women. And I think in both cases, while I appreciate and value the ‘support other women’ and ‘do the just thing’ mentality that fuels action like this, at the end of the day, this cannot feasibly be how these types of situations are dealt with; an absence of action from those whom responsibility falls onto cannot be accepted. And it seems many agree: X/Twitter has been widely criticised for the inadequate and slow approach they took in tackling the recent situation. Backlash over their response (or lack thereof) has thrust into the limelight reinvigorated debates about the importance of making sure that regulations around AI are morally acceptable and up to date, and the importance of holding tech giants to account for how their platforms can be misused for harm – the latter being a topic which was only bolstered further in recent days following coverage of the top social media CEOs facing intense questioning from a US Senate committee over accusations their companies failed to protect kids from exploitation and abuse. I hope the one silver lining to all these highly upsetting stories is that due pressure is put on tech giants to put proper regulations in place, because already we have seen too many examples of how AI-tools can be misused and how fake (and frankly amoral) AI-content can be created and shared with impunity.

Roscommon Ploughing Association Table Quiz

Roscommon Ploughing Association are hosting a Monster Table Quiz in the Jailhouse Bar, Castle Street, Roscommon, on Friday, February 16th 2024, at 9 pm. All support on the night much appreciated.

Strokestown Town Team AGM

The Annual General Meeting of Strokestown Town Team CLG will take place at Strokestown Community Centre on Thursday, 8th of February, 2024 (today) at 8 pm.

A Table Quiz for Fuerty GAA Lip Sync

A Table Quiz will be held on Friday, 9th of February in PJ’s Bar, Castlecoote, in aid of Fuerty GAA Lip Sync Competition. Tables of four: €40. The quiz will start at 9.30 pm. Spot prizes on the night. Please support.

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

NewsPeople

Councillors condemn An Post’s plans for its services in Roscommon Town ‘We have to take a stand’ special meeting is told < PAUL HEALY

Politicians present at last Thursday’s special Council meeting expressed their frustration with An Post’s plans to switch its service in Roscommon Town to a contractor-led model, a direct consequence of which would be the closure of the existing post office building in the county town. Cllr Orla Leyden said that An Post is not a private company, and is accountable to the public. “It has duties in terms of corporate governance” she added. Emphasising the symbolic significance of the An Post HQ in Roscommon, Cllr Leyden said that each post office in any of Ireland’s county towns is like a “mini-GPO” and accordingly, the threat to Roscommon Post Office was “an assault on our republic”. Strongly opposing any move to “privatise” the service locally, Cllr Leyden said that “we have to take a stand”. She also wondered if the fact that these changes have been proposed in a constituency where there is no “Government TD or Minister” is a coincidence. Cllr Laurence Fallon said it is “extraordinary” that a State service no longer feels it necessary to have a HQ in a county town. The Independent councillor said he feared this is a “done deal”. He also warned that if the service is taken up by a private postmaster, they could eventually close it if it’s not proving to be viable. Cllr Fallon said he was opposed to the service moving into (for example) a supermarket, and in his view the An Post plans should be resisted “as strongly as possible”. Retrograde step Cllr Paschal Fitzmaurice said that it was clear to him that An Post wants to “get rid of staff” and “get rid of pensions”. Describing An Post’s shock announcement as “a retrograde step” he said it was a sad day for Roscommon Town. Cllr Valerie Byrne said the plan to close the existing building is unfair. “How can they do this to elderly people? And to the staff? This is such a beautiful building, and there has been so much investment recently in the town centre. We have to put up a fight”. Cllr Marty McDermott said people are “absolutely outraged” over An Post’s plans, adding that the proposed closure of the “beautiful, landmark building” had been met with disbelief locally. Noting that Roscommon is reportedly the only county town (thus far) to be “targeted”, Cllr McDermott said a meeting with Minister Jack Chambers was now required and he was hopeful that Oireachtas members from Roscommon-Galway could help achieve a U-turn on the An Post proposals. Cllr Tony Ward said that the closure of the existing Roscommon Post Office building at the Square would be a “huge blow” to the town and county. This, he said, was an attack on the people of County Roscommon. Should the contractor-led model proceed, he believed it would be “easier” to close the service down in the future. Noting that the Ulster Bank had closed its branch in Roscommon Town, Cllr Ward suggested that

General cap Roscommon Post Office at The Square in Roscommon Town. Pic: Kieran Croghan

An Post should expand its services at Roscommon Post Office to include provision of banking services. ‘Step too far’ Cllr Emer Kelly said the people of Roscommon cannot accept this decision. “This is a step too far and it’s unacceptable. An Post is breaking any record it has of trustworthiness with the public” she said, adding that the company is “afraid to engage in public”. Cllr Kathleen Shanagher said it is “unbelievable” that the closure of the Roscommon Post Office building is now imminent. Citing the multimillion euro investment in the county town in recent years, she noted that much consideration had been given to the issue of access to Roscommon Post Office during the enhancement of the Square. Cllr Shanagher also asked what would happen if no one is awarded the tender (for a new postmaster). “Will An Post just close the doors?” Cllr Michael Mulligan hit out at the “insulting responses” of An Post to Cllr John Keogh’s correspondence on behalf of the Council. Noting that County Roscommon has already suffered some high profile setbacks – he cited the “hospital fiasco”, the flooding at Lough Funshinagh and the closure of Castlerea Fire Station – Cllr Mulligan said it is now vital that a Council deputation, accompa-

nied by Oireachtas members, meets with An Post management and Minister Jack Chambers. “Don’t leave the room until you have a yes (to a U-turn)… and get it in writing”. Cllr Tony Waldron said the An Post proposal is another blow to the county, coming relatively soon after the closure of the Cuisle Centre in Donamon. Stating that the people of Roscommon “have had enough”, he said this threat to the post office service as currently structured must be fought “tooth and nail”. Calling for a “new vision” for An Post, Cllr Waldron said the Government should look at the banking models in New Zealand and Germany. Citing the topical issue of the post office controversy in the UK, Cllr Waldron asked: “Has the ‘permanent Government’ (in Ireland) stopped listening to the elected representatives?” Cllr John Naughten said he was opposed to the service being moved into a supermarket, as this would make matters more difficult for elderly people. Calling for An Post to remain in the existing building, he said the issue of providing extra services should be explored. Cllr Nigel Dineen said that it is important to clarify for the public that the An Post service is not actually leaving the county town. He was aware that many people were under that impression. Cllr Dineen suggested that Minister Jack Chambers

(who has responsibility for post offices) could reverse this decision. Oireachtas members Oireachtas members also addressed Thursday’s meeting. Deputy Claire Kerrane (Sinn Féin) said she had raised the issue in the Dail that day. Stressing that Oireachtas members in Roscommon-Galway are “united in fighting against it” Deputy Kerrane said if there is to be a compromise, the “last resort” should be that a new postmaster runs the service in the existing building. She pointed out when post offices move into supermarkets, there tends to be “no privacy” and it also “removes the possibility of expansion”. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice wondered if Roscommon Chamber of Commerce should be spoken to with a view to an outcome whereby no local prospective interested party would apply for the postmaster contract. He also wondered why unions hadn’t raised these changes with politicians as it was becoming evident that the An Post plans had been hatching for “six to twelve months”. Senator Eugene Murphy expressed his concern about An Post’s plans, noting that the company’s profits in 2022 were in the region of €900m. Noting that the service will not be leaving town, he indicated support for the status quo remaining.

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

NewsPeople ROMANCE AT THE ABBEY

Celebrate Valentines with your loved one at the Abbey

A landmark building familiar to generations of Roscommon families… an old photograph of Roscommon Post Office. Photo courtesy of Cllr Marty McDermott

Councillors unimpressed as An Post declines invitation to meeting < PAUL HEALY

A special meeting of Roscommon County Council – held to discuss the fallout from An Post’s controversial plans for the future of its services in Roscommon Town – was told that the company had declined an invitation to attend because the proceedings had a public dimension to them, as opposed to being held ‘in camera’ (privately). Cllr John Keogh, Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council, outlined how An Post had initially accepted an invitation to attend, before conducting a U-turn. The special Council meeting, held in Council HQ in Roscommon Town last Thursday evening, was convened following an angry public reaction to the news that the iconic Roscommon Post Office building (at the Square) is facing closure over the coming weeks. An Post has confirmed that it will switch its service in Roscommon Town to a contractor-led model, i.e. appointing a new postmaster after a tendering process, with the service then moving to a new location. The Roscommon Post Office will then be sold by An Post. Thursday’s meeting was attended by Roscommon county councillors, members of the Council executive, and by three of the five Oireachtas members in Roscommon-Galway (Deputies Michael Fitzmau-

rice and Claire Kerrane, and Senator Eugene Murphy). When Cllr Paschal Fitzmaurice raised the absence of any An Post representative, Cllr Keogh (Cathaoirleach) outlined details of a series of email exchanges over the previous day or so. Cllr Keogh had invited Ms Debbie Byrne and Mr Angus Laverty of An Post to attend the meeting. Initially, Mr Laverty (Public Affairs Manager with An Post) had indicated that they were unable to attend as it would be inappropriate to do so while the company is involved in the process of engaging with An Post staff. Subsequently, Mr Laverty indicated that An Post would attend the meeting online, on the understanding that it was being held ‘in camera’. When Cllr Keogh responded that the meeting was being held in an open forum (with the media present, and members of the public welcome to attend in the public gallery) Mr Laverty confirmed that An Post would not be present. Cllr Keogh invited him to reconsider, but there had been no further response as of Thursday evening. Cllr Keogh said that he was “most disappointed” with the An Post response which he felt “shows contempt for the elected members of Roscommon County Council”. Senator Eugene Murphy said that he was “really surprised and annoyed” by the An Post U-turn (in relation to the invitation to attend the meeting).

Delegation will aim to meet Minister – and An Post At Thursday’s special meeting of Roscommon County Council, Cllr John Cummins proposed that a delegation from the Council should meet with An Post and “thrash out” the issues. He suggested that the bottom line in any such talks should be that if the service is privatised, whoever takes over should be allowed to continue operating in the existing post office building. Cllr Orla Leyden disagreed, insisting that An Post should continue to provide the service in the existing building. Cllr Cummins clarified his position, indicating that his preference was also for the status quo to remain. If a meeting is secured with An Post, he was happy for

the Council to “go with what Orla wants” – but if that outcome isn’t achievable, he felt the Council delegation should insist that any new postmaster would be based in the existing post office building. In a later contribution, Cllr John Keogh (Cathaoirleach) voiced his support for Cllr Cummins’ proposal, stating what’s key is that the service remains in the existing building (even if under a new postmaster). He added: “It would be inappropriate for An Post to make a profit from the sale of a building that was gifted to them (in the early years of the 20th century)”. Cllr Keogh formerly proposed that a delegation from Roscom-

mon County Council, accompanied by Roscommon-Galway Oireachtas members, should meet with Minister Jack Chambers and An Post management. Cllr Marty McDermott seconded the proposal, which was agreed by members. Senator Eugene Murphy, who was present at the Council meeting, said he would work on arranging the meeting with Minister Chambers. He subsequently confirmed that a delegation (accompanied by Oireachtas members) will meet with Minister Chambers this Friday (see page 11). There is no indication as of yet of whether or not An Post will be in attendance.

Enjoy a romantic Valentine’s dinner with a complimentary glass of bubbles and chocolates. Romantic couples can enjoy post dinner drinks and music in our front bar from 9.30 p.m on February 14th. Booking is essential. Please email events@abbeyhotel.ie There will be a Special Valentines Menu available from Wednesday February 14th to Saturday February 17th.

LL AROU E IS ATHIS V O ND L

Valentine’s Day

at the Abbey Hotel, Roscommon

Enjoy a romantic Valentine’s Dinner with a Complimentary Glass of Bubbly and Chocolates. Enjoy post dinner drinks and music in our front bar from 9.30 p.m on Feb 14th. Booking essential.

Email events@abbeyhotel.ie Special Valentines Menu will be available from 14th Feb – Saturday 17th Feb Special overnight rates available DBB from €240 based on 2 adults sharing

Tel. 090 6626240

Local hair salon wins big at wedding awards Headerz Hair Studio based in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon has been named the Wedding Hair and Make-Up Salon of the Year for Connaught at the 6th Irish Wedding Awards held in The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dublin recently. This is the third time the salon has won the award. The salon took to Facebook to thank their customers for the support, saying: “Omg what can I say… it’s a hat-trick, Headerz have done it again. Winners of Connaught salon of the year. “We couldn’t have done it without every single one of you. Our recognition in awards like this come from the backing of the support and loy-

alty of all our clients and families. Thank you all so much from the bottom of our hearts! Natasha, Aisling, Ellen & Rachel x”. The black-tie event recognises and rewards those within the wedding industry that work towards making their client’s big day as perfect as possible. A spokesperson for the 6th Irish Wedding Awards said: “It was another fantastic night as we celebrated the continued growth of the Irish wedding industry. “We would like to congratulate all of our winners and highly commended recipients on their accomplishments”.

The team from Headerz Hair Studio in Ballaghaderreen pictured at the 6th Irish Wedding Awards held recently in Dublin. Pic: Headerz Facebook Page

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

Entertainment, Culture & Arts

To feature in this section, call 090-6634632 or email advertising@roscommonpeople.ie

Musician Kieran Quinn brings his Theme Nights to Roscommon Kieran Quinn’s Theme Nights have been a highlight of the Sligo and Dublin music scene for over a decade. Now, Kieran is excited to bring the show to Roscommon Arts Centre for the first time on Thursday, February 15th at 8 pm with ‘Kieran Quinn & Guests Theme Night #33 – Unplugged – Simon And Sting’. These nights are immensely popular and feature top quality live show entertainment from numerous performers.

The Theme Nights are unique, exciting and fun, and have become joyous musical celebrations. Shows can feature up to 100 musicians and performers – professional and amateur, young and old – and they are truly an example of people coming together to create something greater than the sum of its parts. Kieran is not just an accomplished musician, he teaches, writes, arranges and produces music and shows. He is best known for his Theme Nights

and Teenage Theme Nights in Sligo but he also has written, produced and released five albums and an EP. Kieran loves playing with other musicians and as he says himself “the less structure and the more possibility there is the better”. Kieran enjoys getting the best out of others musically, showing them how much fun it can be to connect with their musical peers and an audience and he can’t wait to bring the fun to Roscom-

mon audiences. This show will celebrate the music of Paul Simon and Sting in an entertaining, unique and fun manner. Featuring Kieran on piano, some of his regular Theme Night colleagues on vocals and guitar and possibly some Roscommon guests making an appearance too! Tickets are €25 and are available now from box office on 09066 25824 and from www. roscommonartscentre.ie

Musician Kieran Quinn brings his popular Theme Nights to Roscommon Arts Centre.

Singers Circle to host St Valentine’s Night Special with Brittany singers

Author and publisher, Brian Leyden and his wife Carmel Jennings pictured with author Edwina Guckian and poet and broadcaster Vincent Woods at the launch of Edwina’s book, Sparks from the Flagstones in Lough Rynn Castle recently. Pic: Brian Farrell

Love, karantez, amour, cariad – love is a favoured theme in traditional songs all over the world. Some are happy, some sad, some funny, some miserable… but most of the time, beautiful. So come and toast St Valentine’s Night this year by joining singers Brigitte and Katell Kloreg for their upcoming event. The singers, who come from Brittany, will sing in English, Breton, Welsh and French of the joys and woes of love and lovers. The event is being hosted by South Roscommon Singers Circle at Murray’s Bar, Knockcroghery, from 8.30 pm to 11.30 pm on Wednesday, February 14th. Admission is free, and there will also be a raffle on the night. All singers, storytellers, lovers, and are Katell and Brigitte Kloareg, singers from Brittany, who will be performing listeners are welcome. Bonne St Val- Pictured the upcoming St Valentine’s Night Special, hosted by South Roscommon Singers Circle entine!

Local students into regional final of speech writing competition

Gabrielle, Elizabeth and Tommy Earley from Mount Allen Organic Farm, pictured with Tommy’s sister Margaret at the launch of Edwina Guckian’s book, Sparks from the Flagstones in Lough Rynn Castle recently. Pic: Brian Farrell

Kiana Norbury and Rebecca Kelly, students at Convent of Mercy, Roscommon, have both won places in the regional finals of the ActionTalks speech writing competition. The competition is run by ActionAid Ireland, which works with women and children across the world, as they take the lead in claiming their human rights to build a more just world. The competition, now in its tenth

year, was open to students across Ireland and this year ActionAid received 112 entries from 20 schools across 12 counties. This year’s themes focus on the climate crisis, gender-based violence and unpaid care work. Regional finalists are asked to provide a video of themselves reading their speech. This will be graded on the quality of the speech and also on delivery. Two winners

from each of the three regional finals will win a €50 voucher and proceed on to the final which will be held in Dublin in March. This year the overall prize is a €500 voucher for the winner and a €100 voucher for their teacher. This competition is supported by Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs, as part of a women’s rights programme in Kenya, Nepal, and Ethiopia.

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

GOING OUT

To feature in this section, call 090-6634632 or email advertising@roscommonpeople.ie

The organisers of the recent Ladies Night fundraiser in aid of Creggs NS which was held in Gannon’s Bar in Creggs.

Attendees pictured at the Ladies Night fundraiser in aid of Creggs NS which took place in Gannon’s Bar, Creggs recently.

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

FarmingPeople Property Services Providers Licence No. 002249

TELEPHONE: 094 9620300 Email: info@castlerealivestockmart.com Web: www.castlerealivestockmart.com

THURSDAY WEEKLY:

SALE OF BULLOCKS, HEIFERS, COWS, CALVES, RUNNERS AND WEANLINGS ALL STOCK PRE BOOKED. ALL SALES COMMENCE AT 11 A.M VIEWING AT 10 A.M. 3 RINGS IN OPERATION.

Local farmers joined in Europe-wide protest A large number of farmers assembled in their tractors in Roscommon Town last Thursday to take part in a Europe-wide protest. Hundreds of Roscommon farmers attended in a show of solidarity with fellow farmers across Europe.

The protest started at Roscommon Mart shortly after 7.30 pm. New IFA President Francie Gorman said: “Farmers here have been watching the protests across Europe. They are just as frustrated by what is happening as farmers in

other countries. “They feel they are being regulated out of business by Brussels bureaucrats and Department of Agriculture officials who are far removed from the reality of day to day farming.

“Irish farmers are pro-EU, but there is mounting frustration about the impact of EU policy on European farmers, and its implementation here in Ireland. The general feeling amongst farmers across the EU is that ‘enough is enough’”.

FORTHCOMING SALES: THURSDAY 29TH FEBRUARY:

ORGANIC CATTLE SALE

IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR USUAL SALE. FOR ENQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT MART OFFICE OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR DETAILS.

Castlerea MART WATCH Over 400 lots were presented for sale at Castlerea Mart on Thursday last, February 1st. Trade and prices remained firm, with excellent demand both at the ringside and online. The bullock ring noticed lots making up to €1930, with some very fancy prices paid for the top quality stores. Heifers hit €1950 with a similar tone to trade, with strong Northern demand evident, as well as good farmer buying. The runner ring reported an excellent clearance with demand for light stock very high. Dry cows made up to €2380 while breeding stock made up to €1750. Bullocks, sample prices: Ch 490kgs €1680, Lm 480kgs €1600, Sim 470kgs €1560, Ch 520kgs €1620, Ch 500kgs €1620, Hex 535kgs €1500, Ch 590kgs €1930, AA 585kgs €1770, Ch 560kgs €1740, Ch 680kgs 1860, AA 685kgs €1860, and AA 673kgs €1770. Heifers, sample prices: Ch 415kgs €1450, Lm 425kgs €1390, Lm 405kgs €1500, Ch 705kgs €1950, Ch 615kgs €1850, Lm 555kgs €1800, Lm 500kgs €1730, and Lm 525kgs €1730. Dry cows, sample prices: Lm 490kgs €1430, Fr 450kgs €730, Ch 840kgs €2380, Sim 955kgs €2350, Lm 725kgs €1950, Lm 665kgs €1710, and Hex 470kgs €840. Cows with calves at foot made from €1260 to €1560 with springers making from €900 to €1750. Runners made from €230 to €1020. Weanling bulls, sample prices: Ch 260kgs €1030, Lm 285kgs €1040, Lm 235kgs €920, Ch 265kgs €900, BBx 410kgs €1450, BB 390kgs €1420, Lm 430kgs €1420, and Ch 400kgs €1300. Weanling heifers, sample prices: AA 285kgs €920, Sax 240kgs €860, Ch 325kgs €1090, Ch 350kgs €1150, Ch 305kgs €970, AAx 345kgs €1000, and Ch 370kgs €1180. Sales continue at Castlerea Mart on Thursdays. All sales commence at 11 am.

A panel discussion, moderated by Frances McDonnell of Agriland, and featuring ICSA general secretary Eddie Punch, Barry Cowen TD, Maria Walsh MEP, Claire Kerrane TD, Colm Markey MEP and Michael Fitzmaurice TD, took place at the recent ICSA AGM and Annual Conference, held in Athlone. Pic: Paul Molloy Photography

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue pictured with ICSA President Sean McNamara at the recent ICSA AGM and Annual Conference 2024, held in Athlone. Pic: Paul Molloy Photography

ICSA President Sean McNamara pictured questioning Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue at the recent ICSA AGM and Annual Conference 2024, held in Athlone. Pic: Paul Molloy Photography

Roscommon MART WATCH There was a good entry of top quality weanlings on offer at our sale held on Tuesday evening last with a very strong trade for both bulls and heifers. Bull weanlings fetched from an average of €3.24 per kilo up to €3.90 per kilo, while heifer weanlings made from an average of €3.23 per kilo up to €4.46. There was a larger entry of

stock on offer at last Friday’s Special Sale of Heifers. Heifers fetched an average of €2.93 per kilo up to €3.50. There was also a good entry of dry cows and they made an average of €2.36 per kilo up to €3.06 per kilo. There was a very good attendance of customers ringside for both sales with online buyers also active. We had a smaller num-

ber of sheep on offer at our weekly Sale of Lambs and Cast Ewes. Prices for finished lambs made up to €168. The tops for stag ewes fetched €195. Please note all sheep must be tagged with a full yellow EID Tag set. Next sale of lambs and cast ewes is next Wednesday, February 14th at 11 am. Yard opens at 8 am. All stock must be penned by 10 am.

Sale can be viewed live on www.livestock-live.com. Sample prices for dry cows: LMX 715 kg €2,190, CHX 890 kg €2,290, CHX 810 kg €2,250, CHX 765 kg €1,940, LMX 705 kg €1,780, CHX 730 kg €1,780, CHX 710 kg €1,670, LMX 640 kg €1,640, CHX 710 kg €1,670. Heifers: LMX 525 kg €1,840, LMX 535 kg €1,720, LMX 460 kg €1,540, CHX

440 kg €1,470, LMX 475 kg €1,540, CHX 635 kg €2,010, CHX 725 kg €2,200. Heifer weanlings: CHX 280 kg €1,250, SHX 410 kg €1,200, BBX 325 kg €1,310, AUX 345 kg €1,040, LMX 305 kg €1,270, BAX 285 kg €910, LMX 310 Kg €1,250. Bull weanlings: LMX 385 Kg €1,500, BAX 405 Kg €1,230, CHX 340 Kg €1,290, AU 395 kg €1,450, SIX 435

Kg €1,510, CHX 275 Kg €1,040, LMX 380 Kg €1,400, CHX 330 Kg €1,140. Finished lambs: 58 kgs €168, 56 kgs €167, 54 kgs €168, 52 kgs €170, 50 kgs €163, 48 kgs €162, 46 kgs €155, 45 kgs €151, 44 kgs €146. Store lambs: 40.6 kgs €123, 39.8 kgs €117, 38.6 kgs €100, 37 kgs €105, 35.5 kgs €100. Cast ewes made from €40 to €195 per lot.

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

Business

FarmingPeople

(Proudly serving farmers for over 64 years) Property Services Providers Licence No. 001373

Friday, 9th February at 11 a.m.

Special Sale of Bullocks 32 Pens on offer Also Dry Cows and Heifers -----------------------Friday, 16th February at 11 a.m.

Special Sale of Heifers Also Dry Cows and Bullocks

Bookings accepted until Monday, 12th February at 5 p.m. -----------------------Friday, 23rd February at 11 a.m.

Special Sale of Bullocks Also Dry Cows and Heifers

Bookings accepted until Monday, 19th February at 5 p.m. -----------------------Tuesday, 20th February at 4 p.m.

Sale of Weanlings Bookings accepted until Thursday, 15th February at 5 p.m. ------------------------

Lambs & Cast Ewes

Each Wednesday at 11 a.m. Stock must be penned by 9.30 a.m. Gates close at 10 a.m. ************

Applications invited for Ireland’s Best Managed Companies 2024 Deloitte has launched the 2024 Best Managed Companies Awards (BMC) and is calling for ambitious Irish and Northern Irish companies across all sectors to enter this year’s programme. Now in its sixteenth year, the programme celebrates the hard work, innovation and success of Irish businesses and their management teams. Ireland’s Best Managed Companies network currently comprises 130 companies from a variety of sectors, across the island. These businesses have a combined turnover of €17 billion and provide over 53,000 jobs across a range of sectors – from retail and hospitality to manufacturing and construction. Speaking at the launch of this year’s programme Brian Murphy, Lead Partner for the Ireland’s Best Managed Companies Awards Programme at Deloitte said: “Now in its 16th iteration, I am delighted to see Ireland’s Best Man-

Professor Anthony Brabazon, Dean of UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School; Cathy Bryce, Managing Director of AIB Capital Markets; Brian Murphy, Lead Partner of Ireland’s Best Managed Companies, Deloitte and Colin Hunt, CEO of AIB pictured at the launch of the 2024 Ireland’s Best Managed Companies programme in No.25, Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2. Pic: Mark Stedman

aged Companies Awards programme continue to go from strength to strength. The programme provides a platform for Irish indigenous businesses to celebrate their successes and inspire

innovation and growth. “The Best Managed Companies network enables long-standing members and new entrants to challenge and benchmark themselves against the best in business

across Ireland”. For further information and details on how to enter the awards, visit www.deloitte. ie/bestmanaged. The closing date for Phase 1 entries is Friday, 23rd of February.

Recognition for local business

Sheep Scanning Service

Each Wednesday - 8.30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

ENQUIRIES 090 6626352

Email: roscommonmart@gmail.com Visit our website: www.roscommonmart.ie

Dead & Worn-Out Animals Contact

JOHN GREENE BALLINASLOE

TEL: (090) 96 88606 (090) 96 88830 (090) 96 87651 Lowest price GUARANTEED Daily collection

Find us on facebook

Dead & Worn-Out Animals Contact

TOM ROGERS

Strokestown, Co. Roscommon Tel. (071) 96 34783 and (071) 96 33344

CitySwift co-founders Alan Farrelly and Brian O’Rourke.

Galway-based CitySwift Your LOCAL Collector secures €7m funding round Guaranteed lowest price

KEEP YOUR FARM SAFE

Companies that progress to Phase 2 of the application process will be notified in March, with the winners to be officially announced at the annual Gala Awards September 2024.

CitySwift, the Galway-based leader in data intelligence for the public transport sector, has announced the closing of its latest funding round, securing €7 million. The round was led by Gresham House Ventures, a growth equity investor specialising in scaling businesses across a range of sectors in Ireland and the UK, investing €5 million. Led by Benjamin Faulkner and Tom Makey, the investment formed part of a €7 million round with all existing

investors including Irelandia Investments, the Western Development Commission, and ACT Venture Capital. CitySwift is an intelligent transport data platform that increases the performance of public transport networks using AI-powered analytics, simulations and optimisations. Based in Galway, CitySwift works with public sector transport authorities and private bus operators to break down the barriers to accessing and interpreting transport data.

Roscommon-based video production company Spicy Dog Media was among 21 SMEs from across Ireland to receive a suite of customised supports and €1,000 worth of Google ad funding as part of the You’re The Business campaign from Google, Enterprise Ireland (EI) and the Local Enterprise Offices (LEO) Now in its second year, You’re the Business is a money-can’tbuy training and mentoring programme that aims to accelerate Irish SME growth through digitalisation. In addition to the training, You’re the Business features a competition element to recognise and reward SMEs that have demonstrated a commitment to digital at different stages of their growth journey. Peter Kilmartin, founder of Spicy Dog Media, said: “The team at Spicy Dog Media are thrilled to receive this prestigious accolade from Google”.

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

PropertyPeople

Cormac 086 3519492

PSRA Licence No. 004420

WANTED WANTED

HOUSES, BUNGALOWS AND TWO STOREY RESIDENCES IN ROSCOMMON TOWN, STROKESTOWN & LANESBORO AREAS

NEW TO THE MARKET 60 ACRES APPROX OF LANDS

CONTAINING 25 ACRES APPROX OF FORESTRY LANDS AND 35 ACRES APPROX OF LOW LYING LANDS

EMALAGHKEADEW, CASTLECOOTE, CO. ROSCOMMON

Cathal 086 1409158

Keith 086 0848590

FOR SALE BY PRIVATE TREATY RETAIL/OFFICE UNIT OF APPROX 700 SQ FT

UNIT 1 A, STONE COURT CENTRE, THE SQUARE ROSCOMMON

For cash clients and disppointed under bidders CONTACT KEITH

086 0848590

AMV: €150,000

AMV: €50,000

Stone Court Centre, The Square, Roscommon. Tel: (090) 6626579 / 6626796. Mobile: Cormac 086 3519492 or Cathal 086 1409158 • Email: teamearley@remax.ie • Web: www.teamearley.ie

Vacant homes in Roscommon brought back to active use A total of 301 vacant social homes were brought back into active use in County Roscommon between 20142023 under the Voids Programme, figures released by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage show. The figures also show that €3.1 million was spent in order to renovate and refurbish the homes. Making more efficient use of existing housing stock is a key action of the Government’s Housing For All plan. The Voids Programme supports local authorities in preparing vacant homes for re-letting and builds on the ongoing work to tackle vacancy and dereliction to bring vacant properties into re-use for housing. Minister for Housing, Heritage and Local Government, Darragh O’Brien said: “Refurbishment and the return to use of vacant properties helps to reduce pressure on existing housing stock, increase supply, and ultimately, provide much-needed homes for people. “Apart from addressing the need for social housing, the refurbishment of these unoc-

cupied social homes also has a positive impact on communities. It prevents the decline and abandonment of vacant properties, which, in some instances, can lead to antisocial behaviour. “I commend Roscommon County Council for working with us to bring these homes back into active use in 2023. Their efforts will make a real difference in the lives of over 2,400 households. “All local authorities are encouraged to continue to be as proactive as possible in the return of all vacant properties to use through the use of the Voids Funding Programme as well as other programmes such as the Buy & Renew and Repair & Lease Schemes. “Speed in tackling vacant social housing is also critical to regeneration and improving the vitality and vibrancy of communities in towns and cities across the country. Through this Housing for All action we have now have shifted to a position of planned maintenance of social housing stock to ensure the fastest possible turnaround and re-let times for social housing stock”.

New to market with Remax Team Earley: 60 acres of lands and forestry at Castlecoote

RE/MAX Team Earley present to the market approximately 60 acres, comprised in Folio RN34064 and located at Emlaghkeadew, Castlecoote, Co Roscommon. Approximately 25 acres are dedicated to thriving forestry, featuring a mix of Sikta Spruce and Native Irish Woodland trees

planted in 2010, with five years of premium payments remaining of approx. €5,000 annually. The remaining 35 acres consist of low-lying land bordering the picturesque River Suck. The property also includes essential amenities like a two-bay hay shed and cattle handling facilities.

Whether you’re looking for a lucrative forestry investment, expanding your farming operations, or seeking a peaceful countryside retreat, this property offers endless possibilities amidst the natural beauty of County Roscommon’s landscape. Conveniently located near Castlecoote Village, access to

the property is straightforward via road L7024. For further details or to arrange an appointment to view, please contact Remax Team Earley, Stonecourt, Roscommon on 090 66 26579, call Cathal on 086 1409158, email teamearley@ remax.ie or log on to www. teamearley.ie.

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

Property/NewsPeople

Lough Funshinagh Flood Crisis Committee in meeting with Minister O’Donovan

Iarstáisiún na nGardaí agus Áras Cónaithe, Béal Átha Feorainne, Ros Comáin, H53 WV65 AR DÍOL TRÍ CHEANT BEOSHRUTHA, DÉ hAOINE, AN 23 FEABHRA 2024, AR 12 MEÁN LAE. Caithfidh tú clárú ar ár suíomh gréasáin roimh ré le go mbeidh tú in ann tairiscint a dhéanamh. • Réadmhaoin scoite dhá stór ar fáil ar shuíomh thart ar .26 acra. • Tá 5 sheomra leapa ann, 2 chistin, 3 sheomra suí, 4 stór, 2 theach lasmuigh, bealach isteach do choisithe agus d’fheithiclí agus cúlghairdín mór. • Suite i mbaile Bhéal Átha Feorainne le bealach isteach éasca go bailte Bhaile Átha Luain, Ros Comáin agus Bhéal Átha na Sluaighe. • Ar an teorainn idir Co. Ros Comáin agus Co. na Gaillimhe. • Tá siopaí, scoil, séipéal, ionad sláinte, club CLG agus ionad pobail ann. • Díolmhaithe ó dhleacht stampála;

A meeting of representatives from the Lough Funshinagh Flood Crisis Committee (LFFCC) met with Minister Patrick O’Donovan and members of the OPW and Roscommon County Council on Thursday, February 1st last in the Athlone Springs Hotel. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice and Senators Aisling Dolan and Eugene Murphy were also in attendance. Minister O’Donovan restated his commitment to tackling the problem of flooding at Lough Funshinagh, acknowledging that this is a tragic situation which has gone on for too long. Mr Greg O’Donnell, from Roscommon County Council, provided an overview of what has been done so far, explaining that a consultant for the baseline study has been appointed and seasonal variations on ecology and habitats are being studied. This process will be concluded in September. Lough Funshinagh is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), so the objective is that any actions taken will have

a positive effect on the SAC for the future. The roads have now been raised as much as possible. The road to Lisphelim has been closed as this is very close to a major flood and the road to Ballagh will be closed in the next two to three weeks. Mr John Mockler, engineer with Roscommon County Council, stated that Lough Funshinagh is currently at 68.73m, which is the same level as February 14th 2021. Mr Jim Casey, from the OPW, stated that his Department is working closely with Roscommon County Council, and that regular meetings are taking place. LFFCC members provided updates from the communities around Lough Funshinagh. Mr Matthew Beattie gave an overview of the human impact of the flooding, with the constant threat to homes and environment. He said that residents live surrounded by constant pumping and experience ongoing anxiety and stress.

Recently a house almost went under water, which would have had serious consequences and was a “near-miss”. Mr Tom Carney, Ms Marie MartinCarney and Mr Michael Beattie also described the experience of living with the constant threat of flooding. Mr Michael Beattie stated that if Lough Funshinagh is allowed to run out of control, all nearby villages will be submerged. Minister O’Donovan acknowledged the situations local residents are in and pledged to continue to tackle the problem. He reiterated that the crisis in Lough Funshinagh is very important to the OPW and that a solution must be reached. He pointed to the impact of climate change across Ireland with rising water levels, and said that what is happening at Lough Funshinagh could become the norm in Ireland. Lough Funshinagh therefore has national importance, and flood relief needs to be provided. The next meeting will take place at the end of April 2024.

BREATHNÚ OSCAILTE AR AN SATHARN 10.00 – 10.45 AM Íosluach Molta: €60,000 Rátáil Fuinnimh an Fhoirgnimh: G / 173.40 méadar cearnach (1,866 troigh chearnach) TÉIGH I dTEAGMHÁIL LE: Siobhra Hennessy: (091) 564 212

Former Garda Station and Residence, Ballyforan, Co. Roscommon, H53 WV65 FOR SALE BY LIVE STREAM AUCTION, FRIDAY 23rd FEBRUARY 2024 at 12 NOON. You must pre-register on our website in order to bid. • Vacant detached two-storey property on a site of .26 acres approximately. • Comprises 5 bedrooms, 2 kitchens, 3 reception rooms, 4 stores, 2 outbuildings, pedestrian and vehicular access and large rear garden. • Located in Ballyforan village with easy access to Athlone, Roscommon and Ballinasloe towns. • On the border between Co. Roscommon and Co. Galway • Local amenities include shops, school, church, health centre, GAA club and a community centre. • Exempt from Stamp Duty.

OPEN VIEWINGS SATURDAYS 10.00 – 10.45 AM (AMV): €60,000 (BER): G/ 173.40 sq.m. (1,866 sq. feet) CONTACT: Siobhra Hennessy 091 564 212

Scott family give thanks for Cathal’s memorial Members of the Scott family have thanked St Aidan’s GAA Club for its support in hosting a memorial football tournament in memory of Cathal Scott. The family wrote to St Aidan’s GAA Club, expressing their gratitude. ‘Dear St. Aidan’s GAA Club members, please accept our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for organ-

ising and hosting ‘The 20 year Memorial 7-a-Side Football Tournament’ in remembrance of Cathal Scott on St Stephen’s Day 2023. ‘The event was a truly beautiful tribute that touched our hearts and brought back cherished memories of him. As a family, we felt an overwhelming sense of unity

with the players, organisers, and supporters on the day. ‘The day will hold a special place in our hearts, and we are forever grateful to the club and all involved for honouring Cathal’s memory and celebrating his spirit. ‘With heartfelt thanks, Frank, Teresa, and the Scott family.’

Roscommon supporters Sara Kelly, Maeve Mannion, Katie Kelly, Joe Mannion and Jack Kelly pictured during the Allianz NFL Division One match between Roscommon and Galway in Dr Hyde Park last Sunday. Pic: Bernie O’Farrell

Host homes in county hosting 475 displaced Ukrainians Research by the Irish Red Cross suggests there are currently 475 Ukrainian guests living in 275 host homes throughout County Roscommon. This represents 41% of the total number of Ukrainians who have arrived in the county since the invasion of Ukraine. Nationally, 25% of all arrivals from Ukraine are currently living in host homes or pledged accommodation. One host, Kathleen McKiernan, shared these words about her family’s experience: “Being a host has been one of the best things our family has done. When all this started we felt that we needed to do something and we had a spare bedroom so we contacted Helping Irish Hosts and the process was straightforward after that. “Sharing our home doesn’t come without challenges but being able to give our guest a sense of security and base from which to start her journey here in Ireland has been truly rewarding”. The Irish Red Cross survey reveals that 92% of people hosting

Ukrainians have had a positive experience and 76% would recommend hosting to someone else. The research was presented by Helping Irish Hosts and the Irish Red Cross to Oireachtas members at a briefing in Leinster House on Wednesday, January 31st. Angie Gough, CEO and co-founder of Helping Irish Hosts, says: “The research reaffirms everything we’ve seen over the past 22 months. Hosting is having an incredible impact – for the hosts, their guests and also their communities. While it’s not the right option for everyone and it’s not a long-term solution, it does offer a key integration opportunity for people seeking refuge in this country. “Our priority is to nurture the host response as a significant part of the refugee accommodation solution, while acknowledging its limitations and advocating for the changes needed to sustain it”. The Consortium of organisations responsible for activating pledged ac-

commodation is still receiving around 300 accommodation pledges a month. The briefing to Oireachtas members also heard that the savings to the taxpayer are in the region of €386 million annually, when compared to state accommodation. At the briefing this week, the group presented recommendations to Government and offered resources to support constituents and communities that are hosting. Key asks included extending the proposed 90-day policy for new arrivals to reduce the risk of harm to already vulnerable groups, and widening the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) to include Programme Refugees who have been granted status in Ireland. The Consortium is a partnership that is funded by DCEDIY and led by the Irish Red Cross, comprising Helping Irish Hosts, Peter McVerry Trust and IOM, to activate pledged accommodation on behalf of the Irish State and to retain and extend host arrangements.

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

Classifieds

Everyone wants it Everyone reads it 80,000 PEOPLE READ OUR NEWSPAPER EVERY WEEK!

To advertise, telephone 090 66 34633 or email advertising@roscommonpeople.ie

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS < ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: Roscommon Town Group, Castle Street, Roscommon. Eir Code: F42 RP21 (1st Floor). Meetings: Tuesday 8pm to 9pm, Wednesday 1pm to 2pm, Thursday 8pm to 9pm, Friday 8pm to 9pm, Saturday 8pm to 9pm, Sunday 12 noon to 1.pm.

CHIMNEY CLEANING

CHIROPRACTOR

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Telephone: 086 8433433

Roscommon West Business Park, Circular Road, Roscommon. David Connor

BSC (Hon.) Chiro. MSc. Chiropractic Association of Ireland

Complete Chimney Services

• Removes up to 50% more than traditional methods CCTV CAMERA INSPECTIONS • Firebacks replaced and flues repaired • Can be cleaned from the bottom up • Chimney cowls and crow guards fitted Power washing and gutter cleaning services. Telephone:

087 2798704

DC Computer Services Providing IT services for Homes, Businesses & Schools. Home Callouts.

NO FIX NO FEE

PC Maintenance – Upgrades, Repairs, Virus & Spyware removal. Network Solutions – Cabling, Hardware & Software Installation & Maintenance. Contact David Conboy Tel: 087 7496459 Email: info@dccomputerservices.ie Web: www.dccomputerservices.ie

VHI and Laya Covered

CONSTRUCTION

Stephen Casey

Chimney Cleaning

• Power brush and vacuum technology for cleaning chimneys, stoves, ranges and open fires

COMPUTERS

Construction

Kathleen’s Mobile Footcare

Professional and friendly footcare in the comfort of your own home.

Kathleen Wynne MCFHP, MAFHP Foot Care Practitioner 086 3562718 kathleenwynne63@gmail.com www.kathleensmobilefootcare.ie

l General Building

l Extensions & Roofing l Groundworks l Renovations l Chimney CCTV

Inspections l Chimney Repair

- Insurance Claims

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087 9268424 stephenrockcasey@ gmail.com

Are you affected by Anger Issues, Bullying, Bereavement, Confidence/self-esteem issues, OCD, Stress, Depression, Eating disorders Panic/Anxiety, Relationships, Exam pressure, Sexual Abuse Contact: Billy 094 96 59966 Mobile: 086 0675433 or visit www.billybrogan.com

DRIVING LESSONS

Paul McStay DSA/ADI (UK) RSA

< TYRES FOR SALE: 195/65/15 fitted at €50, 205/55/16 fitted at €50. Van tyres 205/65/16 fitted at €65. Jeep tyres 265/65/17 fitted €90. All other sizes available to order, call for details. Phone: 083 2012390 < FOR SALE: 12x8 steel tipping trailer, new ram and new wheels. Bale Slicer, tonne bags of Timber. Phone: 087 7733181 < FOR SALE: 3 flush doors and log holder. Man available for power washing, lawn cutting and all odd jobs. Phone: 086 2200520

FENCING/GATES

MIAM ROSPA Approved Driving Instructor Former BSM Driving Instructor and UK advanced Met. Police Driver. GIFT VOUCHER CARDS AVAILABLE Castlerea & Roscommon

FRANCIS REGAN FENCING LTD

EDT Lessons Available

GARDENING

Telephone:

NO JOB TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL

Are you experiencing difficulties in your life? Such as depression, anxiety, life or spiritural crisis. Are you having difficulties in relationships at work? Have you experienced sexual abuse or abuse and need counselling to help you?

Online counselling available. Please call Glynis on

085 2514394

email: downeyglynis@yahoo.co.uk

web: www psychotherapy glynisdowney.com

Reg No: EI000083

087 2721193

GARDENING SERVICES Including: • Hedge Cutting • Hedge Planting • Grass Cutting • Spraying • Strimming • Weeding • Garden Tidy-ups • Planting • Gutter Cleaning, etc. Chainsaw work also available

Phone John on

Comprehensive Insurance Cover. I.S.A. member.

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Tommy’s l Tree Shearing l Tree Felling

l Dangerous Tree Removed

Trees & Hedging

(Commercial & Domestic)

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Castlerea, Co. Roscommon

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FARMING

All sprayers tested in 2020/2021 are now due re-test

Tree Services

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094 96 20099

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GARDENING

For all your fencing needs. GLAS Fencing Grant Fencing Post Rail

This driving School conforms for the new RSA regulations & legislation

COUNSELLING

Send your Classified advertisement to advertising@ roscommonpeople.ie or alternatively call 090 66 34633

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086 8936012

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SUBMIT YOUR CLASSIFIED ONLINE

COUNSELLING

< SOCIAL DANCING: Continues every Friday night in An Bothar Rua, Elphin with live music. This Friday night with Colm Burke, dance 9.00pm til late. Tel. 087 9809432

GARDENING

CORBETT

TREE CARE & LANDSCAPING

l General Maintenance Dangerous Tree Removal l Garden Hedges & Trees reduced and shaped l Wood Chipping l Fully Insured Contact Alan on

087 6558597

www.corbetttreecareandlandscaping.com

GATELY GARDENING

Four Roads, Co. Roscommon • Landscaping • Timber Decking • Patios • General Maintenance Contact Liam on 086 8749550 or 090 66 27496

Kerins Plant Ltd Tree Care & Plant Hire Residential & Commercial Tree Care

Tree removal Tree crowning l Dangerous roadside tree removal l Site clearance and mulching l Wood chipping l Stump grinding l Fully insured and certified l l

Telephone: 087-3477546 Email: kerinsplantcivilsltd @gmail.com

FOR SALE

GRINDS/TUITION

We supply all types of trees and hedging, Laurel, Beech, Whitethorn, Oak, Elder Birch, Dog rose, Gelder Rose, Crab Apple, Wild Cherry and Holly.

< LEAVING CERT BIOLOGY GRINDS: Experienced Science and Biology Teacher - Roscommon Town. In depth revision of exam topics. Comprehensive revision notes. Exam Question Strategy. Contact: 087 7708169

Suitable for ACRES & GLAS Scheme and REPS Scheme. Can be delivered Card payment accepted. Phone: 087 4177148

< MATHS GRINDS: All Levels. Experienced Tutor. 1-to-1 and small groups possible. Call/Text/Whatsapp Coman: 085 706 3536

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

Classifieds PLANNINGS ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL We, the Board of Management of Coláiste Chiaráin, Summerhill, Crannagh Td., Athlone, are applying to the above Authority for Planning Permission for development at Coláiste Chiaráin, Summerhill, Crannagh Td., Athlone. The development will consist of: 1. To develop a 4G full size GAA Pitch with 1.4m High Metal Fence surrounding and 2 No 13m High Ball Stops 2. To erect 6 No 21.34m high poles to provide flood lighting of 350 Lux Standard 3. To construct a 2m wide walkway around the boundaries of the pitch together with all ancillary siteworks.

Signed: Brendan Waldron (for Board of Management) That the Planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority, during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the Planning Authority, on payment of the prescribed fee €20, within the period of five weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the application and such submission or observation will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions or may refuse to grant permission.

Design Consultation Planning Applications New Build, Extend, Renovate Bespoke Design Domestic, Commercial & Agricultural

086 3482387 info@moleskinarchitecture.com

facebook.com/moleskinarch

To advertise, telephone 090 66 34633 or email advertising@roscommonpeople.ie PLANNINGS ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL We, Aidan and Maura Dolan, intend to apply for Permission for the following: (a) Demolish existing single storey conservatory to the (rear) south-west of an existing two-storey dwelling. (b) Construct a single storey extension to the south-west of same dwelling. (c) Carry out alterations to South-east and North-west elevations of same dwelling. (d) Along with connections to all site services, and all other associated site works. At Ballytoohey Townland, Tarmonbarry, Co. Roscommon. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee of €20 within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application and such submissions or observations will be considered by the authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission. Signed:

Murtagh Engineering Chartered Consulting Engineers, Tarmonbarry, Co Roscommon. Ph: (086) 3490965 www.mbeprojects.com

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL We, Vantage Towers Limited intend to apply for permission to erect a 24-metre-high lattice telecommunications support structure together with antennae, dishes and associated telecommunications equipment, all enclosed in security fencing and to upgrade and extend the existing access track including the relocation of the existing entrance at Carrowkeeny, Kiltoom, Co. Roscommon.

The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours and that submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application. Signed: Charterhouse (Agent)

ROSCOMMON Driving School Phone 087 2295551 Road Safety Authority Approved Driving Instructor

PLANNINGS ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL I, John Farrell, am applying to Roscommon County Council for planning permission to upgrade windows and remove one chimney at Midgefield House, Midgefield, Strokestown, Co. Roscommon, F42 Y018. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee, €20 within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission. Signed:

Unit 5, Ballypheason House, Circular Road Roscommon, F42 C982. Ph: 0906634365 Mob: 0851299470 E: james@jlce.ie & elaine@jlce.ie Web: www.jlce.ie Planning & Design Consulting Engineers

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL We, Conlon Consulting Engineering Ltd, on behalf of our clients: Liam Naughton and Elaine Burke, intend to apply for Retention Permission for this site, located at Carrigan More, Townland, Knockcroghery, Co. Roscommon. The Development (Permission for Retention) consists of: (a) Retention permission for revised elevations to that which was granted under planning register reference: PD04294, including: an as-constructed dormer window to the east elevation and revised arrangement to the fenestration to the west, north, and east elevations. (b) Retention permission for an as-constructed garage/ boat storage. The Planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee, €20, within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions or may refuse to grant permission. Signed:

Conlon Consulting Engineering Ltd (Agent) on behalf of Liam Naughton & Elaine Burke.

PLANNINGS ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL I, Emily Naughton intend to apply to Roscommon County Council for planning permission for the construction of a dwelling house, domestic garage/fuel store, proprietary treatment system, percolation area and associated works at Creemully & Aghagad Beg, Castlecoote, Co. Roscommon. The Planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee, €20, within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission. Signed:

PLANNINGS ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL We, Colum Mullally and Niamh Sweeney would like to apply for a planning permission for the proposed development at Carrowndrisha, Knockcroghery, Co. Roscommon. The proposed development to comprise a well to be used as a water source for the dwelling granted under Pl. Ref.: 22/72 and all associated ancillary site works. The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours and that a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (€20) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application and such submission or observation will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions or may refuse to grant permission.

PROPERTIES TO LET/ RENT/WANTED Stephen Blake, M.R.I.A.I., Registered Architect Trihill, Ballinamore Bridge, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway 090 6624681 / 087 635 8949 / stephen@sbarchitect.ie

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL We, Gerard Greene and Fintan Shortall would like to apply for planning permission and outline permission for proposed development at Barry More, Kiltoom, Co. Roscommon. Planning permission is sought for construction of 4no. 5-bed, 2 storey detached dwellings and all associated ancillary site works to include new vehicular and pedestrian site entrance, widening of existing approach road, and connection to the existing services. Outline permission is sought for construction of 17 detached dwellings, 1no. detached guest house and all associated ancillary site works together with a new woodland walkway/ cycleway adjacent to the existing public road. The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours and that a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee €20 within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application and such submission or observation will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions or may refuse to grant permission.

APPOINTMENTS

CHAZEY PROPERTIES: We require properties for waiting tenants, we advertise, conduct viewings, arrange references, read meters, set up tenancy agreements and arrange direct debit payments straight into your bank. We charge a one off fee only if we are successful in renting your property. If not no fees are payable. Tel: 086 8212732

WE ARE HIRING

BOOK KEEPER REQUIRED The role will require working as part of a busy property team in providing Bookkeeping services. Ability to adapt to a fast-paced environment and experience working to tight deadlines essential. Role includes: l Bookkeeping Tasks l Payroll duties l General Administration l Office Based Role Required skills/knowledge:

l The candidate will ideally have experience in

bookkeeping/payroll software. Must be advanced in MS office. l Strong organisational and administrative skills, with high attention to detail and accuracy. l Excellent communication skills and time management. l Positive attitude, willingness to learn and ability to adapt to new technologies

Send your CV to:

teamearley@remax.ie <PAYROLL/HR ADMIN/ACCOUNTS PERSON: Required for Conneely Builders, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway. Immediate start. Dealing with all aspects of Payroll, HR administration and Accounts. The successful applicant will be responsible for collection of all payroll information/timesheets, reconciliation of PAYE/ PRSI/USC and pensions, bank reconciliation and intercompany invoicing. lPASS Qualified applicant an advantage; proficient in Excel, Word and other Microsoft programs. Experience in Quantum Software package and HR Administration would be advantageous. Contact: Tel 090 9631836, Office Mobile 086 3898253 or email collette@conneelybuilders.com <ACCOUNTS ASSISTANT: Accounts person required at Conneely Builders based in Ballinasloe, Co Galway. Assisting the Head of Accounts with Debtors and Creditors, Bank Reconciliation. Assisting with purchase orders. Applicant should be proficient in Excel, Word, Microsoft programs and Account package. Good pay and conditions. Contact: Tel 090 9631836, Office Mobile 086 3898253 or email collette@conneelybuilders.com <CONCRETE/SHUTTERING GANGER: Required for contract in the Connaught region. Steel Fixing to bases, shuttering and pour concrete. <EXCAVATOR DRIVER AND GROUNDWORKER: For ducting/fencing at the same contract. Good pay and conditions with a reputable company. 6 – 9 months’ work (railway work). Contact: Conneely Builders Tel: 0909631836, Office Mobile 0863898253 or email collette@conneelybuilders.com < FULL TIME/PART TIME FITTER/MECHANIC: Required at Civil Engineering firm. Experience in repairs and servicing of heavy plant and equipment an advantage. Workshop based with occasional on site call outs. Preparation of vehicles for CVRT Testing for HGV’s and LCV’s. Ballinasloe/Galway based. Rates negotiable. Full Drivers Licence. <Also, Apprentice Fitter/Mechanic required Contact: Conneely Builders. Tel: 090 9631836, Office Mobile 086 3898253 or collette@conneelybuilders.com

SUBMIT YOUR CLASSIFIED ONLINE

Send your Classified advertisement to advertising@ roscommonpeople.ie or alternatively call 090 66 34633

< PART TIME NURSE: A vacancy is available for a part time nurse in our Daycare Centre, based in Glenamaddy. Experience in care of the elderly desirable. Successful applicant will work alongside a supportive and friendly team. Closing date for applications is February 15th 2024. Please contact the office on 094 9659269 or email us at glendaycare@gmail.com for more information.

Locally owned ... in the heart of the community

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

Classifieds TURF/FUEL/ FIREWOOD

To advertise, telephone 090 66 34633 or email advertising@roscommonpeople.ie

USEFUL SERVICES PLANT HIRE & GROUNDWORKS

USEFUL SERVICES

PODIATRIST

Tullys Podiatrist/Chiropodist

Sarah Fleming

CB.Sc (Hons) Podiatry MScPI Sarah will be in Tullys Totalhealth Pharmacy, Castlerea on Monday and Friday and Boyle Totalhealth Pharmacy on Tuesdays. l HSE Trained and Approved l Home visits available For any of your foot issues call:

TOP QUALITY TURF 10x6 Loads of Turf, saved in good weather and stored in dry shed, will deliver. Phone:

083 0684011

< TURF: Loads of good black Turf also bags delivered. Tel: 086 3903120 or 090 6621090 < TURF FOR SALE: In Castlerea area, stored dry in shed. Tel: 087 9316282

WANTED: Fallen trees for firewood. Ash, Beech, Birch and Whitethorn. We are safety certified and insured. Phone:

086 2437376 PLUMBING

Plumbing & Maintenance • Bathroom planning and design to suit you • All aspects of plumbing and maintenance • Boiler Servicing • Heating Installation • Call for FREE QUOTATION

Contact Luke on

085 7359120

Learn to drive with

Roscommon Driving School 087 2295551

Electrician Available Safe Electric Registered. Domestic and Industrial, All work considered. No Job too small.

Phone Paul 086 2553153 or email: p0862553153 @gmail.com

CLEANING

RCS SERVICES GET A FREE QUOTE TODAY Camargo - 087 293 4756

GRINDS

094 9620009

PODIATRIST

Tar & Chip Driveways

Harpur Bros, Castlecole, Castlerea, Co. Roscommon Call Owen for ground work

086 895 3884 Call Padraic for concreting

085 226 4664 PHYSICAL THERAPY

Roscommon Physical Therapy Clinic Movement Matters 20 years experience treating babies to adults. Everyday aches & pains to sports injuries. Physical Therapy CranioSacral Therapy Medical Dry Needling Prescription Orthotics Pilates – Small Classes

Can we help you? Call us today to enquire 090 663 0009 Like us on Facebook www.rosptc.com 1 Castleview, Roscommon F42 C902

For all foot ailments

Corns, calluses, ingrown toenails, verruca, orthotics, diabetic assessments and treatment.

Siobhan Murray BSc (Hons) Podiatry M.Ch.S.I.

Department of Health Approved Kearney’s Chemist Main Street, Castlerea For appointment: Phone: (089) 4142233 SIOBHAN ALSO RUNS A CLINIC FROM KNOCK

• 20 years experience FOOT CLINIC ROSCOMMON – MOLLOYS PHARMACY (Monday to Saturday) Also available in Boyle & Athlone -------Chiropody treatment and all aspects of Foot Pain. Orthotics prescribed

By Appointment Only –

087 2982214 Tel:

Catriona Byrne DIP CHFP

REFLEXOLOGY

Reflexology Marina Furey B. Sc. (MNRRI) (Hons)

Do you have a house or shed that you want cleaned out and all unwanted items removed? If so ring:

087 9657933 or 090 66 33084

Quality Small Job Services For Home or Business

LOFT LADDERS

REVISION COURSES Junior and Leaving Cert HL For further information

Contact by phone/text:

Lorraine 086 3688302

SEPTIC TANKS

The company that can do all them small jobs

SEPTIC TANKS EMPTIED

FROM

€190 094 9373445 087 9100477

www.oddjobsolutions.ie Established since 2005

DRAINS/SEWERS CLEANED PERMIT NO: WCP - MO - 09 - 0267 - 01

COVERING ROSCOMMON AREA TELEPHONE MICHAEL HAVERTY: 086 8381227 or 086 1997815

Knockcroghery, Co. Roscommon

TILER

Professional Tiler available Contact Mike on 087 2392139 at

Kilroe Tiling

or email michaelkilroe123@gmail.com for all your tiling needs.

Reflexology works by applying gentle pressure to the reflex points of the feet/hand to trigger the natural healing power of the body

• Fertility Reflexology • Antenatal Reflexology • Baby/Child Reflexology • Special Needs Reflexology • Menopause Reflexology • Cancer Care Reflexology

Benefits:

• Relaxation • Stress & Pain relief • Improves circulation, digestion, sleep • Lowers blood pressure

Gift Vouchers Available

Tel: 087 2264951

PAINTING

GARDENING

POWER WASH

EMAIL: roscommonmathsgrinds @gmail.com

Aluminium

Supplied & Fitted From

TILING

Submit your Classified online Send your Classified advertisement to advertising@ roscommonpeople.ie or alternatively call 090 66 34633

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

Classifieds To advertise, telephone 090 66 34633 AtYourServiceEXTRA USEFUL SERVICES

PROFESSIONAL PAINTER AVAILABLE FOR ALL INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR PAINTING

KEEN RATES

Tried & Trusted Since 1993

Phone JOHN

083 8838022

CARPENTRY & CONSTRUCTION

KITCHENS

ROOFING

Richie Dooner

ALPHA ROOFING

Carpentry & Construction Slatta, Kilglass, Roscommon

1st and 2nd fix Panelling l Sliding Wardrobes l All general construction l Media wall units sprayed painted or skimmed l l

Phone: 083 1628531 Email: richarddooner@yahoo.ie

PLUMBING

l Slate roofs l Tiled roofs l Flat roofs, using all type of materials l Roof windows l Lead replacing l Pointing work l Leak detection l All roofing repair work

Mobile: 086 8874576 Email: info@alpharoofing.ie Web: www.alpharoofing.ie

Commercial & Residential

Call LMC Plumbing on 085 7359120

ROOFING

Roof Repairs

PMC Painting Contractors

• SUPPLY AND FIT • REMODEL/UPGRADE • 3D PLAN • KITCHENS TO SUIT EVERY BUDGET

Call/WhatsApp DAVID 083 069 5820 DRIVING LESSONS

LMC Plumbing & Heating

• Bathrooms/ensuite planning and design • Wetrooms Installed • Shower Unit • Oil Boilers and Stanley Boiler Range • Grant Work undertaken

Focus360 KITCHENS

24 Hour Emergency Call Out Service l New roofs, all roofing & flatroof repairs l Dry Verge Repointing l Package deal on Roofing restoration, cleaning, moss removal, replace broken tiles l Gutters/Facia & Soffitts l Chimney Repairs, Lead Flashing repairs l Patio Services, Powerwashing, Drains and Footpaths l Painting & Decorating l Renovations, Porches, Walls & Garden Design l Barn repairs & farm painting

ROSCOMMON Driving School Phone 087 2295551 Road Safety Authority Approved Driving Instructor

Tel: 087 6117326 < ELECTRICIAN AVAILABLE: Rewires, first and second fix new houses, fuse board upgrade. All farm buildings and sheds, security lighting and garden lights. Tel: Tom on 086 0815802.

Alan O’Toole

WINDOW CLEANING

Window Protection Ireland Commercial/Domestic Registered and Insured All areas covered Also protecting windows during construction see windowprotection.ie GUTTER CLEANING ALSO AVAILABLE Telephone

087 9795226

NASHVILLE ROOFING Our Services: • Sealing all Gutters • Replacing Slates • General Roof Repairs (Leaks) • Sealing and Cleaning Gutters and Facia, Soffits and Timber in Roofs l Free Callout l Good Rates

Phone:

089 9899912

10%

Discount with this advert.

• Cleaning & Painting Roofs of Houses, Sheds and Barns • Roofs Repairs • Cleaning & Sealing of Driveways/Tarmac • Fully Insured and work guaranteed for 5 years

CALL MICHAEL ON

089 966 1849

GROUND WORKS

GF Ground Works l Landscaping l Paving & Kerbing l Foundations l Fully insured l References available

Telephone Ger: 086 8745180

086 4679798

Our Services: • Roof cleaning • Roof repair • New roofs • Lead valleys • New pvc gutters fascia soffit • Gutter repairs • Chimney repairs Contact Liam at

email: roofingcontractors96@gmail.com

To have your advert seen by over 80,000 people every week advertise with us! The most read newspaper in Co. Roscommon!

For all your decorating needs CONTACT JOHN

nashvilleroofing.ie

Phone: 083 1479301

l Footpaths l Drainage & Septic tanks l Driveways

PROFESSIONAL PAINTING & DECORATING CONTRACTOR

Company website

Locally owned ... in the heart of the community

The local paper!

Acceptance of an advertisement or payment therefore is not to be taken as implying guarantee that the advertisement will be published. The right is reserved to refuse to insert any advertisement, without giving any reason; also to discontinue the publication of any advertisement previously published, without compensation for any loss or damage claimed for non-publication. Publication of an advertisement cannot be guaranteed on a specific week or at all, whether or not a particular week has been stipulated by the advertiser, and the company will not be liable for any loss claimed by such omission, whether from all editions or any particular edition or editions of the paper. Right is reserved to alter any advertisement without liability for any compensation for such alteration. Further, the company does not accept liability for any loss or damage caused by an error or inaccuracy in the printing of any advertisement.

LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB? The local paper!

TELEPHONE: 090 66 34633 EMAIL: advertising@roscommonpeople.ie To have your advert seen by over 80,000 people every week advertise with us! THE MOST READ NEWSPAPER IN COUNTY ROSCOMMON!

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

AtYourService BLINDS

To advertise, telephone 090 66 34633 or email advertising@roscommonpeople.ie

CARS

GARDENING

SEPTIC TANKS EMPTIED David Duffy 087 9662678 Alan Duffy 086 3992382

www.westsidegardening.ie

BRENDAN DOOLIN

Also Wooden Venetians, Velux Window Blinds. Mobile:

086 8115928 CHIMNEY REPAIRS

We buy any CARS, VANS, TRUCKS, JEEPS all types wanted. End of life certs can be provided. Also scrap metal

Tel: 087 0944027

CARPENTRY & FITTED FURNITURE

Aodhgan Cashin

- Chimney Repairs - Soot & Smoke Problems - Demolish, Re Build & Re Flue Line - Chimney Fires - Flexible Stainless Steel Liner - Insurance Claims processed

Ballybride, Roscommon F42 EC59

• Fitted Kitchens • Bedroom Units • Sitting Room Units • Timber Flooring • General Carpentry

- CCTV Camera Inspection For Professional For Professional Advice Contact Advice Contact: John Hibbitt:

Tel: 090 9673336 Mob: 086 2678350 Email: info@athlonechimneyrepairs.ie

INSULATION

Bonded Bead Cavity Wall Insulation Cellulose, Sheepswool, Fibreglass, SIGA Airtightness Bonded Cavity & Wall Insulation NewBead Buildings Retrofit Cellulose, Sheepswool, Fibreglass, Call in SIGA or contact us for free Airtightness advice and quotes New Buildings & Retrofit Call in or contact us for free

andfrom quotes Unit advice 2,Grants Ballybrit Industrial €1,214 to Estate, Galway

€3,500

091 768 768

Ballybane Industrial Estate, Unit 2,info@ecowise.ie Ballybrit Industrial Estate, Galway H91 P5k5 Block 12, Galway www.ecowise.ie

091 768 768 info@ecowise.ie

www.ecowise.ie

To have your advert seen by over 80,000 people every week advertise with us! The most read newspaper in Co. Roscommon!

Tel: 086 6082597 E: aodhgan.cashin@gmail.com

GARDENING: Lawns mowed and seeded, Leylandi and Laurel Hedge Cut and Shaped, Tree Felling, Fencing, Posts and Panels, Decorative Stone, Bark Mulch, Power Washing and Waste Removal. CONCRETE: Kerbing, Paving, Patios, Concrete Slabs and Base, Stone Walls and Plastering DIGGER: Foundations, Land Drainage, Ditch and Hedge removal STEEL: Sheds, Gates, Cattle Crushes and Pens, all Welding repairs available C2 Registered & Insured. Free Quotations

SEPTIC TANKS EMPTIED ALSO DRAIN JETTING SERVICE

Contact Maurice on 086 2538169 or Kenneth on 086 8044030 Gannon Environmental Services Ltd.

Tel: 090 6621220 WELDING & FABRICATON

FARMING

Dead & Worn-Out Animals Contact JOHN GREENE BALLINASLOE TEL: (090) 96 88606 (090) 96 88830 or (090) 96 87651 Lowest price guaranteed Daily collection

INSURANCE CLAIMS

CLEANING

S tephen H oare

Cleaning Services • Roscommon • Carpets & Upholstery Cleaning • WINDOW CLEANING • POWER WASHING Fascias & Soffits • Gutters & Down pipes • Drive ways ‘paths and patios’ KEEN and COMPETITIVE PRICES

M: 086 3912396 Ph: 090 66 62892

Martin Hibbitt APA-PL, CIP, CDIP LA Martin HibbittAPA-PL, APA-PL, CIP, CDIP LA LA Martin Hibbitt CIP, CDIP

Martin Mountbellew, Hibbitt APA-PL, CIP, CDIP LA Mountbellew, Co. Co.Galway Galway Mountbellew, Co. Galway

info@mhla.ie 091 380900 | 087 9818153 info@mhla.ie 091 380900 380900 087 9818153 info@mhla.ie 091 || 087 9818153 Mountbellew, Co. Galway www.mhla.ie

www.mhla.ie

www.mhla.ie 091 380900 |Approved 087 9818153 Product

Certified Dip in Loss Certified Dip DipAdjusting in Loss Loss Certified in

info@mhla.ie

Member of the PSAB-GI

Advisor Product Approved Product Member of the the PSAB-GI PSAB-GI Approved Member of Regulated by the Central Adjusting Member of the Insurance Bank of Ireland Adjusting Loss Assessor Services Advisor Advisor Regulated www.mhla.ie Regulated by by the the Central Central Institute of Ireland Loss Assessor Assessor Services Services Member of of the the Insurance Insurance Bank of of Ireland Ireland Loss Member Bank Institute of of Ireland Ireland Institute

Certified Dip in Loss Approved Product Adjusting PROPERTY Advisor Loss Assessor Services

DOORS/ WINDOWS SERVICE

DOOR & WINDOW SERVICE

Member of the Insurance Institute of Ireland

Member of the PSAB-GI

Regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland

ANIMAL CARE/VETERINARY

ALL CREATURES

Veterinary Clinic & Shop

Supply and fit uPVC Doors and Windows ONLY TOP QUALITY PRODUCTS USED Composite Doors, French Doors, Patio Doors in a wide range of styles and colours Also various styles and colours of uPVC Windows

Full replacement service provided and all work carried out to a high quality finish

Lanesboro Street, Roscommon

Contact Pat Hanley on

Tel: 090 662 6898

REPAIRS & SERVICING ALSO CARRIED OUT

086 6002721

RECYCLING

to discuss your requirements NO CALL OUT CHARGE

Email: pjmhanley@gmail.com

DOORS/ WINDOWS SERVICE

AFTER HOURS/24 HOUR EMERGENCY

087 2596055

SHOWROOM:

Racecourse Road, Roscommon F42 W294

We SUPPLY & FIT Double & Treble Glazed Windows & Doors, Patio Doors, French Doors, Porches and Conservatories

WIDE RANGE OF COMPOSITE DOORS 10 YEAR GUARANTEE

For the best care for your animal, large and small.

Telephone: 090 66 33026

The local paper!

W: roscommonwindowsanddoors.com E: roscommonwindows@hotmail.com

Locally owned ... in the heart of the community

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

Classifieds

To advertise, telephone 090 66 34633 or email advertising@roscommonpeople.ie

FAMILYNOTICES ....ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND ANNIVERSARIES KELLY Con Marian Crescent, Lisnamult (formerly Tonlegee) (17th Anniversary) Who passed away on 6th February 2007

HAUGHEY Eileen Late of Mount Carmel, 108 Abbeyville, Galway Road, Roscommon (6th Anniversary)

McDERMOTT Benny Ardsallaghmore, Roscommon and Aughris Templeboy, Sligo. (3rd Anniversary)

WALSH Anne & Oliver Ballygar (formerly Cavan, Dublin & Kilkenny)

BRIAN MURRAY MEMORIALS • Superior Quality Headstones • Restoration work carried out • New Inscriptions added

CONTACT HAZEL

087 6758874

www.brianmuraystone.com Scrine, Athleague, Co. Roscommon E: brianmurraystone@gmail.com

In loving memory of a wonderful father DAD They say there is a reason they say that time will heal but neither time or reason will change the way we feel. For no one knows the heartache that lies beyond our smile no one knows how many times we’ve broken down and cried. We want to tell you something Dad so there won’t be any doubt. You’re so wonderful to think of but so hard to live without. Forever loved, sadly missed and always remembered by your son Tommy, daughterin-law Nikita and granddaughters Lacey and Lucia. XXXX

In loving memory of Eileen Haughey who passed away on 12th February 2018 R.I.P.

We hold you dear within our hearts and there you shall remain, to walk with us throughout our lives until we meet again. So Rest In Peace dear Eileen and thanks for all you’ve done, we pray that God has given you the crown you’ve truly won.

Greatly missed by her relatives and friends. Anniversary Mass in the Sacred Heart Church, Roscommon Town on Monday, 12th February at 11am.

Notice re. Memoriams and Anniversaries If you wish to place acknowledgements, memoriam notices, birthday and anniversary remembrances, please email them to advertising@roscommonpeople.ie

or call us on 090 6634633 or by post, along with your name and contact details, to

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The local paper!

Who died 11th February 2019

A day that is filled with sadness returns to us today, to mark the day you left us in such a sudden way. But no special day is needed for us to think of you for you were someone special and we thought the world of you.

Sadly missed by your loving wife Gertie, Orlaith, Neil, Ethna, Sean, Claire and grandchildren. Benny’s 3rd Anniversary Mass will be celebrated in The Sacred Heart Church, Roscommon on Saturday, 10th of February 2024 at 10am.

DEVINE Michael

Who died 5th May 1975

Cloonadra, Lanesboro (9th Anniversary & 44th Anniversary) BRIDGE OF LOVE These is a bridge of memory, from Earth to Heaven above, It keeps you always near us, It’s called the bridge of love. May you always walk in sunshine, and God’s love around you flow, for the happiness that you gave us, no one will ever know. Loved and sadly missed by all their family. Masses offered.

DUNNE Padraic

MULLARKEY Christina

Lisnamult, Roscommon Who passed away on 12th February 2018 (6th Anniversary)

Tonebane, Four Mile House, Co. Roscommon (15th Anniversary)

Who passed away on 8th February 2020 (4th Anniversary)

Remembered by his wife Kathleen and family. Anniversary Mass in St. Patrick’s Church, Castlerea on Sunday, 11th February at 12 noon.

In loving memory of Tommy Trimble (9th Anniversary and his son, David Trimble (44th Anniversary) whose anniversaries occur at this time They say there is a reason, they say that time will heal but neither time nor reason will change the way we feel. For no one knows the heartache, that lies behind our smiles. No one knows how many times, we’ve broken down and cried. We want to tell you something, so there won’t be any doubt, your’re so wonderful to think of, but so hard to live without. Sadly missed by his wife Kathleen and family. Anniversary Mass in the Church of the Holy Rosary, Ballyleague on Sunday, 11th February at 11am.

Lisboy, Castlerea, Co. Roscommon

As each day dawns we think of you, as each night falls we pray for you and throughout our lives no matter where, in our hearts you are always there.

TRIMBLE Thomas & David

THANKSGIVINGS

Along the road of suffering you found a little lane, that took you up to Heaven and ended all your pain. You may be out of sight, we may be worlds apart. But you are always in our prayers and forever in our hearts. Forever loved and greatly missed by his wife Mary, son Niall, daughters Ursula and Caroline. Anniversary Mass in the Sacred Heart Church, Roscommon on Saturday, 10th February at 11am. online on http://www churchtv.ie/roscommon

FAMILY NOTICES • Anniversary Remembrance • Acknowledgements • Birthday Remembrance

Phone: (090) 66 34633 Email: advertising@roscommonpeople.ie

In loving memory of Chrissie, who died on the 8th of February, 2009. R.I.P.

If roses grow in Heaven Lord, please pick a bunch for me. Place them in my Mother’s arms and tell her they’re from me. Tell her I love her and miss her and when she turns to smile, place a kiss upon her cheek and hold her for a while. Because remembering her is easy, I do it every day, but there is an ache within my heart that will never go away.

Always in our thoughts and sadly missed by her family and friends. Anniversary Mass will be offered for Christina, John and deceased members of the Mullarkey family on Sunday, 11th February 2024 in St. Patrick’s Church, Ballinaheglish at 11a.m.

THE MIRACULOUS PRAYER Dear Heart of Jesus in the past I have asked you for many favours. This time I ask this special one. (mention it). Take it Dear Heart of Jesus and place it within your own broken heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour, not mine. Amen. Say this prayer three times, for three days, promise publication and favour will be granted. B.D. THE MIRACULOUS PRAYER Dear Heart of Jesus in the past I have asked you for many favours. This time I ask this special one. (mention it). Take it Dear Heart of Jesus and place it within your own broken heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour, not mine. Amen. Say this prayer three times, for three days, promise publication and favour will be granted. S.B. + J.B. UNFAILING NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT Holy Spirit, you who make me see everything and showed me the way to reach my ideals. You who gave me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me and you who are in all instances of my life with me. I want to thank you for everything and confirm once more that I never want to be separated from you no matter how great the material desire may be. I want to be with you and my loved ones in your Perpetual Glory. Amen. Mention your request. While making the request, promise to either publish this prayer to circulate the favour. Say prayer for three days. After the third day, the request will be granted. S.B. + J.B. THE MIRACULOUS PRAYER Dear Heart of Jesus in the past I have asked you for many favours. This time I ask this special one. (mention it). Take it Dear Heart of Jesus and place it within your own broken heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour, not mine. Amen. Say this prayer three times, for three days, promise publication and favour will be granted. E.C.

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

Classifieds

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FAMILYNOTICES ....ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND ANNIVERSARIES FEERICK John & Bridie Kinnity, Four Mile House.

ROGERSON Daniel (Danny) Jamestown, Four Roads, Co. Roscommon Passed away 10th February 2023 (1st Anniversary)

(5th Anniversary)

May John and Bridie Rest In Peace. Always loved and remembered by their loving family. Anniversary Mass in St. Brigid’s Church, Four Mile House on Friday, 9th February at 8pm.

STAUNTON Joan

Dysart, Co. Roscommon

Mote Park, Roscommon

Who passed away on the 11th February 2023

Who passed away on the 27th January 2022

(1st Anniversary)

(2nd Anniversary)

We did not see you close your eyes, we did not see you die, all we knew was that you were gone, without a last goodbye. It was a sudden parting, too bitter to forget, only those who loved you, are the ones who will never forget. The happy hours we once enjoyed, how sweet their memory still, but death has left a vacant place, this world can never fill. Your life was one of kindly deeds, a helping hand for other’s needs, sincere and true in heart and mind, beautiful memories left behind. Sadly missed by his loving family. Danny’s First Anniversary Mass will be celebrated in the Church of the Good Shepherd, Four Roads on Sunday, 11th February at 11am.

God called your name so softly, that only you could hear. And no one heard the footsteps, of angels drawing near. The golden gates stood open, God saw you needed rest, His garden must be beautiful, He only takes the best. Sadly missed by his loving family.

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Newtown Ballymacurley, Co. Roscommon. In loving memory of Tom and Nell Connolly, whose 3rd Anniversary occurs on 1st February and 26th February 2024 (3rd Anniversary)

(19th Anniversary)

So much in life has changed, so much in life is new. But one thing never changes is the love we have for you. Each of us in our own special way have loving thoughts of you today.

DONOHUE John

THANKSGIVINGS

CONNOLLY Tom and Nell

Gone are the days we used to share, but in our hearts you are always there. The gates of memory will never close, we miss you more than anyone knows. With tender love and deep regret, we who love you will never forget. Deeply missed and lovingly remembered by her three sons Luke, Gavin and Tomás, parents Ted and Mary, brothers and sisters, extended family and friends. Joan’s Second Anniversary Mass will take place in St. Patrick’s Church, Knockcroghery at 7pm on Saturday, 10th February 2024.

Loving memories never die, as years roll on and the days pass by. In our hearts a memory is kept of the ones we love and will never forget.

Forever in our hearts from Maureen, Tommie, Mark, Alan, Brenda, Gary, Shane and Niall.

We hold you close within our hearts and there you shall remain, to walk with us throughout our lives until we meet again.

Loved and remembered by Martin, Anne, Orla, Ciara and Rory.

Sunshine passes and shadows fall but love and memories outlast them all. You live in our hearts and walk by our side, from Heaven above you are always our guide. Unseen, unheard you are always near.

MEMORIAL CARDS Individually Designed and Printed

Loved and missed every day from daughter Nuala, Kevin, Donna, Stacey, Kelly and Sarah.

FLYNN Mamie (Mary)

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Knock, Taughmaconnell Whose 4th anniversary occurs on 8th February 2024.

Submit your Classified online

In loving memory of Mammy Though your smile is gone forever and your hand we cannot touch, we have so many memories of the one we loved so much. Your memory is our keepsake with which we will never part, God has you in his keeping, we have you in our hearts.

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Loved and remembered by her family Mary, sons Jimmy, Gerard and daughters Mary and Valerie, her grandchildren Padraic, Joseph, Lennon, Simon and Charlene Grehan and extended family.

advertising@ roscommonpeople.ie

Anniversary Mass in St. Ronan’s Church, Taughmaconnell on Sunday, 11th February at 11am.

090 66 34633

PRAYER TO ST. ANNE (TO OBTAIN SOME SPECIAL FAVOUR) Glorious St. Anne, filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer, heavily laden with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present affair which I recommend to you under your special protection. Vouchsafe to recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and lay it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted. (Here ask for favor you wish to obtain.) Above all, obtain for me the grace of one day beholding my God face to face, and with You and Mary and all the Saints, praising and blessing Him through all eternity. Amen. Good St. Anne, mother of her who is our life, our sweetness and our hope, pray to her for us and obtain our request. (Three times). A.K. Love’s Greatest Gift - Remembrance

In loving memory of our beloved mother Mamie, who passed away on 8th February 2020.

or alternatively call

PRAYER FOR THE INTERCESSION OF ST. PIO OF PIETRELCINA Dear God, You generously blessed Your servant, St. Pio of Pietrelcina, with the gifts of the Spirit. You marked his body with the five wounds of Christ Crucified, as a powerful witness to the saving Passion and Death of Your Son. Endowed with the gift of discernment, St. Pio labored endlessly in the confessional for the salvation of souls. With reverence and intense devotion in the celebration of Mass, he invited countless men and women to a greater union with Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Through the intercession of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, I confidently beseech You to grant me the grace of (here state your petition). Glory be to the Father… (three times). Amen. A.K.

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Sports PEOPLE Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

Hurlers travel to Tyrone buoyed by opening day win NHL Division 2B: Roscommon v Tyrone on Sunday in Carrickmore at 2 pm < SEAMUS DUKE

Roscommon’s Conor Cox takes a shot during the Allianz NFL Division One match against Galway last Sunday in Dr Hyde Park. Pic: Bernie O’Farrell

Roscommon hurlers, fresh from their excellent opening win against London in Athleague last weekend, will travel to Tyrone this Sunday hoping for another brace of league points. New Roscommon manager Kevin Sammon is looking forward to this weekend’s challenge after last Sunday’s good display. “We were very happy with how we played last Sunday. It was a very good win against a strong London team. I was delighted with the positive attitude of the Roscommon

Can ladies maintain winning run? Lidl Ladies NFL Division Three: Roscommon v Clare in Ennis on Sunday at 2 pm < SEAMUS DUKE

Two unbeaten teams, who are on top of the league ta-

ble, will be meeting in Ennis on Sunday in a match that could have a major bearing on who will be promoted from the division this year. Roscommon have won both their games so far – at home to Down and Louth – while Clare have beaten Wexford and Sligo.

Clare went all the way to the All-Ireland intermediate final in 2023, losing by a single point to Kildare in a thrilling encounter. They will be formidable opponents for Roscommon on Sunday. Roscommon will be hoping that all their main players will be in top form on

Sunday. Laura Fleming has once again been outstanding, and with the likes of Rachel Fitzmaurice, Helena Cummins, Aisling Feely, Aisling Hanly, Caoimhe Cregg and Kate Nolan all playing well, there is a good momentum built up under manager Ollie Lennon and his selectors.

Roscommon were defeated by Clare in an All-Ireland quarter-final a couple of years ago and they can reverse that result if they produce their best form on Sunday. Prediction: Roscommon.

players and hopefully we can carry that into Sunday’s game” he said. The Roscommon manager is expecting a tough battle with Tyrone. “They will be a strong, physical side and at home they will be hoping to win. But we know that if we can get two more points we will be very close to keeping our status in this division, which is our big aim. “We have no injuries and should have a full squad to pick from on Sunday which is very positive” he concluded. Tyrone have been excellent in the past few years, but Roscommon have momentum after an excellent win against London and are well capable of winning. Prediction: Roscommon.

GAA results Allianz NFL Division One Roscommon 0-9 Galway 0-9 Allianz NHL Division 2A Roscommon 0-24 London 1-15

GAA fixtures Sunday, February 11th Lidl Ladies NFL Division Three At Cusack Park, Ennis: Clare v Roscommon. 2 pm Allianz NHL Division 2A At Healy Park, Omagh: Tyrone v Roscommon. 2 pm

O’Rourke sisters in quarter-final action Boxing sisters Aoife and Lisa O’Rourke from Castlerea are both in quarterfinal action this afternoon at the 75th Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Bulgaria. Aoife O’Rourke was victorious over Lovlina Borgohain from India on

Monday in the 75kg division after Borgohain was disqualified in the final round due to a deduction of three points during the fight. Aoife will face Poland’s Elzbieta Wojcik in today’s quarter-final, the same fighter whom she

defeated in the semi-final of the European Championships last summer on her way to winning gold. On Tuesday, her younger sister Lisa, who was fighting for the first time since winning gold at a tournament in Poland late last year, defeated

Thailand’s Janjaema Suwannapheng in the 66kg division and will fight Poland’s Aneta Rygielska in the quarter-final. The O’Rourke sisters will feature in the afternoon session today which begins at 12 pm Irish time.

Castlerea sisters Aoife and Lisa O’Rourke are both in quarter-final action this afternoon at the 75th Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Bulgaria. Pic: Brian Farrell

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

SportsPeople Creggs RFC Report

THE GAIN LINE Best wishes to Castlerea St. Kevin’s from

Big win for Creggs in J1A League Creggs dashed Castlebar’s ‘top three’ league ambitions with a scintillating display of attacking rugby on the Creggs 4G pitch last Saturday evening. Castlebar opened the scoring with an early penalty before Brian Diffley crossed in the 8th minute for the first of Creggs’ ten tries. By half-time, Creggs led 24-8. During an increasingly one-sided second half Shane Purcell scored two tries while his brother Mark, Lee Kilcoyne and Chris Duignan (2) also crossed for spectacular tries during a fine exhibition of running rugby. To their credit Castlebar did score two tries in the second half but Creggs ran out comfortable winners on a scoreline of 62-20. Creggs Seconds: A last-minute penalty secured a 20 points to 17 victory for Galwegians over Creggs in a highly competitive J1C league game played in Glenina on Sunday. With time almost up, Creggs were level at 17-17, but they conceded a penalty on the 50-metre line which was converted and gave Galwegians the victory in the cruellest of fashion from our lads’ perspective. U-16 Boys: Creggs U-16 boys team replayed their Division 1 league final against Buccaneers in Tuam last Saturday. Buccs came out strongly and scored three tries in the first 15 minutes which seemed to stun Creggs who went in at half-time 38-0 down. The Creggs team showed great resolve and were rewarded with two tries of their own to finish the game 38-14. U-16 Girls: Creggs U-16 girls played a friendly against Longford RFC on Monday (in Creggs) as they prepare for the cup in a couple of weeks. Longford came out on top 22-7 with lots to work on for Creggs.

U-14 Girls: Creggs U-14 girls hosted Corinthians in a friendly match in Creggs last Sunday. Both teams played well but it was the Creggs girls who came out with the victory as they build for their upcoming cup game against Loughrea. Mini Section: Last weekend was a busy one for our Minis with our U-7s, U-8s, U-9s and U-10s on the road and our U12s taking part in a blitz in Creggs. Creggs RFC U-7s travelled to Athlone to play in an U-7 blitz last Saturday. Creggs RFC hosted an Connacht U-12 blitz, also on Saturday morning, which involved over 350 boys and girls from Carrick-on-Shannon, Ballinasloe, Loughrea, Monivea, Buccaneers, Ballyhaunis, Castlebar, Westport, Galway Bay, Portumna and Galwegians. Finally, Creggs U-8s, U-9s and U-10s travelled to Westport on Saturday for a blitz. Huge thanks to all our coaches, parents, helpers, referees and TY students who make these days special in the lives of our children and club. Lotto: The club jackpot was not won and next week’s jackpot is €12,000. The lucky dip winner was the Whyte family. Please join to support our busy club at www.creggsrugby.ie or via any committee member. This week’s fixtures: At time of going to press the below fixtures have been confirmed for the coming weekend: Creggs Senior Women play OLBC RFC in the Connacht Women’s Senior League next Sunday in the Dexcom Stadium, Galway at 12 pm; Creggs U-16s take on Sligo RFC in the 1st round of the cup at 12.45 pm next Saturday in Sligo; Creggs U-14s take on Ballinrobe in the 1st round of the cup in Creggs next Saturday at 1.30 pm; Creggs U-14 girls play a friendly against Westport next Saturday at 5 pm. Creggs seconds have their next J1C league game against OLBC RFC this weekend with date and time to be confirmed.

(Above) The Creggs J1A squad pictured before their game against Castlebar last Saturday evening. Pic: Steve Fahey (Right) Some members of the Creggs girls U-12s squad pictured at the Connacht U-12 blitz in Creggs last Saturday. (Below) Creggs U-16s pictured ahead of their Division 1 final replay against Buccaneers last Saturday. Pic: Steve Fahey

Best wishes to Castlerea St. Kevin’s from

BUCCANEERS RFC

Michael Cleary receives his honorary life membership of Buccaneers RFC from Tom Meagher during a recent function in The Bounty.

Buccs away to Old Wesley on Saturday Buccaneers travel to Dublin on Saturday where they face Old Wesley in the latest round of the Division 1B Energia AllIreland League. Kick-off at Energia Park is 2.30 pm. Teams are now entering the final straight of this season’s campaign with just six fixtures remaining and the Pirates dearly need to start transferring close calls into wins and will be hoping they can make it a double over the city side. Buccs win Connacht U-16 title: Buccaneers U-16s captured the Connacht League Division

One title when they defeated Creggs 38-14 at Tuam on Saturday. On a bright afternoon, Buccs hit the ground running in this replay and had a firm grip on the trophy early in the proceedings with the Pirates holding a commanding 38-0 lead at half-time. It was not all one-way traffic in the second half with Creggs scoring an early converted try but they found it very difficult to add to their tally, a second converted try coming too late to affect the outcome. Buccs were sublime in the

opening period and, despite not adding to their tally in the second half, they richly deserved winning the final. Buccaneers U-20s: A greatly improved second-half effort by Buccaneers U-20s helped them to a hard-earned 25-10 JP Fanagan Leinster League Premier 2 Division victory over Greystones at windswept Dubarry Park on Sunday. Buccaneers Seconds: Buccaneers Seconds completed their Connacht Junior 1B League campaign with an impressive 25-13 bonus point victory over

Ballyhaunis at Tooraree on Sunday. Buccaneers U-15s: Buccaneers travelled to Creggs last Sunday and came away with the win. Honorary life membership: Long-serving Buccs stalwart Michael Cleary was conferred with Honorary Life Membership of Buccaneers Rugby Football Club at a recent wellattended function in The Bounty. Michael said he was greatly humbled to accept this honour and he received a standing ovation from the large attendance.

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

SportsPeople

Grade 1 clean sweep for WP Mullins Horses for Courses Willie Mullins had nine winners at the Dublin Racing Festival and won all eight Grade 1 races. It did not take long for last week’s warning here – to beware he may not always win with the favourite – to be vindicated. Five of his favourites were beaten by stablemates. His nephew Danny Mullins won the opening three Grade 1 races aboard Dancing City at 16/1 in the Novice Hurdle, Kargese at 7/2 in the Juvenile Hurdle and Il Etait Temps at 6/1 in the Arkle Chase where Marine National was a disappointing 4/7 favourite. Stable jockey Townend finished second on the favourite in the first two races and he finished third on the second favourite in the third race. Mullins and Townend were on the mark in the Gold Cup with Galopin Des Champs at 1/3, who gained revenge on Fastorslow. Gordon Elliott won the handicap hurdle with Maxxum at 28/1, the English raider Madara won the handicap chase for Sophie Leech and the Grade 2 bumper went to the Emmet Mullins trained Jeroboam Machin

where WP Mullins horses were second and third. Jeroboam Machin was made favourite after the win for the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham but was scratched on Tuesday with an injury. Sunday started with a 20/1 winner, Brucio, in the Mares Handicap Hurdle trained by Stuart Crawford. WP won the next four Grade 1 races, including the Novice Chase (a 2-horse rac) by the outsider Fact To File ridden by Mark Walsh, where the 4/7 favourite Gaelic Warrior, ridden by Townend, was unseated at the last when beaten. Townend was aboard the next oddson favourites with Ballyburn winning the Novice Hurdle, El Fabiolo the Dublin Chase, and State Man the Champion Hurdle. Harry Rogers struck for the small stables winning the listed Handicap Hurdle with 40/1 shot Lord Erskine defying his eleven years. WP was again on the mark in the Grade 2 bumper with the 10/1 shot Fluer Au Fusil ridden by Townend’s sister Jodi.

by Tom Red

This weekend’s racing Irish racing this weekend starts today (Thursday) at Thurles with tapes away for the first at 1.20 pm. Tomorrow evening (Friday) the racing action is on the all-weather at Dundalk with stall for the first opening at 4 pm. On Saturday the racing takes place at Naas featuring the Listed Opera Hat Mares Chase starting at 1.20 pm and on Sunday at Navan with a 1.45 pm start with the Boyne Hurdle and Ten Up Novice Chase.

Racing on TV Terrestrial TV racing coverage starts on Saturday with ITV3 covering four races from Newbury, including the Denman Chase and the Game Spirit Chase (both Grade 2 races), and three from Warwick.

64 Irish trained entries for Aintree Entries for the Grand National were announced the week with 64 Irish

State Man and Paul Townend give WP Mullins his 8th Grade 1 win.

trained among the 94 entries. Gordon Elliott, three-time winner of the race with Silver Birch and twice with Tiger Roll, has a record 26 entries for fourteen different owners and WP Mullins has thirteen entered for nine owners.

Hardy Eustace dies The death of dual Champion Hurdle winner Hardy Eustace at the age of 27 was announced this week. He was trained by the late Dessie Hughes and

won 14 of 48 races including the Sun Alliance Novice Hurdle in 2003 and the Champion Hurdle in 2004 and 2005 at the Cheltenham Festival.

Racing news Gordon Elliott lost Caldwell Potters from his yard when he was sold at the Caldwell Construction dispersal sales on Monday for a record €750k. The horse is going to Paul Nicholls, bought for a British syndicate which includes Alex Ferguson.

SPORTS DESK Paul Healy

Wind woes, but it was a precious point… Your favourite local sports column (that’s us here; Sports Desk) hereby formally extends a sympathetic ‘It’s okay, we understand’ to all Roscommon and Galway footballers who played any part in last Sunday’s windsponsored National Football League game at Dr Hyde Park. Conditions really were very bad, with the strong winds making shooting (and foot-passing) extremely difficult. So, a free pass then to all who struggled to freely pass (or shoot)… Watching from the stand on the Athlone Road side, I heard a few groans (in fairness, not too many) as supporters endured a fairly tedious game, but

it really must have been so, so difficult to try and play constructive football in such conditions. In the end, I thought it was great that Roscommon secured their first point of this season’s league campaign, because it was looking very bad entering the final nine or ten minutes of normal time, at which stage the home side were a man down, and playing against the unforgiving wind. To emerge with a draw from that position was a very good outcome for Roscommon (Galway did have a player black-carded a few minutes after Donie Smith was sent off). Galway seemed to settle earliest, and had an edge possession-wise during undistinguished opening exchanges. It looked ominous for the home team, but thankfully early substitute Conor

Roscommon supporters Pauric and Jason McDermott pictured with John, James and Trevor Farrell at Dr Hyde Park last Sunday ahead of the Allianz NFL Division One match between Roscommon and Galway. Pic: Bernie O’Farrell

Pictured during a recent boxing event at The Hub in Castlerea were Zoe Joyce and Emilia Konieczka from Castlerea Boxing Club, John Waldron and Emily Callaghan from Loughglynn Boxing Club and Riley May Cox from Gateway Boxing Club. Pic: Bernie O’Farrell

Cox judged a few pressure kicks superbly well and three scores from his boot meant Roscommon had a threepoint half-time lead (0-7 to 0-4). Galway predictably closed the gap, before scores from Ben O’Carroll and Diarmuid Murtagh lifted the hardworking home team, Roscommon now 0-9 to 0-7 ahead, 53 minutes having elapsed. It still looked ominous for Davy Burke’s men, given the general rhythm of the game, with Galway more direct, Roscommon opting for patience before profit. Galway closed the gap to one, then came Donie Smith’s instinctive reaction to Paul Conroy’s overzealous attention, the Boyle man seeing red. Galway drew level, and while an ambitious late Roscommon attempt at a winner went wide, it was Paraic Joyce’s team that looked marginally more likely to win it. It ended with honours even, which I would suggest was probably a relief for Roscommon on the day. A word for Eoin McCormack, who made some notable penetrating runs, on a

day when Roscommon’s laboured and conservative approach occasionally tested the patience of the home crowd. All told, not an ideal day for football, and Roscommon’s resilience delivered a badly-needed point. Onwards and upwards!

Six Nations’ opening weekend didn’t disappoint The Six Nations never disappoints. The great tournament kicked off last weekend and offered up the usual mix of entertainment and drama. Performance of the weekend came in Marseille, where Ireland were magnificent in their comprehensive win over a somewhat lacklustre French side. The French went into this clash of the heavyweights as slight favourites. For the Irish, defeat might not have represented an early end to their championship hopes, but it would have put paid to ambitions of securing back-to-back Grand Slams.

Andy Farrell’s team produced a superb, impeccably disciplined performance. Our lineout was flawless, our finishing clinical. A bonus-point win (featuring five tries) away to France certainly constitutes setting down a championship marker that will have all upcoming opponents wondering just how they can stop this very formidable Irish side. After Friday’s brilliance by Ireland in France, the opening weekend’s two remaining games took place on Saturday. England won a little more comfortably away to Italy than the final scoreline (24-21) might suggest. Wales v Scotland was wonderful entertainment, for neutrals at least. Scotland led 27-0 and were coasting. Then, during 20 frantic minutes in the second half, Wales scored four tries. Suddenly, Scotland were reeling, and Wales were on the cusp of producing one of the greatest comebacks in history. However, Warren Gatland’s men ran out of time, and a very relieved Scotland edged it, 27-26. This Sunday, Ireland host Italy in the Aviva Stadium, with a 3 pm start.

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

SportsPeople

Canning and Quinn make impressive debuts as Roscommon open with win

National Hurling League Division 2B Roscommon 0-24 London 1-15

Roscommon brushed off any cobwebs that may have been lingering from last year with a great win over London in this Division 2B hurling clash at a windy Waldron Park in Athleague on Sunday afternoon. With a new management team in place under the guidance of Clare native Kevin Sammon, the Rossies prevailed on a scoreline of 0-24 to 1-15. The exiles didn’t help their cause as two of their players were sent to the line on red cards. Kevin Reid (in the 36th minute) and Jack Goulding (in the 59th minute) were both dispatched. Roscommon, with Sean Canning and Conor Mulry in fine form up front – supported by

excellent free-taking from Paddy Fallon – built up an impressive 0-16 to 0-7 by half-time, having playing with the strong breeze. An interesting aspect of this game relates to the two debutants that started for Roscommon. They were Sean Canning, at the sprightly young age of 19, and Brendan Quinn, who turns 39 years young in two weeks’ time. Sean Canning is a nephew of Joe Canning and plies his trade with Padraig Pearses in the Roscommon Senior Hurling Championship. Sean started off his club senior hurling career with a bang last year, scoring three sideline cuts in a single game against St Dominic’s in the Senior League. No doubt Sean has been under the wing of uncle Joe for a number of years now. Sean scored three points from play at full-forward against London on Sunday and won many frees with his explosive speed and hurling prowess.

At the other end of the field was Gort native Brendan Quinn, making his county debut in goals for Roscommon. Brendan, who has been playing his club hurling with Roscommon Gaels for a number of years now, switched to goals two years ago due to injuries and the travelling commitments of other players. It transpired to be an inspirational story, with Brendan winning many plaudits for his appearances for the Gaels in last year’s Senior Hurling Championship. Indeed he took the winning injury-time free against Oran in the round-robin stages of the Roscommon SHC to give Roscommon Gaels their first ever win over Oran. Now on the back of those impressive performances, he has been chosen as the number one goalie in the county for Roscommon at the bright young age of 38.

With Brendan’s 39th birthday coming up later this month, it may well be a record for the oldest county debutant in the country, and an inspirational one for younger players coming through. Brendan represented Connacht in last year’s All-Ireland Senior Puc Fada competition. After winning out Roscommon and becoming runner-up in Connacht itself, Brendan has really proved that age is only a number.

Roscommon: Brendan Quinn; Mark Ward, James Dillon, Jason Martin; Darragh Finn, Conor Cosgrove, Adam Donnelly (01); Mickey Joe Egan (0-4), Jack Donnelly; Robbie Fallon (0-2), Declan Leonard (0-1), Brendan Mulry; Paddy Fallon (0-10, 9 frees), Sean Canning (0-3), Conor Mulry (0-2). Subs: Cian Murray (0-1) for Leonard, Mike Hussey for Fallon, Jimmy Hoey for Finn, Cormac Mulry for Conor Mulry.

Brendan Quinn (left) and Sean Canning (right) who both made their debut for the Roscommon senior hurlers on Sunday afternoon against London in the Allianz National Hurling League. Pic: Padraic Mulry (Roscommon Hurling Board PRO)

Roscommon Darts League update

tts u p t r o h S (News from local golf clubs)

CARRICK-ON-SHANNON

The Hannon’s Hotelsponsored Roscommon Darts League continued last weekend with some great darts on show. Here are the results: Sportsman’s 3 Hollywood 4 (4-4 on bonus points); Dalton’s 1 Flanagan’s 6; An Bothar Rua 6 The Holly Tree 1; Cosy Bar 3 Spell’s 4. League Darts continues this coming weekend with the following fixtures: Holly Tree v McDermott’s, Cosy Bar v Sportsman’s, Flanagan’s v An Bothar Rua, Dalton’s v Village Inn, Spells v Hollywood. West Coast Challenge: Off the back of a successful West Coast Challenge held recently in the Abbey Hotel, Roscommon Darts wishes to congratulate all the winning teams at the event.

Congratulations to all who completed round one of the Flynn’s Bar-sponsored Spring League. The following are all the team results – Team 1: 73 pts; Team 2: 84 pts; Team 3: 99 pts; Team 4: 84 pts; Team 5: 78 pts; Team 6: 79 pts; Team 7: 89 pts; Team 8: 87 pts; Team 9: 87 pts; Team 10: 82 pts; Team 11: 83 pts. The best ladies score was 21 pts set by Melissa Collins and the best gents score was 23 pts set by Damien Quigley. After round one, Phil McWeeney’s Team 3 have a ten-point lead with an excellent score of 99 pts. Round two runs until Sunday, February 11th. All team captains must ensure that all team players play at least once a week. The lotto jackpot is €2,250. This week’s winner of €30 was Margaret Killoran.

Soccer fixtures Friday, February 9th RDFL Premier Division Castlerea Celtic v St John’s Athletic. 8 pm

Saturday, February 10th

Adrian Grealy of sponsors the Abbey Hotel pictured with the Cavan women’s team who won the outright championship in the West Coast Darts Challenge held at the Abbey Hotel recently.

Here’s a summary of how the Roscommon Youths and Ladies competitions unfolded at the recent tournament. Roscommon Youths: Both Roscommon teams progressed to the Shield from a tough group; Roscommon B losing out to Mayo B 3-0 and Roscommon A losing out to Donegal B 3-1, both

at the semi-final stage. These are both young teams, even as youths teams go, so valuable experience was gained and this will surely stand to them in the future. Roscommon Ladies: A superb effort from our ladies in their first competitive event. Placed in a group of five, the results read as follows:

Roscommon 3 Mayo B 4, Limerick 5 Roscommon 2, Clare B 5 Roscommon 2, Cavan 6 Roscommon 1. This placed the ladies in a Shield preliminary fixture where they lost out 4-1 against a strong Donegal team who went on to compete in the Shield final.

RDFL Premier Division Boyle Celtic v CP Ajax. 8 pm RDFL Reserve League Shiven Rovers v Boyle Celtic. 12 pm Skyvalley Rovers v Ballinagare Manor. 12 pm CP Ajax v Roscommon Utd. 12 pm Moore Utd v Dunmore Town. 12 pm

Sunday, February 11th CFA Women’s Cup quarter-finals Corrib Celtic v Cam Celtic. 2 pm Kilkerrin United v Swinford FC. 2 pm RDFL Premier Division Ballaghaderreen v Shiven Rovers. 2 pm Ballinasloe Town v Moore Utd. 2 pm RDFL First Division Ballinagare Manor v Glen Celtic. 11 am Moylough ‘79 v Ballymoe. 11 am Skyvalley Rovers v St John’s Athletic B. 11 am RDFL Second Division Rahara Rovers v St Cuan’s Utd/Ahascragh. 11 am Cloonfad Utd v Kilkerrin Utd. 11 am Ballaghaderreen B v Cam/Dysart. 11 am RDFL Women’s League Castlerea Celtic v Ballinasloe Town. 2 pm St Cuan’s Utd/Ahascragh v Ballaghaderreen. 2 pm

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

SportsPeople Best wishes to Castlerea St. Kevin’s from

Roscommon’s Donie Smith gets past Galway’s Paul Conroy during Sunday’s Allianz NFL Division One match in Dr Hyde Park. Pic: Bernie O’Farrell

Roscommon embrace first league point after drab draw in windswept Hyde Allianz National Football League Division One Roscommon 0-9 Galway 0-9 < SEAMUS DUKE

Eoin McCormack in action for Roscommon during Sunday’s Allianz NFL Division One match against Galway in Dr Hyde Park. Pic: Bernie O’Farrell

Teams & scorers Roscommon: Conor Carroll; Robbie Dolan, David Murray, Niall Higgins; Niall Daly, Ruaidhrí Fallon (0-1), Eoin McCormack; Enda Smith, Dylan Ruane; Cian Connolly, Donie Smith, Daire Cregg (0-1); Diarmuid Murtagh (0-1, free), Ciaran Lennon, Ben O’Carroll (0-1). Subs: Conor Cox (0-5, 4 frees) for Lennon (9), Brian Stack for Connolly (29), Keith Doyle for Ruane (43), James Fitzpatrick for Cregg (64), Evan Flynn for Dolan (70), Andy Glennon for Murtagh (70). Galway: Connor Gleeson; Johnny McGrath, Seán Fitzgerald, Eoghan Kelly; Dylan McHugh, John Daly, Seán Mulkerrin; Paul Conroy (0-1, free), John Maher; Kieran Molloy (0-1), Matthew Tierney (0-2, 1 free), Cathal Sweeney; Liam O Conghaile, Robert Finnerty (0-2, frees), Cillian O Curraoin (0-3, 2 frees). Subs: Johnny Heaney for Kelly (38), Cian Darcy for O Curraoin (55), Jack McCabe for Finnerty (61), Patrick Egan for Mulkerrin (70). Referee: Conor Lane (Cork).

When 2024 comes to a close, last Sunday’s encounter at Dr Hyde Park between old rivals Galway and Roscommon will not be recalled as one of the highlights of the year. The gale-force wind which blew towards the cemetery end of the ground mitigated against the teams being able to play any kind of constructive football – and so it proved. The low-scoring draw that ensued was probably a fair result. It was a tough arm wrestle all through. Scores were at a premium and defences were on top. Galway did have a few chances to win it late on, but Roscommon had earned their point. In fact it could be argued that both sides played better against the wind than with it. A big crowd had gathered to see this latest clash

between the sides. The St Brigid’s players were back with Roscommon, Robbie Dolan, Ruaidhri Fallon and Ben O’Carroll starting and Brian Stack coming on shortly before half-time. Roscommon played with the aid of the wind in the opening half. Galway, who came to town determined to prove that their abject performance against Mayo the previous week was a one-off, got stuck in from the throw-in. The visitors bossed the midfield exchanges and rarely allowed Roscommon any room on the ball. It was tough going for the home side as they struggled to take advantage of the conditions. Conor Cox (who came on as a 9th minute substitute for the injured Ciaran Lennon) scored two frees, and, added to fine points from Daire Cregg and Ruaidhri Fallon, it meant that Roscommon and Galway were locked together at 0-4 apiece by the 28th minute. The highlight for the Tribesmen was a magnificent converted free from Matthew Tierney from out near the sideline in the 23rd

minute, the ball kicked into the teeth of the gale. Roscommon did find some welcome momentum before the half-time break, Conor Cox kicking three points (two frees) in the final six minutes of the half to give the home side some breathing space. They went in leading by 0-7 to 0-4 at the break. Galway were first to strike in the second half with pointed frees from Rob Finnerty and Cillian O Currain narrowing the gap to one by the 44th minute. Roscommon were digging in well and just as Galway did in the opening half, they were battling hard in the tough conditions. Ben O’Carroll kicked a super point in the 47th minute and when Diarmuid Murtagh converted a free in the 51st, Roscommon were three points to the good. As it happens, the home side were not to score again. Galway, desperately trying to retrieve the situation, closed the gap to one, Kieran Molloy kicking a super point in the 53rd minute and Matthew Tierney on target from 40 metres a minute later.

In the 61st minute Donie Smith was shown a red card for an altercation with Paul Conroy, meaning Roscommon were down to 14 men. Three minutes later Galway were also reduced to 14 players when sub Jack McCabe was blackcarded for a trip on a Roscommon opponent. Galway had a couple of bad wides (from Tierney and Johnny Heaney) before Paul Conroy kicked the equaliser with a 40-metre free. When referee Conor Lane blew the final whistle there were no real complaints from either side as a draw was probably the fairest outcome. Roscommon played well in patches on the day but their conservative approach was frustrating to

watch at times as this was a game that they could have won if they had shown a little bit more ambition when on the ball. Eoin McCormack had a super match all through while Davy Murray, Niall Daly, Ben O’Carroll and Daire Cregg were the best of the rest. For Galway, Paul Conroy had a very effective outing while Sean Fitzgerald, Eoin Kelly and Matthew Tierney were also impactful on the day. Roscommon now turn their attentions to Croke Park and a match against Dublin on Saturday week. After losing both their opening matches the AllIreland champions will not want to lose a third game. It will be a difficult assignment for Roscommon.

Stat Attack Wides: Roscommon 10 (7, first half ); Galway 5 (1, first half ) Red cards: Roscommon 1 (Donie Smith, 61); Galway 0 Black cards: Roscommon 0; Galway 1 (Jack McCabe, 64) Yellow cards: Roscommon 1 (Davy Murray); Galway 3 (Johnny McGrath, Sean Fitzgerald, Cillian O Currain) Attendance: 6,128 Man of the Match: Eoin McCormack (Roscommon)

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

SportsPeople

Best wishes to Castlerea St. Kevin’s from

Donie Smith and Séan Fitzgerald in action during Sunday’s Allianz NFL Division One match between Roscommon and Galway in Dr Hyde Park. Pic: Bernie O’Farrell

Roscommon’s James Fitzpatrick in action during Sunday’s Allianz NFL Division One match against Galway in Dr Hyde Park. Pic: Bernie O’Farrell

‘There’s ten points left for us – we’ll be going for every one of them’ < SEAMUS DUKE

Relief that there was at least one league point on the board after an exceptionally tough encounter was the overriding emotion for Roscommon manager Davy Burke after Sunday’s game, with the very windy conditions being the main talking point. “It was very, very tough out there. Usually when you have a big, strong wind with you it’s obviously a big advantage. I’m not sure how much of an advantage it was today. You saw Galway struggle in the second half to score, and we did the same. “It was nearly impossible to score in both ends. So it is what it is. We’re both (Roscommon and Galway) off the ground. There was two points there for us to win and for ten minutes there was two points there for us to lose. We got one”. The Roscommon manager was glad to have the St Brigid’s lads back in the fold. “Yeah, and there’s three or four more Brigid’s lads to come back on top of that too. We’ve four or five lads to return to play as well so I’d say come championship there will be seven or eight changes to both sides”. Burke said that he couldn’t clearly see the red-card incident which led to Donie Smith being sent off late on. “I’m not even sure what he did, I’m not just saying it. I didn’t see it clearly. There was a big hit by Paul (Conroy) that I thought could have been dealt with but wasn’t. I didn’t see it. If he hit him, he hit him. I didn’t see it. I’m sure some cameraman has it somewhere”. In terms of the current and future status of the league campaign, the Roscommon manager had this to say. “It’s hard to read it. Look at last night in Castlebar, last-minute score (by Mayo, to win). You look at today, a drawn game. Every game is tight. Honestly, I believe every game in this division is 50/50. We’re going to Croke Park thinking we’re going to win. If we don’t win, it’s not good enough. “Dublin went to Castlebar last night (Saturday) to win and they lost by a point. You have the best eight teams in Ireland playing each other every week. You’re going to win some and you’re going to lose some”. And finally, in terms of the clash with Dublin on Saturday week? “Yeah, it gets easier, doesn’t it?! Dublin have no point on the board, we have one. I’m sure it’ll be 50/50. There’s ten points left in this division for us – we’ll be going for every one of them” he concluded.

Roscommon manager Davy Burke and selector Lar Wall pictured during Sunday’s Allianz NFL Division One match between Roscommon and Galway in Dr Hyde Park. Pic: Bernie O’Farrell

‘Contact seems to have gone out of game’ – Joyce < SEAMUS DUKE

While happy that his team had improved on a very poor performance against Mayo the previous weekend, Galway manager Paraic Joyce was still rueing late missed opportunities that could have secured both points for the visitors. “It was terrible (the conditions) out there but the same for both sides in fairness. Look, it was hard to play decent football with the wind there and hard to attack against the wind obviously. It was just a tough game and every time a lad got touched on both sides there were frees given. I don’t know… contact seems to have gone out of the game today. It is what it is. “All we can do is assess it from last week and definitely from our performance last week it came up a few notches. We saw a bit of passion there today and a bit of aggression (that) we didn’t see last week. “On the flip side, we had three wides from (between) our last score at the end and full-time plus (we) turned the ball over, gave it away. We lost our coolness a bit at the end. We broke down Roscommon at the end and just handpassed it away straight away again. That for me is disappointing, just taking the wrong decision in the high-pressure situations, as we call them”. As to Galway’s current league position (one point from two games) he said: “We were in the same position last year. We have one point out of four. We didn’t do too badly (last year). Tyrone away in two weeks’ time is the challenge now”.

Roscommon People Friday 09 February 2024

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