|
|
 |
You are > Home > The welcome is always warm in Erris
|
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
The welcome is always warm in Erris
BY MICHAEL GALLAGHER
MEMORIES sneak up on one just when you least expect.
Last Saturday evening as I left Belmullet in my wake and headed back towards reality, my mind was full of production deadlines, eye-catching headlines and the creation of 12 sports pages when the past reached out and grabbed me.
Maybe it was the way the sea catches your eye when Shraigh looms into view in the evening light or the way the winding road through the glen in Glencastle touches the soul, but within seconds I was back in the eighties.
At that stage life was simple, all that mattered was playing football at every opportunity and doing everything possible to impress young ladies. Of course many others were much more talented in both fields, but that never stopped me trying. Both disciplines were important and memorable.
Belmullet was inextricably linked to both pursuits. I enjoyed many great football occasions with Our Lady’s and along with my friends, spent many happy evenings thumbing lifts towards the Erris capital and the excitement that awaited us there.
On one memorable occasion we got a lift in a very quick-moving hearse and whizzed towards Belmullet at great pace.
Last Saturday evening those and many more memories danced in the cranium. They seemed close enough to touch, but of course they were a lifetime away – condensed behind the reality of work, mortgage, family, parenthood and numerous other wondrous things, but some things never change.
The warmth of the Belmullet welcome never fades. Guests are treated to the same good-natured, down-to-earth, heart-warming welcome no matter what the occasion. The unique understanding of life that echoes through Belmullet conversation still remains. The belief that anything is possible never dies where the sea kisses the land.
On Saturday last CLCG Beal an Mhuirthead opened their wonderful new developement in Tallagh and among the throngs of wonderful Belmullet natives I was honored to meet were John Gallagher, Seamus Cafferky, Geraldine Padden, Eddie Cuffe, Joe Earley, Ann Nallen, PJ Monaghan, Noel Walsh, Henry Gaughan, Kieran Lavelle, Willie Sullivan, Ian McAndrew, Liam Donoghue, Johnny Sweeney, Donal Shevlin, Tom Ruddy, Seamus Murray and Eamon McAndrew. These were just a fraction of the warm, welcoming people who made Saturday an utterly stunning occasion.
How I would have loved to stay a little longer with them and talk of football, fun and friendship, but reality beckoned and a night in Belmullet will have to wait for another time. I’ll make the return trip for the Comortas in a few weeks time and I’m counting down the days already.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I HATE meetings, but between work and club commitments I attend four or five weekly. I try my best to avoid them but if I was in Belmullet I’d be chomping at the bit for meetings of CLCG Beal an Mhuirthead to be arranged.
John Gallagher and Kieran Lavelle showed me the club’s boardroom on Saturday night and I was blown away.
The amazing room would do justice to the GAA Central Council or a meeting of the directors of Barcelona or Inter Milan and I’d stake the house on it that no other GAA club in the world has such a setting for meetings.
The room’s fittings and development comes courtesy of Patrick Ruddy. Patrick left his native Airdoon, just a few miles from the new clubhouse, when he was a teenager and became a very successful businessman in London.
Like many others, Patrick didn’t forget his native place and went above and beyond the call of duty to create the awe-inspiring boardroom for his home club.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I HAD the pleasure of meeting my old friend Martin Coyle on Sunday last. Martin is a member of the Ballaghaderreen management team and looked fit enough to play as he patrolled the sideline when the men from the east came to Crossmolina in search of two league points. The former Kiltane defender is one of nature’s gentlemen and has a wealth of knowledge to impart to the Ballagh’ boys.
I was lucky enough to first meet Martin in Our Lady’s Secondary School in Belmullet and relied on his skills many times when we both wore the Yellow and Maroon.
Martin will always be remembered for the impact he made with the Mayo minors in 1985. He was a defensive rock as the Green and Red went all the way to ultimate glory, but he made his most telling contribution against Sligo with a stunning display when the Yeats boys threatened to over-run Mayo in the Connacht championship.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
WE waited with bated breath all week for news of Anthony Coyle’s progress at the President's Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Geesala youth is a wonderful talent and anyone with the slightest knowledge of boxing realises that a wonderful career awaits if he continues to work and improve.
I was lucky enough to see him in his first competitive fight and there was something about him that night that promised great things.
He will be very disappointed to have lost the final by a single point on Saturday but many great days await and we’ll all be keeping an eye on the young man as he progresses through the ranks to bigger and better things.
Main News Page |
Previous Page
|
|
|
|
Facebook
