St. Patrick's Day - 2007

A Crowded Day: St. Patrick’s Day turned out to be a busy day for me with quite a number of items of interest happening. The fact that they were running concurrently made it somewhat difficult to fully embrace them all. The weather was something of a spoilsport but the schedule still prevailed. My first ‘event’ was attendance at 9.30 Mass. The special programme, with a St.Patrick’s Day theme of course, including traditional music and Folk Group renditions set the day off to an appropriate start. The lack of shamrock and the national colours being worn was disappointing. I must do much better myself in this respect next year.

The Dublin Parade on Television acted as an early backdrop but it was really a day in which a pot pourri of participating in the town parade and a feast of T.V. sport made it a memorable day. First out to bat were the Irish Rugby Team in the sunshine of Rome. When I had to abandon this game Ireland had not gotten out of the lower gears, Ireland 13 Italy 12. ( The Final result Ireland 51 Italy 24)

Part Two, The Parade:
I was on official duty as M.C. for the Boyle St. Patrick’s Day Parade. I received the ‘running order’ of The Parade Floats from my liason officer of the day, Sean Daly. At Carty’s garage, as the bleak weather tried to rain on the parade, I tried to do some background homework talking to some of the float and parading groups, Lena McLoughlin of The Family Life Centre, Kathleen Hanmore, (A Lady For All Seasons), Sarah-Jane Daly and The Arts Workshop Group. It was then back to the reviewing stand having made some last minute sound alterations with the effervescent and finely bedecked Richie Burke. The Committee seemed to have such confidence in the M.C. that they made no serious intervention at the reviewing point. Soon it was time for a coalition of V.I.P.’s to assume their reviewing- stand positions.

'A' Coy of the 56 the Battalion led the parade with their usual aplomb and took the salute from Commandent Pat Bruen and Captain Danny Tiernan. My printed schedule got a quick test when item number two ‘A Donkey and Cart’ turned out to be ‘St. Patrick leading a Lhama’. From then on improvisation ruled. Cartys ‘Men in Black’ theme was fetching and Bertie looked well cast in the shades. Item number 13 on the pre-parade list was titled ‘ Apostolets’ (C. Brady). This had many possibilities. Christy turned up on ‘The Mobile Bar’. What connection this had with ‘Apostolets’ only Christy could translate. McGovern Plant Hire displayed an almost science fiction looking machine. The Family Life Centre went to a lot of trouble with a fine and overall prize-winning float, ‘bringing colour and support to the community’. The basketball group included a number of personnel from Lithunania, Latvia and Poland (as jack Charlton once said ‘those Balkan countries’!) with veteran coaches Geno Mattimoe and Joe Kennedy. Boyle Music Fest were there, already advertising their August Festival. The Fishing Club continued their traditional strong float entry. There were Elvis Presleys, Pink Elephants and St. Patricks (one with two dodgy looking angels). Boyle Marching Band did their colourful thing as the Conroy Family from Forest View turned up in several guises. The kids were out in force with Community Games, Scouts, Brownies, Cubs, Guides and footballers. D.J. Richie with his dancers did a twirl in front of the reviewing stand. A serious message was conveyed, in a stark symbolism, regarding the closures of various employment opportunities in the town. A fine crowd had come to town and despite the weather the humour and atmosphere were upbeat. The photographers, Mary, Christy, Sean, Donie and company snapped busily away while ‘moving picture’ impresario Peter Hanberry worked his medium. The prizes were presented to the winners; ‘The Family Life Centre’, ‘The Arts Project’, ‘Ladies U 14 Football’, ‘The Mobile Bar’ with ‘Brogans’ scooping the ‘Best Window’ display.
One of the objects of the exercise was to ensure that the town was ‘alive’ for the day. When I visited Daly’s Bar after the official duties this was very much in evidence and this was replicated through the town and is endorsed in the realboyle Guest Book. In Daly’s I saw the highlights of Ireland’s champagne performance against Italy and the dodgy French try which meant that Ireland were denied the Six Nations Championship.

Part Three, Later on the Home Couch:
While I could not avoid hearing the results of The All-Ireland Club Championships in Croke Park I had to wait until 8 o’clock to see highlights on R.T.E. as Crokes drew with Crossmaglenn and Ballyhale Shamrocks, with King Henry (Shevlin), overcoming Loughrea. In the interval I paid a distracted attention to the Wales win over England but never got ‘into it’. Paddy Ryan on his Shannonside traditional music programme ‘Green Groves’ rightly lamented how R.T.E. had given so little attention to Irish traditional culture on the National Day. I do not know if I can say too much in that regard following my reaction after a Nine O Clock News alert on the positive progress and dramatic possibilities of the Irish Cricket Team in Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaca in The Cricket World Cup versus thoroughbred cricketeers Pakistan. I hotfoot it to my neighbours, O’Donohoes, to watch the climax of one of the greatest sporting achievements by an Irish team. Despite a few wobbles and an abysmal Pakistan performance Ireland emerged victorious, a bit like Boyle Celtic defeating Manchester United.