22 January 2021 Roscommon People by RossiePeople

The BIGGEST readership of ANY Roscommon newspaper! Readership is now 80,000 people every week!

www.roscommonpeople.ie ABBEY STREET, ROSCOMMON

advertising@roscommonpeople.ie news@roscommonpeople.ie sport@roscommonpeople.ie

Tel. (090) 66 34633

22 January 2021

The Local Paper iles and athrooms Golf Links Road, Roscommon (090) 66 37620

See our Winter Offers

Frances’ Finishing Touches

For orders and enquiries contact

Frances on 087 6500931 The Square, Roscommon

Email: francesfinishingtouches@gmail.com

Tel.: 090 6626270 or 087 6500931

VOLUME: 716

Lough Funshinagh: Fears for homes < DAN DOONER

situation with no sign of any let up. The water levels will only go one way between now and Easter,” he said. Local farmer, Padraig Beattie, whose home is in immediate danger, says it’s the worst flooding he has seen in the area. “Roscommon County Council has a pump set up since Tuesday and it has to be kept on at all times. “My land flooded in 2016 but it was neverConstituency as bad as Roscommon-Galway this. I have eight or nine acres under water while my neighbour has twentyfive acres (submerged). My biggest problem is the yard, I’m lambing in March, but I hope the yard is still there by then”. See page 13 for more…

No pipe dream for Jasper…

TOMMIE KELLY ELECTRICAL Athleague, Roscommon – 090 6663385 ROSCOMMON TOWN – 090 6634465

WE ARE OPEN Call

090 6634465 www.tommiekelly.ie

Glinsk man Padraig Sirr and his King Charles spaniel, Jasper, who is an avid pipe user! See Frank Brandon’s column, page 12. Picture: Mick McCormack

€10 OFF

Red Mills Leader Supreme Dog Food 12KG BAG WAS €39.95 NOW €29.95

Wards

Eugene

Murphy

Circular Road, Roscommon town Tel. 090 6626172

Real Solutions for Rural Ireland “I am committed to helping to improve the quality of life for people in rural Ireland which has largely been left behind- we need to build a future where people can live, work and enjoy the many benefits of rural living”

Eugene Murphy No 2: Orla Leyden

Senator

Eugene Murphy

An Ireland Stay Home, Stay Safe for all

ATHLONE Ι MOATE

Constituency Offices:

Elphin Street, Strokestown, Co. Roscommon

Market Square, Roscommon Town Co. Roscommon

Call me  087 435 3834  090 662 5722 anytime ... MOBILE: Working with your local Fianna Fáil team: Cllr Michael Connolly, Cllr John Cummins, Cllr Paschal Fitzmaurice, Cllr John Keogh, 087 1668775 Cllr Orla Leyden, Cllr Marty McDermott, Cllr Joe Murphy

* In contentious business, a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement

 071 963 3000

 eugene.murphy@oireachtas.ie

Finn Electrical

SALIN PLUS SPECIAL OFFER €135 Effective in the relief of: Asthma l Bronchitis l Allergies l Snoring l Sleep Apnea

Goff Street, Roscommon Tel. 090 66 25573

WE ARE OPEN For essential technolgy and home appliances call

McGUINNESS

For Delivery

Main Street, Roscommon T. 090 66 26193 F. 090 66 28789

090 6625573

Learn to drive with

090 647 8433

Please ring the Constituency Office in advance to make an appointment, tel: 090 66 28479 or email michael.fitzmaurice @oireachtas.ie

087 2295551

Contact our dedicated Medical Negligence Department in

Byrne Carolan Cunningham Solicitors

www.bccsolicitors.ie

Roscommon Michael Driving School Fitzmaurice

Pharmacy

MEDICAL ACCIDENTS

LANESBOROUGH Ι GALWAY

Ballinasloe, Co. Galway

Mob.: 086 1914565 Michael.Fitzmaurice@Oireachtas.ie

CASEY’S Christy Connolly Recovery

CASTLEREA, CO. ROSCOMMON

ROSCOMMON

Now Delivering Contact 090 66 38000

TEL. 094 9620793 MOB. 086 2505325 / 087 2505325 E: connollychristy@eircom.net

• Approved recyclers of end of life vehicles • Destruction certs issued • 24/7 recovery service available nationwide

NEW CLARINS Everlasting Longwear foundation and concealer

Hynes Pharmacy Castle Street, Roscommon.

Tel. (090) 66 34147

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

NewsPeople With over 30 years’ experience, Aengus Oates Financial Services provides expert financial advice and bespoke financial solutions to our highly valued clients

Aengus Oates Financial Services Plan your future today

Tel. (090) 6627878. Mobile (086) 2573358

info@oates.ie • www.oatesfinancialservices.ie

For a confidential chat, ring Aengus on (086) 2573358

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

090 647 8433

Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes

www.bccsolicitors.ie

So many of us were appalled and horrified at the findings of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. The Commission investigated decades of harm caused to approximately 56,000 unmarried mothers and 57,000 children at mother and baby homes across Ireland between 1922 and 1998. The findings were stark and revealed a cruel and cold world facing any young pregnant unmarried girl. Many were left with no alternative but to enter mother and baby homes due to the lack of support from their own families, condoned by Church and State. Tragically, some 9,000 children died in mother and baby homes. Despite the appalling infant mortality rates and the emotional abuse, the young mothers were subjected to the Report found little evidence of public concern about the mothers or children in these homes. Recommendations Importantly, the Commission makes a number of recommendations. Firstly, the Commission recommends that adopted people should have a right to their birth certificates and birth information. It also recommends a central repository of the records of the institutions so information can be obtained from one place. The Commission also recommends two redress schemes. One for children born in the homes and another for women who gave birth in the homes. Any decision on financial redress is a matter for the Government and we would echo calls for all recommendations of the Commission to be implemented urgently.

e l p o e WATCHING P With WithPAUL PAULHEALY HEALY

Tell me how you get on when you hit town with Donald Trump! I kinda still like him… Trump? Are you serious? Well, he was FUN! He wasn’t fun…well, he might have been fun, but he was dangerous too… I dunno, I thought his presidency was low-key enough… LOW-KEY? LOW-KEY? Are you trying to wind meACCIDENT up? CYCLING Eh…yeah. But really, it was some ride…and IT WAS fun. Great enterIf you were involved in a cycling tainment. accident people… contact He mocked Byrne Carolan Well, yeah… Cunningham Solicitors He sent bizarre and provocative tweets. So do Jedward… He threatened to obliterate North Korea and called its leader Litte Rocket Man. Wasn’t that a hit for Elton John? What? North Korea? No, Rocket Man… He buddied up to Putin… At the end of the day what you get out is linked to what you eh…put in… He promised to build a wall! Okay, he made a start, but he never finished the job! That proves nothing, there’s a builder up the road from me, very same thing, promised to build us a wall and it’s only half finished… He ripped up international accords. He drove the UN mad. He turned on the FBI and the CIA… He’s not a great man with letters, I’ll grant you that. He was incredibly divisive… You could say the same about Joe Brolly. In the face of science and legal considerations and sheer logic he set himself up as an ultimate authority… You could say the same about Joe Brolly.

Endangered Species The barstool boyos

Anyways, I’d like to go for a pint with him… Joe Brolly? No, Trump! He’d be great craic. It’s not possible, can’t happen. I know, the pubs are closed, but… No! Trump doesn’t drink. And he’d have no time for you! On the contrary, I believe he’s very sociable. I know someone who met him in Doonbeg. Okay, tell me how you get on when you go on the town with Donald Trump! (They pause in honour of a momentous week in Washington DC, as Joe Biden succeeds Donald Trump)

Telephone Central Line 090 6478433 info@bccsolicitors.ie www.bccsolicitors.ie

So, a Mayo man in the White House… Yep! A bit of normality. I mean, Trump is so petty, he couldn’t even mention Joe Biden by name yesterday… Maybe he’s not that keen on Mayo. Huh? Trump… Yeah, maybe that’s it, he won’t say a fair word about the Mayos… You could say the same about Joe Br…

When we heard about Glinsk man Padraig Sirr and his dog Jasper – the latter pet fond of ‘smoking’ the pipe – we dispatched photographer Mick McCormack to find out more. Mick’s photos and Frank Brandon’s take on Padraig & Jasper feature in today’s Roscommon People.

What we didn’t like… The escalation of long-term flooding concerns at Lough Funshinagh in the Rahara area of Co. Roscommon. It is critical that urgent action is taken to alleviate the hardship and stress for locals.

What PEOPLE are talking about…

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

SOLICITORS

(They pause to recall Trump catchphrases…‘Fake news’ ‘Make America Great Again’ ‘It’s gonna be great’ and ‘You’re a terrible reporter’…)

What we liked…

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

Byrne Carolan Cunningham

You have to admit, he’s a gas man… No, I don’t! He’s a narcissist, a would-be dictator, a man of thin skin! Nobody’s perfect! He was rude on TV! You could say the same about Joe Brolly… Stop talking about Joe! He’s a national treasure! Anyways, it’s over to the other Joe, the world’s most famous Joe…let’s move the conversation on! I’m not ringing Liveline…haven’t a notion… Not Joe Duffy! Joe Biden! Oh, the Mayo man? YES, the Mayo man. I give you the 46th President of the United States! Ah fair play to him, but what will happen to Donald? I don’t care…as far as I’m concerned, the American people gave him their verdict, which was: YOU’RE FIRED! You’ll miss him… I won’t!

PIC OF WEEK: Glanduff National School student, Róisín Clinton Brennan was under the watchful eye of her fluffy supervisor, Lucky, this week as she studied online at her home near Glanduff, Co. Roscommon. (Pic courtesy of Liz Clinton Brennan)

The inauguration of President Joe Biden (and departure of Donald Trump); the ongoing saga over the reopening (or otherwise) of schools for children with special needs; the ongoing Covid-19 crisis…and, for some relief, an enthralling Premier League title race.

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

NewsPeople

Suspected cannabis grow house discovered in Knockcroghery Gardaí attached to the Roscommon/Longford Drugs Unit discovered a suspected cannabis grow house and seized more than €31,000 worth of suspected cannabis plants and herb following the

search of a house in Knockcroghery last Saturday night. A search of a property was carried out shortly before 5 pm and during the course of this search a quantity of cannabis plants valued at ap-

proximately €27,700 and a quantity of cannabis herb valued at €3,400 (pending analysis) were seized. A man in his mid-20s was arrested at the scene and brought to Castlerea Garda Station where he

was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. He has since been released without charge and a file is to be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Star t Living Again! Tennis Club Re-opening at Castlecoote House

Beginning with the adults Mixed doubles, mixed singles. Mix, Mix, Mix

For more information email:

info@castlecootehouse.com

Serious assault after face mask directive Roscommon County Council and local homeowners have been working around the clock this week to prevent floodwater from Lough Funshinagh from entering homes and submerging farmlands near Rahara. Pic: Mick McCormack

Slight decline in Covid cases < DAN DOONER

There was a slight decline in the number of new Covid-19 cases in the county yesterday evening (Wednesday), as the Department of Health confirmed twelve additional cases as of midnight Tuesday. This follows confirmation of sixteen new cases on Sunday, fifteen on Monday and eighteen on Tuesday, meaning that in the fourteen days leading up to Tuesday, 559 cases had been confirmed in Roscommon, giving a 14-day incidence rate of 866.1. This remains below the national average of 1,222.8. Nationally, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) was yesterday notified of 61 additional deaths related to Covid-19 and 2,488 cases. 58 deaths occurred in January while three remain under investigation. The median age of those who died was 83 years and the age range was 41-100 years. There have now been a total of 2,768 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland and 179,324 confirmed cases of Covid-19. As of 2 pm yesterday (Wednesday), 1,923 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 210 were in ICU. There had been 85 additional hospitalisations in the previous 24 hours. Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief

Medical Officer, Department of Health, warned people not to underestimate the highly infectious nature of the disease. Speaking yesterday, he said: “The virus spreads through close contacts,

through the congregation of people. We need everyone to stay at home as much as possible, and to work from home, where possible. You should not meet up with friends or loved ones, unless you

are caring for them. If you go out for exercise, you need to stay within 5km from your home, wear a face covering where appropriate and wash your hands when you return home to protect yourself

from infection. “If you are Covid positive you should self-isolate and stay at home, in your room, avoiding contact with other people. This is to protect the other people that you live with”.

Gardaí investigating a serious assault that occurred in Co. Sligo on the evening of Saturday, January 16th, 2021, have arrested and charged a woman as part of this investigation. At approximately 6.45 pm, a woman in her early 20s entered a premises in Sligo Town without a required face covering. The woman was advised of her failure to wear a face covering. The woman left the premises but returned shortly after and allegedly assaulted a female member of staff a number of times with an implement before then fleeing on foot. The injured female was taken to Sligo University Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The woman, who presented voluntarily at Sligo Garda station, was arrested by Gardaí and detained at Ballymote Garda Station. She has since been charged and will appear before Sligo District Court on Thursday, January 21st (today) 2021.

Mon – Wed : 10am to 4pm. | Thursday : 10am to 5pm | Friday : 10am to 6.30pm OPEN THROUGH LUNCH | Phone: 094 - 962 0910

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

NewsPeople

n i s m o Classro ! s n e h c t the ki The scene of the arrest at Ballaghaderreen.

Driver arrested after failing drugs test A driver in Ballaghaderreen, Co. Roscommon, who overtook Gardaí at excessive speed in heavy rain, was arrested after failing a roadside drugs

test. The driver was subsequently stopped and failed a roadside test for cocaine and was arrested with proceedings to follow.

‘This lockdown has been more successful!’ Caroline Dolan, parent and teacher at Coman’s Wood Primary School To be honest, I sometimes find it easier to work with twentysix children in a classroom than with my own two at home! The first lockdown was difficult. My eldest son Ryen is in second class and he’s very big into the social element of school such as meeting friends and playing football. My youngest, Jack, is only in junior infants so he doesn’t know any different right now. We’ve been much more successful this time around though. Psychologically, the kids are geared towards learning in a classroom environment, so I bought them a desk and a chair each to replicate that. It’s more about the routine and getting them up and ready to start at the time they’d usually be starting school. I teach junior infants at Coman’s Wood and so I have to have my lessons prepared for each day, which means working later into the night. I send my class a video message each morning so they can see my face and they know that I am there for them.

The parents have been very good and I email them every few days just to let them know that I’m going through the ex-

act same situation in my own house! They have been really understanding and supportive which is a great help.

2 Caroline, Ryen and Jack Dolan pictured at home in Roscommon town as they relax after another busy day of homeschooling.

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

NewsPeople

In pre-Covid times, the morning alarm clock would usually mean a frantic dash to find a uniform and a quick breakfast before a race against time to meet the school bus. But morning routines have changed across Roscommon ever since the Government’s decision last month that schools will be kept closed until February at the earliest. This week, Dan Dooner spoke to parents, teachers, and students as they set up classrooms in kitchens, dining rooms, playrooms and bedrooms across the county…

‘Teachers and SNAs are working very hard’ Liz Clinton-Brennan, parent and SNA at Camcloon NS

‘Lucky’, Róisín and Liz Clinton Brennan pictured ‘working from home’ near Glanduff in Co. Roscommon.

My husband, Damien, and I are working from home near Lecarrow and we have three children, two in secondary school and one in primary school, learning online too. Our daughter, Róisín, is in fourth class in Glanduff National School and they are using Seesaw app. The teacher posts a video saying hello each morning and explaining the work. It’s a great help, especially for

the Irish pronunciation! The lockdowns have been tough on our son Aidan, because he’s in first year in the Marist College in Athlone and first year in secondary school can be hard enough! Maybe someday he’ll look back on it and realise how difficult it was but right now he’s taking it in his stride. Our eldest son Michael is in Junior Certificate year in Athlone Community College, who along with the Marist, have been excellent. Both Aidan and Michael start at 9 o’clock in the morning and it’s just like being in class ex-

cept they’re working away at home. It’s clear the teachers are working really hard. At Camcloon National School we’ve been using Zoom and Google Classroom since March and continued using Google Classroom at school so we were well prepared for this closure. I’m missing the kids I work with but it’s nice to be able to keep in touch using Google Classroom. Teachers and Special Needs Assistants are doing their best to provide the best possible remote educational experience for their students.

We have four different schools in our home at the moment and I can see the huge effort schools and students are putting in. It’s surreal to finish a lovely Zoom call with third class in Camcloon and walk into my kitchen to hear my child’s teacher talking about maths, while in the playroom there’s a discussion on Seamus Heaney, and upstairs Mr. White is explaining the intricacies of technical graphics. Our house is now full of the voices our children hear every day so this is like a window into their lives!

‘I miss my friends and classmates’ Esther Bridcut-Barry, Leaving Certificate student in Our Lady’s Bower, Athlone I’m in the middle really. It’s good that we can actually work from home but it’s easier if you’re in the classroom because it’s easier to focus in school. We need our phones if we want to look

over documents and things like this and you can get distracted with social media! Zoom is okay but our broadband here can be a bit stop and start. It freezes sometimes during a class. That needs to improve if we are going to be doing this regularly. I miss my friends and classmates too. Online learning is not the same as seeing them face to face. It is definitely a disruption to the social

part of school anyway. I’m hoping to go on and study primary school teaching in college. There is a lot of uncertainty right now – will we get predicted grades or will there be an actual Leaving Certificate? There is a good chance that our debs and graduation won’t be happening and everyone’s talking about that in school. That would be really sad and disappointing.

Jack McCormack pictured home-schooling with his mum Niamh in Crenane, Ballaghaderreen.

‘More support is needed for parents’ While a number of parents and students who spoke to the Roscommon People this week were happy with the progress made since the first lockdown, some have expressed concerns that not enough support is forthcoming from schools. One parent from the south Roscommon area, who wanted to remain anonymous, said there’s nobody to call when things get tricky. “We have two children in secondary school in Athlone and our daughter’s classes start online at 9 o’clock and seem to going fine but it doesn’t seem to be the same for our son. It would be helpful if there was more support but every time I call the school during school hours I get a recorded message. Even someone at the end of the phone would be a big help,” she said.

Our Lady’s Bower sixth year student, Esther Bridcut-Barry, pictured hard at work at her home near Lecarrow, Co. Roscommon.

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

PAUL HEALY’S WEEK A column by Roscommon People editor

paul@roscommonpeople.ie

Every day

Presenter: ‘But the Minister HAS been speaking to the unions…’ Opportunist opposition TD: ‘Yes, but there’s a lack of clarity. And she needs to speak to people on the ground…teachers, principals, parents…’ Presenter: ‘If the unions agree to teachers coming in, do you agree to schools opening?’ Opportunist opposition TD: ‘Only if it’s entirely safe for everyone’. Presenter: ‘What would YOU do if you were in Government?’ Opportunist opposition TD: ‘I’d have put plans in place months’ ago!’ Presenter: ‘Well, you must be pleased with the vaccine roll-out?’ Opportunist opposition TD: ‘No, it’s too slow!’ Presenter: ‘Well, you surely accept these are unprecedented times…that nobody could have foreseen this pandemic?’ Opportunist opposition TD: ‘The Government should expect the unexpected! And did I mention Irish Water? And Golfgate?’ Presenter: ‘We have to leave it there…’ Opportunist opposition TD: ‘You can’t! I still haven’t used the words ‘scandal’ or ‘shambles’ or…’ Presenter: ‘Okay, last word, in a word!’ Opportunist opposition TD: ‘It’s like something out of Father Ted!’

This week’s ‘Top 10 things our ancestors (for all the hardship they endured) never had to say’: ‘Any word on the figures yet?’ ‘Oh God, I’m after leaving the mask in the car’ ‘You’d miss wet pubs, all the same’ ‘Sure I’ll be Zooming you’ ‘That’s a handy looking ladder, I must buy one for when the GAA returns’ ‘It’s the 21st of January, it’ll soon be time to take the decorations down’ ‘I’m going to work…in the next room’ ‘Did you get a ticket for Mass?’ ‘I’ll chat to you…through the window’ ‘That bloody WI-FI!’

Friday/Saturday As the Late Late Show limps towards a rather undistinguished demise, the nation continues to embrace the unlikely runaway success of the Tommy Tiernan Show. Maybe viewing/ advertising revenue figures don’t reflect this change yet – the Late Late is still a formidable big beast – but change is happening! I don’t wish to be hard on Ryan Tubridy, but really, the show’s format is now weak and predictable, and the host – excellent on the Toy Show – is becoming more and more patronising on regular Friday nights. The contemporary Late Late diet of Misery TV, and the misguided if well meaning commitment to Covid coverage in recent months, is doing nothing to salvage its reputation. Frankly, I was appalled by the almost voyeuristic interview with boxing champion Barry McGuigan, who broke down when speaking about his grief over his daughter’s death. In contrast, Tommy Tiernan – some minor quibbles aside – is a refreshing, indeed brilliant revelation as chat show host. I’ve written here before about the power and effectiveness of listening. A deeply respectful willingness to listen, combined with very thoughtful questions and a transparent interest in his guests, makes Thoughtful Tommy a marvellous host. On Saturday night, he jousted with Bashir Otukoya, Senator David Norris and Brenda Fricker. For once, Norris (through no fault of his) was the least fascinating. Otukoya, a young ‘Assistant Professor of Law’, was an eloquent and deceptively combative guest with sobering views on racism in Ireland. Fricker, meanwhile, is enigmatic and intriguing. The Oscar winning actress spoke of suffering from depression and her life of relative solitude, before suddenly recounting some hilariously deadpan showbiz stories. Best line? When Tommy asked where her Oscar (won for her role in My Left Foot) is,

Jasper – the smoking dog – features prominently in today’s issue. See Frank Brandon’s column on page 12. Picture: Mick McCormack..

she responded: “It’s holding my bathroom door open”. And, given her slight eccentricity, it’s very clear she wasn’t kidding! It was obvious that Tommy was totally charmed and fascinated by Brenda (as were viewers). Yet again, Thoughtful Tommy had mined something memorable from a guest.

Sunday All over the world, they rose early (or on time at least). In their millions, they descended from the mountain tops, deep into the valleys, or anywhere there were televisions (or vice versa in the event that there was a better reception in houses high in the mountains). Anyways, my point is, there was huge interest in today’s big game between Liverpool and Manchester United. The hype was entirely understandable. There’s very little live sport on these days, and fans are grateful that the Premier League is continuing. Meanwhile, United’s impressive run of form has suddenly rekindled the long-standing rivalry between two of the most famous clubs in the world. The match didn’t live up to expectations – it was chess-like, when viewers were crying out for action and drama. The man or woman in the VAR room could have read a book. There was

some very decent interplay by both sides, but little goalmouth action. Liverpool dominated possession, but United had the two best scoring chances. Later, it was (I suspect) sobering for fans of both clubs when they saw Manchester City storm the (Crystal) Palace. A great title race looms (Leicester and Spurs are in the hunt too). A reinvigorated Manchester City suddenly look to be the team to beat.

Monday Listening to the radio, and yet another Haveit-Both-Ways opposition TD ‘debating’ the pandemic with a current affairs presenter. Many opposition TDs are of course taking a responsible position; others are playing politics – and revelling in it. With the more opportunist TDs from around the country, the conversation usually goes something like this: Presenter: ‘Good afternoon…’ Opportunist opposition TD: ‘Actually, technically it’s still morning, or if it is afternoon, the Government should have made that clear…’ Presenter: ‘Are you glad there are plans to reopen schools for children with special needs?’ Opportunist opposition TD: ‘It’s chaos! There’s been no consultation!’

(Repeat ad nauseam until all listeners eventually fall asleep)

Recently… Every now and again, in this column or in our sports section, I refer to my days as a sports reporter in Cavan. This prompted a reader, Edmund Coyle (based in Athlone), to get in touch. “Paul…re: your reporting days covering games in Cavan in the 1980s. Even then you felt there was a harking among the crowds for the glory days of great Cavan teams. In the 1980s, I worked in Dublin. I got my ‘education’ in GAA there. There must have been someone still in Dublin reliving those great days of Cavan football. This chap may have been present when Cavan won their All-Irelands in the ‘40s. “The man, a true blue Cavan man, was regaling anyone in the pub who’d listen to him all about Cavan football. It got so long into the night that the Gardai arrived. Not a bit fazed, our football expert was still in full flow. To show everyone how good Cavan footballers were, he clasped one of the guard’s caps into his two hands, kicked it up and over into the far end of the bar to show them ‘how John Joe Reilly would score a point’. The story’s end – or whether the Gardai prosecuted – is not known!”

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

NewsPeople Who’s saying what on Tweet Street ... Paul Healy’s take on top tweets!

Michael O’Regan @Michael_O_Regan

Micheál Martin @MichealMartinTD Today a true friend of Ireland @JoeBiden became the 46th President of the USA. As he said in his speech, it is a day of history and hope and I look forward to forging ever closer ties between our two great nations. #InaugurationDay – Donald who? Michael O’Regan @Michael_O_Regan What a day in Washington! I wonder how things are in Florida? – The well-known journalist isn’t sorry to see Trump leave the stage John Fugelsang @JohnFugelsang Thoughts & prayers to Melania’s body double, and everyone else who’s lost a job in 2021. – John spares a thought for Melania’s alleged double(s)! Joe Molloy @MolloyJoe World feels better already. Gone from the White House. What a horror show – Top sports guy Joe doesn’t hold back!

Any chance BoJo would join his pal Donald in Florida? They would make a lovely couple. – Michael’s back again, and now he’s implicating Boris… Anthony O’Connor @Antcon7062 Of all the recurring series shows on TV at the moment I’d say #TommyTiernanShow will be the one you’ll be seeing repeated in 40 years time.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

– Tommy and Trump, now that would be interesting viewing! Philip Nolan @philipnolan1 There honestly are days I wonder how women never burned this country to the ground. #TheWayWeWere – Reaction to the Commission Report into the Mother and Baby Homes… Daniel Raza @RazaJourno This game is demonstrating why I can’t concentrate on football without scrolling my phone #LIVMNU – Liverpool v Manchester United didn’t quite live up to the hype…

Tommy Tiernan

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Advertorial - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

South Roscommon FRC: A family approach to mental wellness South Roscommon Family Resource Centre (FRC) is running a programme aimed at families with children ages 7+, with thanks to funding received from the Bank of Ireland Begin Together fund administered through the Community Foundation of Ireland. The aim is for families to come together around their kitchen table and discuss their understanding of mental health, constructive strategies for better mental health within the family and how nutrition and exercise play a part in everyone’s mental health. Topics that will be explored by families in the programme include ‘Our family; our mental health’ and Parenting and mental health – both of which will be facilitated by Emily Garavan, who has been working in the area of mental health for the last 20 years, and as a child and adolescent psychotherapist for the last eight years. Nutrition for positive mental health will be explored with Arlene Molloy from the Tusla Home Management Advisory Service, and exercise for positive mental health will be facilitated by Trisha McDermott with thanks to Roscommon Sports Partnership. Due to current restrictions, this programme will run on the Zoom platform, beginning on January 28th, for ten weeks. Families will be given materials which they will be asked to use for activities with their family as part of the programme so sessions will be of a ‘hands on’ nature. Families with a very mild mental health issue will be given priority as places are limited. The programme is free and materials, including the ingredients for the cookery sessions, will be given to all families beforehand in line with guidance in relation to Covid-19. Don’t let the programme being on Zoom put you off! Support on how to work zoom is available from FRC staff before the programme begins. For more information and/or to register for the programme, please contact Felicia Loughrey in the South Roscommon Family Resource Centre on 089-2378241 or familysupport.srfrc@vitahouse.org.

A Family Approach to Mental Wellness

Programme includes: Understanding mental health and ill-health Cooking and exercising as a family Constructive strategies for dealing with mental ill-health Sessions will be creative and engaging, aimed at families with children aged 7+

Kindly supported by:

Thursdays, 5 - 7 pm Free via Zoom

For more information and to register your interest, call 0892378241 or email familysupport.srfrc@vitahouse.org

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

Business

New National Remote Work Strategy launched The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has welcomed the publication of a new National Remote Work Strategy by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD. Commenting on the publication of the Strategy, Minister Humphreys said: “Remote or Connected Working, underpinned by the roll-out of the National Broadband Plan, has the potential to transform rural Ireland.

“It can breathe new life into our rural towns and villages because people who have been forced to commute to large urban centres every day are now working locally. “And it can help us to retain young people in rural areas by opening up the opportunity for them to pursue good careers while continuing to live in their local areas, no matter where their employer is based”. The Minister continued: “As part of the Remote Work Strategy launched by the Tánaiste, my De-

partment is developing a national network of remote co-working spaces which will support companies and workers who want to access serviced remote working facilities across the country. We are also developing an app which will enable workers to book a desk in any of the hubs in the network through a common booking engine. “The Government has invested significantly in remote working hubs and enterprise spaces over the last number of years, includ-

ing through my Department, and the Remote Working Strategy includes a commitment to make further significant investment in remote working infrastructure. “Remote working, whether from home or from a shared co-working hub, has been accelerated by Covid-19, but it will be a feature of the world of work in the future. It will open up new possibilities for people living in rural Ireland and will be a cornerstone of the new Rural Development Policy which I will be publishing shortly”.

Feighan welcomes new Strategy Sligo-Leitrim TD and Minister of State, Frank Feighan haswelcomed the publication by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar, TD, of Ireland’s first National Remote Work Strategy to make remote working a permanent option after the pandemic. The Strategy sets out plans to strengthen the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees, to provide the infrastructure to work remotely, and sets out clear guidance on how people can be empowered to work remotely from the office. “I believe this strategy presents huge opportunities for our local region. Heretofore most people engaged in work around software development for example needed to base themselves at company HQ, however the lockdown in recent months has taught us that it is possible for many skilled technicians to work remotely many miles from the company’s base, probably in Dublin or another large city” stated Minister Feighan.

Striking a balance is key – Quinn

Reacting to the Government’s ‘Making Remote Work National Remote Work Strategy’, the Chief Executive of the Institute of Directors (IoD) in Ireland, Roscommon native Maura Quinn, has said that “striking a balance between the requirements and practicalities of both employers and employees” will be key to the detail and eventual success of the proposed legislation on remote working. IoD Ireland has published significant findings on remote working in several surveys over the past year and, last September, called on the Government to assist further the digital transformation of Irish business. IoD Ireland represents 3,000 members, comprising CEOs/Managing Directors and company directors from all sectors of the economy, Private, Public and Not-forProfit. Commenting on the proposed legislation, Maura Quinn, Chief Executive, said: “The ways and means of working within organisations have undergone a quiet revolution over the past eleven months. Remote working and the increased use of digital technology have reconfigured the way we work, where we work, and how we work. In turn, it is impacting business models and people’s work-life balance. Equally, our recent research revealed that the primary concern of business leaders with regard to remote working is the isolation of staff, and the threat of teams working in silos or a lack of cohesion between teams. In terms of this proposed new legislation on remote working, striking a balance will be key to satisfying the requirements and practicalities of both employers and employees. That will be no easy task”.

‘Open discussion on childcare vital’

Irish start-ups hit a four-year low

Ireland’s new company start-up levels reached their lowest point in four years in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the latest figures from credit risk analyst CRIFVisionnet. The annual figures released in recent days reveal that a total of 21,924 new start-ups were registered in 2020, the lowest figure on record since 2016 (21,018). This marks an overall decrease of 4% in new registrations when compared to 2019. According to the data, the second quarter of the year recorded the lowest number of company start-ups (3,998, April–June). April 2020 was the worst month for start-ups (1,075) since December 2012 (992). Despite the overall decrease in activity among the start-up community in 2020, there have been early signs of regrowth,

Roscommon native Maura Quinn, Chief Executive of the Institute of Directors (IoD) in Ireland.

with levels increasing from June (1,701). The final quarter of the year proved particularly strong, marking an increase of 20% in new registrations compared to Q3. In total, 6,583 new companies were registered in Q4, a 23% increase on the same period in 2019. The figures reveal that despite the Covid-19 economic downturn, start-ups have remained more resilient when compared to the 2008 recession where figures decreased by 22% yearon-year for 2008 (18,696 start-ups, 2007 vs 14,603 start-ups, 2008). Regional overview: 2020 vs 2019 Of the 26 counties in the Republic of Ireland, a total of 24 recorded a decrease in new company start-ups for 2020. Leitrim experienced the largest percentage decrease, recording a total of 55 new companies

in 2020, down 41% when compared to 2019. Leitrim was followed by Meath (-39%, 629), Clare (-33%, 401), and Cavan (-24%, 213). Mayo (+4%, 345) and Tipperary (+6%, 461) were the only two counties to record a percentage increase. Sectoral overview: 2020 vs 2019 In 2020 the majority of industries experienced a similar decline in start-up activity: The fishing sector (-42%, 28) recorded the biggest drop in new company start-ups in 2020. Fishing was followed by leasing (-39%, 411), utilities (-17%, 151), and hospitality (-14%, 1,111). The legal, accounting, and business sector was the biggest contributor to new company startups in 2020, accounting for 4,401 registrations. This, however, marks a 6% decrease for the sector when compared to 2019.

Women’s business organisation Network Ireland is urging employers to engage with workers who are parents, in managing childcare for the coming weeks. With schools closed until the end of January, President of Network Ireland Louisa Meehan is advising employers to encourage staff to chat to them about their arrangements. She says if the conversation is not had it could cause frustration for both employers and employees. However, if communication is clear and open it can help both employers and staff to navigate this period in the best way possible. Louisa says: “This is not going to be an easy few weeks for working parents. Many will be faced with the situation where they are remote working, while their children are remote learning. I would urge employers to have a chat with their employees about how best they are hoping to manage the coming weeks. Employers will have to be flexible but by discussing it they can make sure that a realistic compromise is reached”. The government announced that schools would remain closed until February 1, while all but essential workers have also been ordered to work from home until that date. Research conducted by Network Ireland last autumn found that for more than 40% of women, work was getting harder for them as restrictions continue. Louisa says it’s hard to imagine things have improved much since then: “I’ve heard a number of people say recently that this lockdown feels tougher. People are exhausted, but with vaccines now being administered in Ireland it’s reasonable to hope we’ll soon turn a corner in the fight against coronavirus in our country and be able to look forward to more freedoms once again”.

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

NewsPeople

Applications invited for Heritage Research Bursary 2021 Roscommon County Council has been awarding an annual Heritage Research Bursary since 2012 as part of the County Roscommon Heritage Plan. To apply for the Heritage Research Bursary, applicants must outline the research coverage. The research topic or site must be located in County Roscommon. The research project must be at MA, MSc, or PhD level in a recognised third level college. Applicants must demonstrate how their research will contribute to

fulfilment of the aim and Strategic Goal 8 of the County Roscommon Heritage Plan 2017-2021. Applicants must also demonstrate how their research will fill gaps in an understudied aspect of the heritage of County Roscommon. Applicants must demonstrate an innovative research methodology and outline the motivations for their research. There is one bursary award only. The maximum value of the award is €1,000. Reports from previous bursary research can be viewed at www.

roscommoncoco.ie/en/ Services/Community/ Heritage. Roscommon County Council is now inviting applications for the Heritage Research Bursary 2021. This year applications will only be accepted via My Online Services. Register for online services at www.roscommoncoco.ie The closing date for receipt of completed application forms and accompanying information is 5 pm on Monday, 1st March 2021. Late applications cannot be considered.

HERITAGE RESEARCH BURSARY 2021

newsbriefs Youth funding can change lives and promote inclusion - Murphy

The Covid-19 vaccination team pictured at Plunkett Community Nursing Home, Boyle, Co. Roscommon.

Bernie Feeney, staff nurse at Plunkett Community Nursing Home, Boyle, Co. Roscommon, pictured receiving her Covid-19 vaccination on Monday morning.

Roscommon County Council is now inviting applications for the Heritage Research Bursary 2021. The research topic or site must be located in County Roscommon. The research project must be at MA, MSc or PhD level in a recognised third level college. There is one bursary award only. The maximum value of the award is €1,000.00. Projects must be completed by 31st October 2021. This year applications will only be accepted via My Online Services. Register for online services at www.roscommoncoco.ie The closing date for receipt of completed application forms and accompanying information is 5.00 pm on Monday, 1st March 2021. Late applications will not be considered. All enquiries to Tríona Mullaney-Dignam, Heritage Office Telephone (090) 6637228 or e-mail: heritage@roscommoncoco.ie This project is an action of the County Roscommon Heritage Plan 2017-2021. Majella Hunt Director of Services

Ninan Thomas, staff nurse at Plunkett Community Nursing Home, Boyle, Co. Roscommon, pictured receiving his Covid-19 vaccination on Monday morning.

BUILT HERITAGE INVESTMENT SCHEME 2021 & HISTORIC STRUCTURES FUND 2021 Roscommon County Council in conjunction with the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage are inviting applications for the “Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2021” and the “Historic Structures Fund 2021”. The Built Heritage Investment Scheme seeks to leverage private capital for investment in labour-intensive, small-scale conservation projects and to support the employment of skilled and experienced conservation professionals, craftspeople and tradespersons in the repair of the historic built environment. The Historic Structures Fund will focus on caring for and restoring historic structures and buildings for the benefit of communities and the public. There is a Pilot Stream for Vernacular Structures, Historic Shopfronts & Historic Irish-language shopfronts. All applications shall be marked “Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2021” or “Historic Structures Fund 2021”, as appropriate, and submitted to Heritage Office, Roscommon County Council, Áras an Chontae, Roscommon, Co Roscommon F42 VR98 or emailed to heritage@roscommoncoco.ie Deadline extended to 5pm on Friday 26th February 2021. Information and Application Forms are available on www.roscommoncoco.ie or by contacting the Heritage Office on 087 9078860 or heritage@roscommoncoco.ie Majella Hunt, Director of Services Roscommon County Council F42 VR98

TEMPORARY CLOSING OF ROADS ROADS ACT 1993, SECTION 75 ROADS REGULATIONS 1994, ARTICLE 12 Roscommon County Council intends to close the road set out in the schedule hereunder for the periods and the reason specified. Road to be closed: R366 at Goff Street, Roscommon Period of Closure: Monday 8th February until Friday 19th March 2021 inclusive. Alternative Routes: N61, N63, L7035/L7040/L7041/L7043/L7045/L7046 Reason for Closures: Roscommon Town Centre & Public Realm Enhancement 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 5pm on Monday 25th February 2021. Shane Tiernan, Director of Services

Fianna Fáil Senator Eugene Murphy has welcomed €2.5 million in funding to support the provision of youth services in counties Roscommon and Galway in 2021. “This funding is most welcome…the bulk of the funding for counties Roscommon and Galway or just over €2million will go towards targeted youth funding scheme UBU Your Place Your Space while €265,562 will be allocated for the youth services grant scheme throughout Roscommon and Galway. “Some €145,766 will go towards the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme in Roscommon and Galway. This scheme supports youth work ac-tivities at a local level by providing grants to youth clubs and groups. These are volunteerled and funding is accessed through the Education and Training Boards. “A sum of €52,028 will go towards other smaller initiatives. This brings the total investment for counties Roscommon and Galway to €2.5million which is fantastic,” said Senator Murphy.

‘Government have abandoned borrowers!’ Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane has criticised the government for “abandoning” borrowers by not securing Covid-19 payment break extensions for mortgage-holders and small businesses affected by the latest round of public health restrictions. Deputy Kerrane said: “On January 8th, my colleague Pearse Doherty wrote to Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, the Minister for Finance and the CEOs of the five retail banks requesting an extension to payment breaks under the EBA guidelines, which protect them from credit rating impairment and the charging of additional interest. “The Tánaiste confirmed that he would not be seeking Covid-19 payment breaks from the banks, which would protect borrowers from the charging of additional interest and the impairment of their credit ratings. Instead, borrowers have been told they are on their own while it will be business as usual for the banks,” she said. Deputy Kerrane concluded by stating that the numbers of people on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is set to rise by the end of the month. “The government has abandoned borrowers, mortgage-holders and small businesses in the latest wave of the virus. “The Tánaiste and Minister for Finance must explain their refusal to even seek a payment break extension for these borrowers,” she said.

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

The

D News page

Plunkett Community Nursing Unit residents receive vaccines! < DAN DOONER

There was good news on Monday morning as residents and healthcare workers at the HSE facility, Plunkett Community Nursing Unit, in Boyle, Co. Roscommon received the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccinations. 93-year-old Seamus Beirne, originally from The Lodge, Carrick-on-Shannon, was in good spirits after he became the first resident to receive the vaccine. “I feel good after getting the vaccination, it didn’t trouble me a bit. I didn’t feel it at all nearly, very little anyway. We’re missing the visitors as well – all we can do is look out of the window. Hopefully this will change when we all get the vaccine,” he said. 96-year-old Eileen Cox, a native of Grangemore in Boyle was one of the first ladies to receive the vaccine at Plunkett CNU. She said: “I feel grand, I feel happy. I didn’t feel it at all – you’d get used to these injections! I do get the vaccination every year for the flu”. Dr. Mary Butler, Director of Nursing at Plunkett CNU was delighted with how ‘Vaccine Day’ went at the facility. “I have been looking forward to this day ‘Vaccine Day’ for some time - the vision of a resumption of normal life previously taken for granted, is now within reach. The vaccination programme is just another small step towards this. It means that staff and residents will feel more protected. It has added to improved confidence and greater resilience for staff against the Covid-19 virus,” she said. Dr. Butler highlighted that staff in Plunkett CNU are essential frontline healthcare workers and have a strong commit-

ment to taking the annual flu vaccination and are supported by having two qualified peer-to-peer Nurse Vaccinators on site, Ninan Thomas and Sheila Brehony. “Staff report that they understand the benefits of all staff being vaccinated annually against the annual Flu virus and this year their enthusiasm in taking the Covid-19 vaccine has not faltered.” Breda Crehan-Roche, Chief Officer, Com-munity Healthcare West stated: “Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, we have endeavoured to protect and support the most vulnerable in our communities. Today was a momentous day for Plunkett CNU, Boyle. “I want to extend my thanks to those who are committed to caring for our most vulnerable, ensuring they are kept as safe as possible. Thanks also to our Peer Vaccination team for the roll out of the vaccination programme. “We all still need to be mindful and continue to follow HSE and Public Health advice, Covid-19 is still being transmitted in our communities - we need to stay alert, play our part, wear a mask, stay apart. “However, now that we have the Covid-19 vaccine, there is indeed hope and light at the end of a very dark few months”. All staff and residents vaccinated were given a HSE vaccine information leaflet, along with more detailed manufacturer’s patient information leaflet, before getting the vaccine. Afterwards, each person vaccinated was given a vaccine record card, showing the name and batch of the vaccine they have received. They will each receive a second dose, to be fully protected, in three weeks.

(Above) Seamus Beirne, 93, a native of The Lodge, Carrick-on-Shannon, was the first recipient of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at Plunkett Community Nursing Home on Monday morning.

(Right) 96-year-old Eileen Cox, a native Grangemore, Boyle, received her Covid-19 vaccine at Plunkett Community Nursing Home on Monday morning.

Michael celebrates his 104th birthday!

Do you know these Ramblers? This photograph was recently submitted by a Roscommon People reader and shows saxophone player, Seamus Scott, with members of the Ramblers Showband in the 1970s. Can you identify the other members of the band? If you can, feel free to get in touch with us by email at news@roscommonpeople.ie.

Michael Coyne from Fairymount celebrated his 104th birthday on January 14th! Michael is a big Roscommon supporter and is pictured here with his godson, Austin Waldron. Belated Happy Birthday Michael!

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

NewsPeople

Minister quizzed on Portiuncula capacity Independent TD Denis Naughten has quizzed Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, on the capacity of Portiuncula Hospital to deal with a surge in patients as a result of Covid-19. He said that delays in funding and refurbishment works have prevented the completion of two proposed modular buildings to increase capacity. “At present Portiuncula hospital, which is one of the biggest acute hospitals servicing the midlands while trying to manage an infectious disease, has only thirteen single rooms. “While funding has been forthcoming for the modular building

for the outpatient department, no refurbishment work has yet taken place of the old outpatient department and no funding has been provided for the second modular building for the accident and emergency department,” Deputy Naughten said. Deputy Naughten put forward two questions regarding the provision of funding to refurbish the old outpatient department and a modular building to deal with the current situation in the emergency department. He then urged the Minister of Health Stephen Donnelly to sanction the funding in order to deal with the current situation.

The closing date for receipt of applications under the Local Improvement Scheme is extended to Friday 5th February 2021. Full details of the Local Improvement Scheme are available on www.roscommoncoco.ie The online application form must be completed via My Online Services at: https://roscommon-self.achieveservice.com. Please register for My Online Services at www.roscommoncoco.ie before you begin. Incomplete online applications or late online applications will not be considered. Any queries relating to the application process or eligibility for the scheme should be emailed to roads@roscommoncoco.ie Shane Tiernan Director of Services Date of Notice: 22nd January 2021

HSE responds to query on nursing home outbreaks < DAN DOONER

HSE Community Healthcare West has declined to comment on individual cases or outbreaks of Covid-19 at nursing homes in County Roscommon but outlined the supports put in place at facilities in the event of an outbreak of the virus. A statement to the Roscommon People this week read: ‘HSE Community Healthcare West continues to work with nursing homes to ensure that the necessary supports are put in place to manage an outbreak. ‘When an outbreak is confirmed, the HSE Department of Public Health establishes an Outbreak Control Team and provides advice and guidance on

the issues which are key to bringing the outbreak under control such as: management of Covid-19 positive patients; information on symptoms and actions to be taken if symptoms develop; how and when to self-isolate or restrict movements; environmental cleaning; infection prevention and control advice, and symptom monitoring for close contacts. ‘Community Healthcare West and services for Older People are in contact with the nursing homes on an ongoing basis to provide the necessary operational supports and work through challenges presenting such as staffing challenges. ‘When COVID-19 is circulating in the community, we can expect to discover some outbreaks in healthcare

facilities despite everyone’s best efforts. The best way of reducing the number of these outbreaks is to reduce the level of community transmission around the country. ‘To protect the vulnerable, including residents of nursing homes and other long-term residential facilities, we need to do everything we can to stop the transmission of Covid-19. ‘The most important action we can take to protect ourselves and others from Covid-19 is to follow the public health advice: ensure regular hand washing; practice good respiratory hygiene; keep 2m between yourself and other people; avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth; wear a mask where indicated.’

Murphy raises fears over Just Transition plan < DAN DOONER

There are fears that the Government’s €100 million Just Transition plan to create thousands of jobs in the midlands could collapse within weeks, unless €6 million of support funding from the ESB is released to employers and community groups. Fianna Fáil Senator Eugene Murphy has called on the ESB to release the funding and distribute it directly to the various community groups in a bid to circumvent the obstacles posed by European state aid rules. Senator Murphy said: “So much was

resting on the Just Transition fund – it is vital to the economic wellbeing of the midlands area, and so many local community groups and local authorities have worked hard to put various projects together. “However, it has now emerged that funding is not exempt from stringent EU state aid laws and matching funds of millions of additional euros would now be needed. This is just not viable for many small rural community groups. “The ESB need to honour their pledge to provide €6 million for the Just Transition Fund, and I am calling on them to

release this funding directly to the various groups to allow these projects to go ahead. I understand that many groups were told in writing that their projects were going ahead and now there seems to be a different story. The ESB needs to step up to the plate and deliver this much needed funding directly to the communities most badly affected by the economic fallout from the closure of the power stations and bogs. “I will be raising the matter with Minister Eamon Ryan around these complex state aid rules as it is vital that this urgent state aid issue is resolved quickly,” concluded Senator Murphy.

Failure to reopen special education ‘profound failure of government’ – Kerrane Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane has described the failure of the Minister for Education, Norma Foley, to ensure that teachers and Special Needs Assistants were on board to deliver a return to special education as ‘reckless’. Deputy Kerrane said: “Once again the government’s plans for schools – and crucially for special education – have collapsed. That is a profound

LOCAL IMPROVEMENT SCHEME SCHEME FOR THE FUNDING OF IMPROVEMENT WORKS TO NON-PUBLIC ROADS EXTENSION OF CLOSING DATE FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

failure of government, and the Minister for Education in particular. It is a failure with serious and profound consequences. “The government’s entire approach to this has been characterised by chaos, miscommunication, a failure to properly engage, and most of all, a failure to plan and to prepare. “Staff, parents, and children lose out

here. They face uncertainty and are justifiably angry at the handling of this. “In particular children with special educational needs – they are the cohort of students that missed out the most when schools closed last spring, and they will be the ones who will suffer most again, through no fault of their own”.

COVID-19 EMERGENCY FUND – ROUND 2 The 2nd Round of COVID-19 Emergency Fund offers additional funding to not-forprofit community groups and communities in Co. Roscommon to help them deal with COVID-19. The funding, under the COVID-19 Emergency Fund, is in recognition of the important role played by community and voluntary organisations across the country. It will enable groups to embrace the Government’s ‘Keep Well’ campaign which focusses on the themes of staying connected, switching off and being creative and minding your mood. The Department of Rural and Community Development provide the funding which will be administered through Roscommon LCDC and the Community and Enterprise section of Roscommon County Council. There are two funding options available: •

Small scale grants of €1,000 or less

•

Grants in excess of €1,000

What is eligible for funding: It will provide grants to community groups to assist them: •

to adapt their services and operations to fit the new COVID-19 reality. Examples of measures supported could be adapting premises to allow for social distancing; offering on-line activities, providing social supports and friendly calls by phone etc.

•

to become more involved in the Government’s ‘Keep Well’ campaign. The grants are aimed at assisting participation in the campaign, in particular with the three themes: staying connected, switching off and being creative and minding your mood.

The grants may also be provided to support groups (including those involved in the community call) with day to day running costs if needed. What is not eligible for funding: •

Any project not in keeping with the ethos of the Programme, Legal fees, Project management fees, Purchase of lands or buildings, Feasibility studies, Private or commercial operations

Full procurement must be submitted with the online application form. Please note that previous funding will be taken into account when assessing applications. Approval of successful projects will take place in March and all monies must be claimed with receipts no later than the end of June, 2021. Full details of the scheme are available on www.roscommoncoco.ie Applications must be submitted via My Online Services at: https://roscommon-self.achieveservice.com Late submissions will not be considered Closing date for receipt of completed online applications is the 19th February 2021 at 1pm Any queries relating to the application process or eligibility for the scheme can be emailed to CEP2020@roscommoncoco.ie Majella Hunt, Director of Services ROSCOMMON

Coiste um Fhorbairt Pobail Áitiúil Ros Comáin

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

NewsPeople

FRANK

FRANK BRANDON’S

BRANDON

unique take on life ...

Getting ‘unusual Dutchman’ Ludovic to his ‘lady artist’ was a challenge! Just when we needed cheering up, our man in Creggs takes us on a mysterious tour involving a dishwasher, an eccentric Dutchman (with clogs, of course) and an English ‘lady artist’… On New Year’s Day our dishwasher went on the blink, and today (Sunday, January 17th) we are still waiting for the engineer to come to sort it out. For me, the amazing thing is that I have concluded that dishwashers aren’t what they are cracked up to be; in my opinion (although not Carol’s), we are just as well off without one. For some reason, we rinse everything ‘till they are almost spotless before we put them into the dish-

washer at all, which sort of defeats the purpose of having one, because the dishes are as good as washed by the time they finally go in. Presently, we are washing and drying them ourselves, and I think we are doing it quicker and better than any dishwasher. So if the engineer never gets here, I won’t be too upset. All of that made me think of the first ever dishwasher that I bought – a Zanussi one I brought home from England in the 1980s – one that, unlike the modern ones, lasted for more than twenty years. At the time, I was bringing second-hand furniture home from England, and on that particular trip I had bought the new machine. It was a good deal cheaper than they cost in Ireland, and as there was a bit of duty (unpaid) due on it, I had it at the very front of the load. To my horror, the customs officers in Monaghan started to take off the load to check that everything matched what was on the invoice. I could see

them confiscating my brand new Zanussi, which, of course, was not on the list, when all of a sudden, just as they came to the last few items, they decided they had seen enough and my dishwasher was safe and allowed to continue its journey home to Creggs. On that same trip, my brother-inlaw Raph was doing the driving, and we did a removal from down the road to a little village in England. An unusual Dutchman called Ludovic, who was about six foot six inches tall, rode a huge elongated bicycle around the place, wore wooden clogs instead of shoes, and who looked a bit like Fagin in Oliver, had bought a place down the road and was now moving over to England. He had met and fallen for a kindred spirit, an English lady artist. And so, on one of the coldest nights of all time, we loaded up all his belongings – including his trusty (and rusty) bicycle – and headed for the Rosslare ferry.

For some reason known only to Ludovic, he refused to sit up front in the cab with Raph and I. Instead, he lay down in the back of the truck, wrapped in a bit of blanket. By the time we reached Rosslare he was almost frozen solid and lucky to be still alive, and had decided that the only way to thaw out was to run around the full truck carpark. I can still see this six foot six inch Fagin lookalike running around in his noisy wooden clogs, flapping his hands like a demented chicken, flying in and out between lorries, doing what looked like starjumps as the amazed lorry drivers looked on in total bewilderment, unable to believe what they were seeing, until finally he declared that he was warmed up. Obviously he had had enough of the freezing back of the truck, and so he gave in and joined us in the cab for the rest of the journey – mind you it wasn’t red-hot there either, but at least there was some type of a heater

in it and the three of us managed to keep each other warm. It was one of those trips, because when we finally reached his lady friend’s house it was after three o’clock in the morning, and as we were in the middle of unloading Ludovic’s belongings, someone must have thought we were removing stuff from the girl’s house, because the next thing the police arrived and we had to explain our reasons for being where we were. It took us a while, because two Irishmen and a strange Dutchman were not what the police expected to find in a sleepy English village at three or four in the morning. Thankfully it all got sorted out – Ludovic started a new life with his artist girlfriend, and we were eventually allowed to finish our journey, and my Zanussi dishwasher made it safely home. What became of Ludovic I have no idea, but I will never forget his departure from Creggs.

Niall (who?) finally calls it a day!

The GAA world has recently seen a large number of high profile retirements, with several well-known Mayo footballers, a few Kerry lads, one or two Dubs, Galway’s Gareth Bradshaw, and Kilkenny hurler, Ger Aylward, among others, announcing their intentions to pack it in. But the announcement from former Offaly panellist, Niall Geraghty, brought some light relief to the whole subject. Geraghty had made two sub appearances in 2014 and 2015, and had a couple of league outings, and obviously had disappeared off the Offaly radar, so his announcement that he was calling it a day was very funny. He thanked the fans for standing by him, “literally, because I was on the bench on the terrace side”. While acknowledging that a lot of top class players were included in the recent announcements, all of whom have given great service to their counties – and great enjoyment to their many supporters – I have to say that Niall Geraghty’s announcement got enormous attention and puts him right up there with all the big stars, so I wish him well in whatever the future brings.

And finally…

Padraig Sirr and his King Charles spaniel Jasper and ‘donkey’ pictured earlier this week. Picture: Mick McCormack.

Jasper – still fond of the pipe! We have always been told that a dog is man’s best friend and I have no reason to think that is in any way untrue, but until a few years ago, down the road in Glinsk, Padraig Sirr and his King Charles spaniel Jasper used to prove it in a very unusual way – they used to smoke their pipes together (for animal lovers, Jasper’s pipe was empty, but he still loved to have a few puffs). Padraig was then diagnosed with diabetes and had to give up smoking his pipe, but the good news is that Jasper is still puffing away, and in Padraig’s words, is “never happier

than when he has his pipe in his mouth”. At a time when dogs can be trained to do all kinds of amazing tricks, Padraig is convinced that if he had the time to train him Jasper could have been a telly sensation. As it is, he is still happily puffing away on his pipe (I wonder has he his own slippers?), and more importantly, he is still there to have his daily chat with his proud owner. Long may he continue to enjoy his pipe – he must be the only living being in Ireland who is being encouraged to keep ‘smoking’.

Finally for this week – out here in Creggs, the local national school, with the support of the Parents’ Association, has set up a familyfriendly fundraiser to raise much-needed money for the school. They invite everyone to do the equivalent of a marathon, 26.2 miles or 42.19km, each week for four weeks, and in their words you can run, walk, cycle or crawl (don’t think you can drive it). You can be fairly flexible in your efforts to achieve your target. Please ensure you stay within 5 km of your own home. The main thing is, if you can join them, they suggest a donation of €26 (a euro a mile), which would be greatly appreciated. There is a GoFundMe page, Creggs NS Marathon fundraiser, so you can get on that to make your contribution – there won’t be anyone checking your mileage or anything like that, but it is a chance to get in a bit of exercise, appreciate the lovely fresh air and have a bit of craic. It all kicked off on Monday the 18th, and as time goes on you can share your photos of your efforts on the Creggs NS Parents Association page. If things go well, don’t be surprised if you see me in the Tokyo Olympics!

‘Till next week, bye for now

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

NewsPeople

Lough Funshinagh at ‘all-time high’ and rising

< DAN DOONER

Water levels at Lough Funshinagh in Rahara are at an all-time high and continuing to rise as local residents and landowners work desperately to save their homes and farmyards. Cllr. Laurence Fallon said that one local family has had to abandon their home while two more remain under serious threat. “If it wasn’t for serious action taken by residents and work crews, another home would be under water this evening. One farmyard has been flooded since last year while another remains under threat. “This is a very desperate situation with no sign of any let up. The water levels will only go one way between now and Easter,” he said. Local farmer, Padraig Beattie, whose home is in immediate danger, says it’s the worst flooding he has seen in the area. “Roscommon County Council has a pump set up since Tuesday and it has to be kept on at all times. “My land flooded in 2016 but it was never as bad as this. I have eight or nine acres under water while my neighbour has twenty-five (submerged). My biggest problem is the yard, I’m lambing in March but I hope the yard is still there by then. “I also live with my mother, who is nearly 70-years-old and she found it tough to watch our

neighbours clearing out their home. “We knew back last summer that the levels weren’t going down and we were heading for major problems this winter,” he said. On the day when the Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue and the Minister for the Office of Public Works, Patrick O’Donovan, met to discuss the issue, Padraig called on the Government to intervene. “If I was in their shoes (Ministers’), I’d be embarrassed. The lough is desecrated as a Special Area of Conservation and all the species at the edge of the lake are gone. “They can’t leave it the way it is because eventually it will flood more houses and farmyards, where there’s slurry, diesel and everything else which will pollute the Shannon,” he said. Independent TD Denis Naughten confirmed to the Roscommon People on Wednesday that he would be raising the matter at the Dáil this afternoon (Thursday). “There has been no update so far following the meeting between Ministers McConalogue and O’Donovan. I will be raising this issue in the Dáil on Thursday afternoon. What we need now is a clear indication from State agencies that they are prepared to engage with homeowners and stakeholders in a constructive manner in terms of finding an adequate solution,” he said.

(Above and right) Homes and farmland near Lough Funshinagh remained under serious threat from flooding as waters rose to an all-time high this week. Pic: Mick McCormack

‘Who has the authority to expedite drainage works?’ < CLLR. DONAL KILDUFF

A few months after I was elected in 2019 I attended a public meeting at Cuisle in Donamon regarding the proposed closure of the facility. Almost every local councillor, Senator and TD was in attendance and everyone was adamant that Cuisle should not close, but it closed regardless. For the past five years, every public representative in the constituency has been adamant that works should proceed at Lough Funshinagh to prevent flooding but no works have taken place and no works are even proposed to move to the design phase. Some of those politicians have held cabinet positions during that period. A study by the Office of Public Works has concluded that the cost benefit ratio is not adequate

to warrant works and that any such works would be unlikely to get through planning for environmental reasons. Any study which values land in Roscommon at €1,000 per hectare is not credible in my view. The main issue here is that the collective will of all public representatives in Roscommon, even with cabinet representation, is not sufficient to initiate a relatively simple infrastructure project in the county and I don’t think Roscommon is unique in this regard. Who actually has the power to decide that works should proceed? As Cathaoirleach of the Athlone Municipal Area, I can confirm that following a formal request for the OPW to attend our meeting and engage on the issue of Lough Funshinagh, we were politely told that the body does not have the resources to

attend Municipal meetings. I can also confirm that following my November 2020 plenary motion and subsequent resolution of Roscommon County Council calling for a review of the Special Area of Conservation status, that National Parks and Wildlife Service, who govern SACs, have not yet responded to the request two months later while waters continue to rise. The Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for the Office of Public Works met with stakeholders yesterday (Wednesday) in the flood affected area but even if a decision is made that works should proceed it will take several years through normal processes to get an overflow pipe in the ground. Two ministers are probably not sufficient to decide on this matter and the Minister respon-

sible for the National Parks and Wildlife Service was not in attendance. The Romans and the Egyptians were doing similar drainage projects thousands of years ago. We cannot even move this to the design phase because we have created a bureaucratic state where it is difficult to identify definitively who has the authority to do so. We need to have a serious conversation in Ireland about what we have done to the efficiency of our democracy and why. In the interest of demonstrating to the people that we are not in fact a bureaucratic dictatorship, I am calling on the two Ministers and their Cabinet colleagues to decide once and for all that this project should move immediately to the design phase and that ground works should be expedited.

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

NewsPeople

Miriam’s

MUSINGS

Words of wit and wisdom with MIRIAM KERINS

Working from home is a welcome perk…or is it? According to Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Leo Varadkar, employees will soon have a legal right to seek to work from home. Great! In addition, those who choose to take this route will also, under proposed new legislation, have a right to ‘disconnect from work,’ i.e. they won’t have to answer afterhours emails or phone calls in the middle of dinner/family time. Now given that I work in the media, taking calls or answering emails or texts outside of office hours has never bothered me, for the simple reason it goes with the territory. Journalism, and hard news in particular, is not a nine-to-five job. If you think it is, you’ve chosen the wrong career path! As someone who mostly works from home, let me tell you – it’s

a welcome perk, especially as it means I get to spend more time with my fur babies, who all sit around me in my make-shift office. Working from home gives me choices. For example, I can, if I wish, stay in my jammies, go for walkies during my lunch break, put the washing out and take it back in between showers and have the telly on in the background. However, being given the choice of working from home is very different to being forced to do it. Due to the coronavirus, I, like many others, have been ‘forced’ to work from home full-time, a situation that has, on a personal level, left me feeling quite irritated. Why? Because I miss having the choice of going into the office. I miss having the freedom to chat with my colleagues and friends

face-to-face and have the craic with them. Like many of my fellow homeworkers, I thrive on social interaction. Oh and I also suffer from a very severe case of FOMO – the fear of missing out! I dread being out of the loop, of feeling the terror of not knowing exactly what’s going on in the office. I mean, let’s face it, you can hardly call drinking a mug of coffee and nibbling on a sad little flapjack for one over the kitchen sink (can’t do crumbs) a lively water-cooler moment now, can you? Prior to lockdown – if any of us can remember back that far – my days were filled with driving to meetings and conferences, interviews and training initiatives, events and in general, having

fun… remember fun anyone? My weekends were for winding down with hubby, enjoying our shared hobbies, spending more time with our fur babies, visiting our family in Dublin, and going to the movies and out to dinner. Now, due to lockdown, one day merges into the next. My laptop and my fur babies, (who’re probably sick of the sight of me by now), have become my lifeline. On occasion, but only if I’m feeling particularly isolated, tuning into Today with Maura and Daithi has proved to be the highlight of my afternoon! Somebody save me! Now while I’m delighted the post-pandemic ‘new normal’ will see a lot of employees working from home, (and again, I do enjoy it for part of the week), it’s not something

I’d want to do full-time. Yes, there are upsides – I can research, devise PowerPoints, proof, edit, write and design with my jammies on. Yes, I can reduce my usual boardroom work-meeting hair-care regimen to wax on, wax off, but the downsides mean I miss the connectedness of those I interact with on a daily basis. I miss popping out for a spot of lunch or planning some weekend cocktails or a summer-barbie at someone’s house. Choosing to work from home is great – being forced to is a different story altogether. So remember, while Zooming or Skype-ing in your skivvies may seem like an enticing, rest-of-work-life prospect, it’s no substitute for human interaction, and sharing the goss’ and giggles with your friends and colleagues.

Where are deserters who lusted and left mothers to rot in houses of shame? Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week, Archbishop Eamon Martin, while apologising for the Catholic Church’s role in the horrific Mother and Baby Homes’ abuse scandal, said he believed religious orders shouldn’t be ‘scapegoated’ for their involvement in these institutions. Wow! Believing that ‘larger swathes of society’ had a role in the abuse, the Primate of All Ireland seems to be seeking solace from his conclusion that religious orders involved ‘were expected to intervene when the rest of society had banished these mothers and their unborn children and infants’. How wonderful of them. How charitable. How benevolent. Perhaps they should be decorated by the President for their compassion and humanitarianism? Not! For decades, terrified and horrendously abused women have been trying to make their voices heard, and again, as I’ve done on many occasions, I’ll ask the question… where were the families – the parents who discarded their daughters and grandchildren like toxic waste because they were terrified of curtain twitchers spreading their evil gossip? Where were the despicable, wimpy fathers who impregnated these women, many of whom were abused children? Where are the ones who lusted (not loved) and left these vulnerable mothers to rot in a house of shame? Come out you deserters and defend yourselves…if you dare!

Vaccine roll-out must be both credible and reliable When it comes to the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines that are being prepared and defrosted, it has been reported that medics have a mere ‘six-hour’ window in which they must be utilised. Beyond that time, made up or reconstituted, doses must be destroyed. To that end, I can of course understand why ‘left-over’ doses were allegedly utilised to vaccinate ‘sixteen relatives of staff’ working at the Coombe maternity hospital in Dublin. What I don’t understand is the report that allegedly among the recipients were ‘two children of the Master of the Coombe’. If that’s the case, I totally agree that Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly should, as a matter of urgency, demand a full, noholds-barred account of what took place during the Coombe’s roll-out on January

8th for the simple reason that the public deserves answers. It’s my belief that it’s far, far better to utilise these vaccines rather than discard them, but didn’t the Coombe (and all hospitals administering the vaccine), calculate the amount of doses it needed prior to ordering, defrosting and reconstituting the dosages? Maybe they did! Maybe they had the exact allocation of doses prepared and maybe some recipients didn’t turn up on the day and therefore, an executive decision was made to utilise, as opposed to destroy. If that’s the case, nobody should be annoyed with that. And I’m not… if that’s what happened. My problem with this particular roll-out is the allegation that the Coombe’s Master’s children received the doses, and I have to wonder

if frontline workers or vulnerable individuals were actively sought, identified and prioritised on the day as being more ‘essential’ than the boss’s kids? It’s obvious that the vaccine roll-out must be both credible and reliable, and while I’ve got no problem with doses being used, I do have a major problem with them allegedly being abused. I can certainly understand the hurt and frustration felt by the frontline staff working in Nenagh General Hospital in Tipperary, who were reduced to ‘begging’ for supplies, asking Michéal Martin and Stephen Donnelly, “Why aren’t we being vaccinated? Why are we being left out?” Perhaps Professor Michael O’Connell, Master of the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital can answer that one?

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

NewsPeople

Funding boost for local walkways and amenities < DAN DOONER

Local walking trails and other outdoor amenities are set to receive a boost after it was announced this week that over €179,000 in funding will be provided to a number of local projects under the Outdoor Recreation and Infrastructure Scheme. The funding was announced in partnership with Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development. The news was warmly welcomed by local public representatives, including Fine Gael TD Frank Feighan, who said: “As Minister with responsibility for the Healthy Ireland framework, I am delighted to see continual investment into walking and cycling infrastructure across the country. “Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier and these walkways are vital to help people in rural areas to stay fit and keep well”.

Fianna Fáil Senator Eugene Murphy commented: “This is a most welcome announcement. Now more than ever during these difficult Covid times we all realise and appreciate the importance of using our walking trails and cycle lanes to keep fit and get outdoors for fresh air as it is extremely important for both physical and mental health. People are appreciating facilities and amenities in their own areas now which is fantastic”. Fine Gael Senator Aisling Dolan said the funding “will support more development of free outdoor activities for families and all in the community. We also need to ensure that these routes are accessible and age friendly. A walk or cycle for thirty minutes a day can really give a boost in these anxious times so do explore your local area”. Meanwhile, Independent TD and Chair of the Dáil Committee on Community and Rural Affairs, Denis Naughten, said: “This is just the first phase of the allocation of funding for walk-

ing trails and further funding will be allocated for much larger projects by Minister Heather Humphreys over the coming weeks. “This investment is part of a far bigger plan to promote our area to tourists as part of Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands and it will also make East Galway and Roscommon more attractive locations for industrial investment”. Local projects to receive funding include: Aughrane Forest, Ballygar (€17,685); Frass Clooncon Bog, Glenamaddy (€18,000); Lismany Kylemore Boardwalk, Ballinasloe (€20,000); Lismany Kylemore Trail, Ballinasloe (€20,000); Boyle to Lough Key Cycleway (€20,000); National Famine Way, Strokestown (€20,000); Video marketing campaign, Co. Roscommon (€20,000); Visitor monitoring equipment, Co. Roscommon (€20,000); Miner’s Way and Historical Trail, Una Bhan Tourism and Roscommon Leader (€15,127.58); Granlahan Loops, Roscommon Leader (€8,280.36).

Fine Gael TD Frank Feighan

Noreen Fallon, Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Roscommon University Hospital.

Roscommon native, Noreen Fallon, has recently been appointed as a Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner (RANP) in Respiratory Care at Roscommon University Hospital, making her the first RANP specialising in Respiratory Care at Roscommon University Hospital. Noreen qualified from NUI Galway as a Registered General Nurse in 1995 and after completing her General Nurse training in GUH, she went on to work in University Hospital Galway, the Mater Misericordiae in Dublin, Merlin Park University Hospital, Hammersmith Hospital in London and at a Military Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She joined Roscommon University Hospital in 2004 and has always had an interest in respiratory care throughout her career. Noreen completed a Master’s Degree in Adult Respira-

tory Care at the University of Limerick in 2015. She then completed training in Spirometry at the College of Science and Health at the Dublin Institute of Technology in association with the Irish Association of Respiratory Scientists in 2017. Under the guidance and mentorship of Dr. Hilary McLoughlin, Respiratory Consultant in Portiuncula University Hospital and Dr Gerry O’Mara, Roscommon University Hospital, Noreen began the journey to advanced practice and also completed a post-graduate Diploma in Advanced Practice with Prescribing at NUI Galway. Noreen’s role involves the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory conditions including Asthma, COPD, Lung Fibrosis and Pulmonary Hypertension and involves working across Roscommon University Hospital and Portiuncula University Hospital where Noreen participates in Sleep Review and

Kerrane’s call with Irish Water over outages Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane has confirmed that she held a conference call with a representative from Irish Water in relation to on-going and continued water outages in Ballaghaderreen. Deputy Kerrane said: “I sought an update on plans to upgrade the water system in the town. I have been informed that design works have commenced for the replacement of a mains pipe of about 3.5km. This will dictate the cost of these works and funding will be sought. “This work is a priority for Irish Water and I have pressed the urgent need for these upgrade works to proceed as quickly as possible. We cannot have a situation where households are being left without water due to continual pipe bursts. “I have asked that Irish Water look at mitigation measures where bursts occur to ensure that water supply is maintained by diverting water into affected areas. This is being looked at and talks between the local authorities (Roscommon and Sligo) and Irish Water on how this can be done in the interim will begin”.

Dolan promotes Ballinasloe route for cycleway

RUH appoints first RANP in Respiratory Care < DAN DOONER

newsbriefs

Respiratory Clinics. Speaking after her appointment, Noreen said: “Becoming a Registered Advance Nurse Practitioner has allowed me to develop as an independent autonomous practitioner and strive for continuous improvement and excellence in practice. I am qualified to assess, diagnose, and treat respiratory conditions. “I am privileged to be a member of the respiratory team and for the support and guidance from Dr Hilary McLoughlin, Dr. Gerry O’Mara and Nurse Management over the past three years. Their work ethic and vision for respiratory services and dedication to our patients is inspirational. Mary Garvey, Hospital Manager, Roscommon University Hospital described Noreen’s appointment as a “significant development” that would “enhance high-quality patient-centred care to people presenting to the hospital with respiratory illnesses”.

Fine Gael Senator Aisling Dolan has called on residents to engage with the public consultation process for the proposed Galway to Athlone Cycleway, which she says has the potential to transform the town of Ballinasloe. The public consultation will start next Monday (25th) and people can log on to the website galwaytoathlonecycleway.com to view the routes in an interactive way. Senator Dolan said: “I understand concerns from farmers and landowners on the impact of this development. The route corridors are up to a few kilometres wide in areas, and this can allow for much engagement and discussion with the project team. “Questionnaires and appointments can be set up by emailing info@ galwaytoathlonecycleway. com or phoning 091-509267. A printed consultation brochure and questionnaire will also be posted to residents, landowners and businesses in these areas. “I also welcome any queries or feedback to aisling.dolan@ oireachtas.ie or 086-3690719. The closing date for public consultation is Friday, February 26th”.

County Council Remembrance Mass Mass will be broadcast from the Sacred Heart Church, Roscommon town this Friday, January 22nd at 7 pm for deceased Roscommon County Council members and staff and is available at: churchtv.ie/ Roscommon and on Parish radio 109.5 FM (Roscommon town area).

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

FinancialPeople ROSCOMMON CREDIT UNION LTD.

SPECIAL OFFER CAR LOAN

5.9%

Representative Example

WEEKLY

REPAYMENT

€44.42 €10,000

BORROWED OVER

5 YEARS

Cost of Credit €1,547.89 Total Amount Repayable €11,547.89 Variable Rate 5.9% (APR 6.07%)

T: 090 6626657 E: loans@roscommoncu.ie W: www.roscommoncu.ie Loans are subject to approval. The loan product CAR 2021 is a limited offer, valid until March 31st, 2021. Loans are for a maximum duration of 59 months (5 years). Approved loans must be drawn down on or before March 31st, 2021 to avail of the 5.9% rate of interest. T&C’s apply. Roscommon Credit Union Ltd is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Serving you in Roscommon, Elphin and Strokestown

Roscommon Credit Union answers your car loan questions! Here at Roscommon Credit Union we’ve decided to answer the questions we’re most frequently asked about car loans for new and existing members! Remember: With a credit union car loan, you own the car outright – no big deposits to pay, no mileage or service restrictions, no nasty balloon payment surprises left at the end of the term.

How do you apply for a car loan? You can apply for a car loan once you’re a credit union member. We have a Special Offer Car Loan rate available until March 31st. For more details and to calculate repayments visit our new website www.roscommoncu.ie. With level 5 restrictions it is recommended that members apply for a loan online or over the phone. If you’re not already a member, joining Roscommon Credit Union Ltd. is straightforward. You’ll need the usual documents such as proof of identity and proof of address. New members can join and apply for a car loan the very same day by calling 090-6626657.

What do you need? Once a member you can apply by submitting an online application with supporting documentation. Members can also call us and email documentation to loans@roscommoncu.ie Visit our website, where we list everything you need to apply for a loan. As with any loan, you’ll need to demonstrate the ability to make repayments.

The best place to get a car loan? Do you want your car loan to be affordable with flexible terms and conditions? Our loans are straightforward, with no hidden fees or charges. With the added perk of free Loan Protection Insurance at no extra cost to our members. Roscommon Credit Union loan officers take the time to go through the terms and conditions with you. We will work with you to structure payments in a way that suits your lifestyle and income best. In addition, credit unions are ethical, not-for-profit financial institutions so you can rest safe in the knowledge that they have your best interests at heart.

What are Roscommon Credit Union’s best interest rates? Our car loans are very competitive. We have a Special Offer Car Loan of 5.9% (APR 6.07%) available to our members until 31st March 2021. Our online loan calculator is a great way to work out your repayments, visit our website and see what your weekly/monthly car repayments might be with our Special Offer car loan!

How does a credit union car loan work? A credit union loan is very flexible, for example you can pay it off early without any financial penalty.

How easy is it to get approved?  Last year alone we issued 5.8 million to our members in loans with 95.5% of all credit union loans approved*.

What do credit unions look for when applying? The key deciding factor in you get-

ting your car loan or any loan from Roscommon Credit Union Ltd. is your ability to repay. You may be asked to provide supporting financial information. The best thing to do is contact us!

loan repayments for long or short terms that suit you. Generally, we would say a term of 3-5 years, depending on the value of the loan, would be the optimal repayment period for you.

How big a car loan can I get?

Can you it pay off early?

We offer much bigger car loans than you might think! Members can spread the use over five years with our Special Offer Car Loan, which is valid until 31st March 2021. So whatever car you’re planning on buying, your credit union should have the loan to match. Key to the lending decision will of course be your ability to repay the loan.

In a word, yes! You can pay off a credit union car loan early and there are no financial penalties for doing this! This is not the same with other car finance options, such as PCP or Hire Purchase agreements which are far more inflexible in this regard. For motoring and financial tips and advice, special offers and more follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn!

What is the maximum term? Credit union car loans are very flexible, we will work with you to structure the

*ILCU Marketing and Lending Survey 2019, refers to standard loan applications which were completed in full.

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

FinancialPeople - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Advertorial - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Crean & Co: Covid financial advice from the experts! < DAVID CREAN, CREAN & CO ACCOUNTANTS

Tax bills for PAYE workers Many PAYE workers have recently received tax liabilities from Revenue. The statistics show that approximately 419,000 recipients of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) and the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) have tax liabilities, of which 126,000 owe more than €1,000. It is important not to panic about the receipt of these liabilities. We understand that Revenue will be writing on a phased basis to those with tax liabilities, encouraging them to file a tax return. I would advise engaging

with the Revenue process, perhaps with the help of an accountant or advisor, as a review may identify unclaimed tax reliefs/ credits that may offset this liability. Even those with liabilities initially may end up with a tax refund following such a review. Supports for employers and self-employed There are still a number of supports in place to help businesses through the crisis. The Finance Minister, Paschal Donohoe, confirmed that the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) would remain in place until 31st March 2021, which subsidises wages paid to employees.

Crean & Co Accountants & Tax Consultants

In addition, there are updated guidelines on the operation of the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) in response to the new restrictions in place. For all business supports, it is advisable to regularly review what is available to your busi-ness with your accountant or financial advisor, as with the evolving criteria and ever-changing environment, the best solution for businesses will also vary. A3:Layout 1 24/05/2018 14:36 Page 1

What does the future hold? An Exchequer surplus of €2.5 billion was expected for 2020, before the pandemic struck. The estimated overall Government deficit is now €19 billion for 2020, in a year where tax revenues coped well but government expenditure soared. It is hard to tell how this rising deficit will be

tackled. Hopefully, the government will look at some inventive ways of increasing tax yields rather than just raising income tax rates. For example, decreasing the rate of capital gains tax (CGT), thus giving an incentive to sell assets, has been proven to actually increase the CGT tax revenue. Some measures of this type will be an option, but you’d be very brave to try to predict anything further than a

week into the future at the moment! * Crean & Co are an accounting firm based in Roscommon Town. David Crean is as Associate member of Chartered Accountants Ireland, Statutory Auditor and is also a volunteer on the Board of Directors of Roscommon Credit Union. For any queries, email info@creanaccountants.ie

David Crean, Crean & Co Accountants

  Most P.C.P.’s (Personal Contract Plan) are lease or HP Agreements  You DO NOT own your car until Final Payment is made  Most P.C.P.’s require a substantial balloon payment at the end to terminate the agreement your vehicle  Most P.C.P.’s P.C.P.’s have haverestrictions restrictionsininrespect respectofofservicing servicing your vehicle and/or the you can can incur and/or the mileage milage you

Lanesboro Street, Roscommon. Tel. (090) 6626680 Purcell Print • (071) 9662890

Email:

info@creanaccountants.ie McGOWAN ACCOUNTANCY SERVICES Catering for: • Individuals • Sole Traders, Partnerships & Companies • VAT, RCT, PAYE/PRSI, Financial Control, Completion of annual tax returns First consultation FREE, can meet clients outside office hours Provides training & mentoring for start your own business and basic computers and accounting. Also training in Thesaurus accounting products

‘YOUR SUCCESS IS OUR BUSINESS’ Contact Nuala 090 66 25818 or (086) 0352849 Email: mcgacco@gmail.com Web: www.mcgowanaccounting.com

 Own Your Dream Car in 2017 with

 Green Street, Boyle, Co. Roscommon. Sub Office: Keadue, Co. Roscommon.

Main Office:

Tel: 071-9663144 Fax: 071-9663208 Email: info@boylecreditunion.com Approval is subject to lending criteria, terms and conditions.

Boyle Credit Union Ltd is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

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 YARD OPENS AT 8 A.M. 2 RINGS IN OPERATION ALL SALES COMMENCE AT 11 A.M. LEVEL 5 COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE.

For Enquiries Please Contact Mart Office Or Visit Our Website For Details.

The all New Massey Ferguson 5711M 110hp stockman’s tractor now in stock.

New and Ex Demo MF round balers in stock. Ex Demo 17 knife c/w auto greaser 900 bales €37,500 inc VAT. Beat the price increase, pre order your New MF round baler today and avail of a better price.

Johnston Farm Equipment Ltd, Longford Phone: 043 33 41951 l www.johnston.ie

Dead & Worn-Out Animals

Dead & Worn-Out Animals Contact

Contact

TOM ROGERS

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

Your LOCAL Collector Guaranteed lowest price

JOHN GREENE BALLINASLOE

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

Beef farmers must be first for Brexit adjustment reserve - IFA IFA National Livestock Chairman, Brendan Golden, said beef prices have strengthened recently but supplies are predicted to remain tight and that sterling fluctuation must be addressed in the Brexit Adjustment Reserve. “Steers are making €3.75 to €3.80/kg, with heifers between €3.80 and €3.85/kg in most factories. There are deals above these levels available for larger lots and Angus cattle. “Market demands are strong, driven by the high volumes of beef sales in supermarkets but sup-

plies are predicted to remain tight,” he said. Mr. Golden added that the price of cows had also strengthened this week, ranging from €3 per kilogram to €3.40. “Young bull prices have also risen in the past week and are ranging in general from €3.60 to €3.80/kg for O/R and U grades. “While there is uncertainty around some logistical issues and access to the UK market, demand is strong and beef prices must push on and reflect market conditions.

Fitzmaurice meets Minister to clarify turf cutting concerns Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice met with the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, and some of his senior officials, to discuss concerns around domestic turf cutting this week. “I sought the meeting to clarify the situation and the minister, along with his officials, confirmed that domestic turf cutters who cut turf to burn in their own fires in their own homes have no need to be concerned. “They highlighted that the primary concern is around air quality levels and that the public consultation is

just a step towards addressing the matter. “As part of the consultation, there is a proposal to regulate the sale of fuels – such as briquettes, coal and timber – when it comes to their moisture levels or smoke content levels. “As was confirmed recently by Bord na Mona, it was noted that the sale of briquettes would be phased out eventually. The timeline for ceasing production has been confirmed by Bord na Mona as 2024, with a potential for sales to stretch into 2025. Issues around the sale of wet timber were also addressed at

the meeting with the minister and his officials and advisers,” Deputy Fitzmaurice said. The Independent TD warned Minister Ryan that the Government would face an enormous backlash if efforts were made to ban the cutting and burning of turf. “I informed the minister of my belief that the number of households cutting and burning turf domestically would decrease of its own accord in the next decade or so, as people move towards alternative technologies such as air-to-water to heat their homes,” Deputy Fitzmaurice said. “Having liaised with members of

the Turf Cutters and Contractors Association, they are satisfied with the clarification and agreed to closely monitor developments with the consultation. “As has always been their view, people who cut turf to burn in their own fire in their own home do not represent a major threat to the environment and people throughout the country will continue to defend their right to this tradition,” he added before confirming that he had would seek a commitment form Bord na Mona that it would continue to maintain boundary drains around bogs to prevent flooding.

Environment webinar for local farmers The Teagasc Roscommon/Longford Advisory service are continuing with their very popular webinar series on Wednesday, January 27th, this time with an environmental theme. Enda O’Hart and Conor Dowling, both based in the Teagasc Castlerea office, will be covering the topics of Protected Urea and Low emission slurry spreading technology respectively. Each advisor will give a presentation and participants who view the webinar can put question to each presenter. Enda O’Hart will outline the benefits of replacing urea and CAN (Calcium Ammonium Nitrate) fertilisers with protected urea, leading to reduced emissions of both ammonia and nitrous oxide which represent financial gains for the farmer and a gain for the environment in terms of air quality, water quality and climate change. Conor Dowling will be discussing how low emission slurry spreading in springtime can provide an extra 23kg N/ha, saving €20 per hectare in chemical fertiliser. The online Zoom webinar will last for one hour and those interested can register at https://bit.ly/RNLDwebinar or follow the hashtag #RNLDwebinars on social media.

Teagasc Roscommon/ Teagasc Roscommon/ Longford LongfordEnvironment EnvironmentWebinar Webinar

Teagasc Roscommon/Longford Teagasc Roscommon/Longfordare are hosting hosting EnvironmentWebinar Webinaron onZoom Zoom AnAnEnvironment

Wednesday 27th January 7pm;

Wednesday 27th January 7pm; Topics & Speakers

Topics &benefits Speakers  The of Protected Urea -Enda O’Hart  Low emission slurry spreading technology-Conor Dowling  The benefits of Protected Urea -Enda O’Hart  Low emission slurry spreading technology-Conor Dowling We hope you can Enda O’Hart

Enda O’Hart

Daily collection

Conor Dowling

@Teagascroscommonlongford

join us for the

We hope you discussion andcan join the Q &usA for session #RNLDwebinars discussion and Q & A session #RNLDwebinars

@TeagascRNLD

For more information phone @TeagascRNLD Roscommon (090) 6626166, Castlerea (094) 9620160 @Teagascroscommonlongford & Longford (043) 3341021. Tom Kellegher Regional Manager phone For more information

Businesses: Reach your target market! 18,000 COPIES PRINTED WEEKLY

“Market returns to beef farmers remain a long way off the breakeven price of €4.50/kg and this is not sustainable,” he said. He said Brexit has impacted directly on beef farmers since the vote was taken in 2016, primarily through the sterling fluctuation, and this must be addressed in the €1.05 billion Brexit Adjustment Reserve announced for Ireland. “Beef farmers must be first in line for strong and meaningful supports, without pre-conditions,” he concluded.

Sean Doorley, Business and Technology Advisor, Teagasc.

Roscommon (090) 6626166, Castlerea (094) 9620160 & Longford (043) 3341021. Tom Kellegher Regional Manager

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

Farming/NewsPeople

Free webinar on farm safety and 2021 funding < DAN DOONER

Fine Gael Senator Aisling Dolan will co-host a Zoom webinar with Minister for State Martin Heydon, next Tuesday (26th) at 7 pm, which will focus on a number of topics including farm safety, the Accelerated Capital Allowance, the extension of certain farm schemes for 2021, and Brexit. Speaking ahead of next Tuesday’s event, Senator Dolan said: “Deputy Martin Heydon has launched two new programmes on farm safety and this webinar will provide essential information in relation to those. We are now in slurry season and activity has really ramped up on the farm in the past week with lambing, and farmers are also coping with young children studying from home and wanting to help mam or dad in the farmyards. This can increase a lot of risks with farm machinery when it

comes to safety at such a busy time. “Farmers can avail of a 50% reduction in costs to purchase farm safety equipment under the Accelerated Capital Allowance (ACA) over the next two years. “Secondly, the application deadline for the EIP – European Innovation Programme in farm safety is the 29th January 2021 and I’ve invited Minister of State with responsibility for Research and Development, Farm Safety, and New Market Development, Martin Heydon, to a public information Zoom meeting with farmers where he will speak about this. “Everyone is welcome and the online details are available on my page at aislingdolan.org. Farming families can join in online at www.zoom. com with the meeting ID or by phone and dial 01-5369320 with the meeting ID: 813 1182

Castlerea MART WATCH There were 250 cattle on offer at our opening sale of 2021 on Thursday, January 14th. Trade started off brightly with all categories of stock in demand and forward stock in particular noticing price improvement since before Christmas. Forward bullocks made as high as €905 over and heifers made €890 over their weight. In the weanling rings, the bulls peaked at €3.30 a kilo while a top price of €980 was achieved for simmental heifers weighing 260 kilos. With increased numbers of stock on offer, breeding stock was met with good demand, resulting in a good clearance. The dry cow trade also remained firm. Sample prices for Bullocks: Lm 380kgs €980, Lm 340kgs €940, AA 485kgs €1080, Lm 545kgs €1190, Ch 585kgs €1370, Lm 565kgs €1340, Ch 610kgs €1410, Ch 785kgs €1690, AA 680kgs €1560. Heifers: SAX 475kgs €1180, LM 480kgs €1160, Lm 470kgs €1080, Ch 650kgs €1540, AA 630kg €1390, Ch 630kgs €1450, Ch 580kg €1340, Ch 545kgs €1110. Dry cows: Ch 470kgs €830, Six 815kgs €1520, Ch 700kgs €1350, AA 760kgs €1390, Lm 705kgs €1320, Ch 775kgs €1360, Sh 540kgs €770. Weanling bulls: Ch 285kgs €770, Lm 285kgs €760, AA 295kgs €700, Ch 370kgs €990, Ch 430kgs €930, Ch 345kgs €930. Weanling heifers: Ch 320kgs €950, Lm 350kgs €830, Six 260kgs €980, AA 280kgs €660, Ch 325kgs €820, AA 280kgs €660, Lmx 275kgs €790. Cows with calves at foot made from €1,125 to €1,200 per head, and springers made from €1,090 to €2,090 per head. Lots made from €190 to €240 in the calf section with runners making from €410 to €830 for continental type lots. Sales continue at Castlerea mart today (Thursday, January 21st) with our weekly sale of bullocks, heifers, cows, calves, runners and weanlings. All sales commence at 11 am with Covid-19 restrictions in place.

(Proudly serving farmers for over 61 years) Property Services Providers Licence No. 001373

Covid 19 Level 5 – Mart Restrictions All sales shall be ONLINE ONLY on our LSL App Buyers must register to view stock prior to sale. Sellers must drop off their livestock and leave. Animals will be sold subject and Sellers will be informed of their prices by telephone. ----------------------

New Year Special Sale of Heifers Friday, January 22nd at 11 a.m. 20 Pens on offer Also Bullocks & Dry Cows ----------------------

End of the Month Special Sale of Bullocks Friday January 29th @ 11 a.m. Also Heifers & Dry Cows Bookings Accepted up to 5 p.m. on Thursday, January 21st ---------------------Friday, February 5th at 11 a.m.

Special Spring Sale of Heifers Minister of State with responsibility for Re-search and Development, Farm Safety, and New Market Development, Martin Heydon will co-host a free webinar next Tuesday evening with local Senator Aisling Dolan.

4751 and you can also find those details on my website aislingdolan.org.

I want to thank Minister Heydon for his participation and giving crucial

updates from the Department of Agriculture,” Senator Dolan concluded.

Roscommon MART WATCH The numbers were small at our opening cattle sale held online on Friday, January 15th. Bullocks ranged from an average of €2.26 per kilo up to 2.54 per kilo, heifers fetched from an average of €2.33 per kilo up to €2.56 per kilo, and there was a good entry of dry cows on offer, with lots making from €1.90 per kilo up to €2.35 per kilo. All cattle presented for sale were sold with the exception of two dry cows. Sales continue this Friday (22nd), with a special sale of heifers and a general sale of dry cows and bullocks. Please note all customers must wear a facemask or a face covering. There was a nice entry of stock at our opening sale of weanlings last Tuesday. Trade was firm for weanling heifers, with prices ranging from €2.39 per kilo up to €2.86 per kilo, and there was a steady trade for weanling bulls, with lots fetching from an average of €2.32 per kilo up to €3.02 per kilo. The next sale of weanlings will be held on Tuesday, February 2nd at 4pm. Bookings will be accepted up until 5 pm on Thursday, January 28th. Included in sale are six top-quality Simmental X cows (five fourth calvers and one sixth calver) in-calf to easy calving Lim Bull, due January onwards. There was a larger entry of sheep on offer at our sheep sale on Wednesday (20th), with a slight dip in trade for hoggets and cast ewes. Finished hoggets made up to €148 for 60kgs, stag ewes made up to €138, and cast ewes made from €61 to €138 per lot. Our next online sheep sale of lambs and cast ewes takes place next Wednesday (27th) at 11 am. The yard open at 8 am, and all stock must be penned by 10 am.

Please note all sheep must be tagged with a full yellow EID tag set. Sale can be viewed live on livestock-live.com Sample prices - Dry cows: Lim X 895kgs €1820, Lim X 805kgs €1670, Lim X 775kgs €1580, Lim X 685kgs €1580, Lim X 650kgs €1530, Lim 730kgs €1490, Lim X 760 €1450, BBX 710kgs €1370, Lim X 645kgs €1250, Lim X 610kgs €1170, Char X 635kgs €1470. Bullocks: AAX 650kgs €1340, HEX 560kgs €1250, Char X 540kgs €1200, HEX 510kgs €1190, Lim X 460kgs €1100, Lim X 460kgs €1090, HEX 490kgs €1050, Char X 475kgs €980, Lim X 385kgs €980, Char X 340kgs €860. Heifers: Lim X 685kgs €1530, Char X 480kgs €1230, Char X 520kgs €1200, Char X 520kgs €1180, Char X 530kgs €1170, Char X 445kgs €1080, Char X 425kgs €1060, Lim X 440kgs €1060, Char X 485kgs €1060, Char X 455kgs €1050. Weanling heifers: Lim X 525 €1360 €2.59 per kilo, Lim X 335kgs €900 - €2.68 per kilo, Char X 355kgs €880 - €2.47 per kilo, Char X 360kgs €880 - €2.44 per kilo, Lim X 290kgs €830 - €2.86 per kilo, AAX 275kgs €670 - €2.43 per kilo, Char X 315kgs €800 - €2.53 per kilo, Lim X 305kgs €800 - €2.62 per kilo. Weanling bulls: Lim X 475kgs €1130 - €2.37 per kilo, Char X 370kgs €1090 €2.94 per kilo, BBX 415kgs €1080 - €2.60 per kilo, Char X 400kgs €990 - €2.47 per kilo, Char X 245kgs €740 - €3.02 per kilo, Char X 275kgs €790 - €2.87 per kilo, Lim X 330kgs €940 - €2.84 per kilo, Char X 265kgs €720 - €2.71 per kilo. Finished hoggets: 60kgs €148, 51.7kgs €146, 59.8kgs €146, 64kgs €145, 59.6kgs €145, 51kgs €143, 48.2kgs €141, 48.5kgs €140, 47.9kgs €136, 43kgs €128.

Also Bullocks & Dry Cows Bookings accepted up to 5 p.m. on Thursday, January 28th ---------------------Friday, February 12th at 11 a.m.

Special Spring Sale of Bullocks Also Heifers & Dry Cows Bookings accepted up to 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 4th ---------------------Tuesday, February 2nd at 4 p.m.

Special Spring Sale of Weanlings Bookings accepted up to 5 p.m. on Thursday, January 28th Also Suckler Cows – Included in Sale 6 Top Quality Simmental X Cows (5 – 4th Calvers & 1- 6th Calver) in calf to easy Calving Lim Bull due Jan onwards ---------------------Tuesday, 9th February 2021 at 5.30 p.m.

Full Dispersal of Top quality Suckler Herd for Mervyn Waters Consisting of 40 continental cows-½ with calves at foot-the rest are calving from Feb – April to P.B. Ch Bull and AI LM Bull.& 10 Heifers ( LM and SIM) in calf to PB AA Bull scanned 5 – 7 months in calf PB CH BULL for sale (seven years old)Also 6 Red LM Maiden Heifers suitable for breeding. ----------------------

Lambs & Cast Ewes Each Wednesday at 11 a.m. Included in Sale Wednesday next January 27th Special Entry 30 Excellent Quality in Lamb Ewes – 3 year olds – Suffolk X & Texel X Scanned in lamb – all carrying Twins to P.B. Char and Texel Rams Due – 2nd week of March

ENQUIRIES 090 6626352

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

Find us on facebook

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

House&HOME

Five spring-cleaning tips to brighten your home! Celebrating 50 years in business

OldBallymurray, Quarry Campus, Northwest Buss. Park, Roscommon Blanchardstown, Dublin Ballymurray, Roscommon & Ballymurray, Roscommon

Domestic, Commercial, Industrial Domestic, Heritage, Commercial, Industrial Domestic, Commercial, Industrial

Spring is almost upon us and with everyone stuck safely indoors until February, now is the perfect time to declutter and brighten your home. Here at the Roscom-

STAIRLIFTS Western Mobility – one of the leading suppliers of stairlifts, straight and curved in the West of Ireland

Disability Bathroom Conversions Plumbing, Tiling, Electrical Regain your independence today!

Domestic Through Floor Lifts Call now E for FRtE ion

No obliga survey and quote

mon People, we’ve put together five spring-cleaning tips designed to give you a fresh start in 2021!

1. Out with the old The first step for any spring clean is a declutter! Now is the time to create some breathing space ahead of the big deep clean. This is also a great way of disposing of items in your fridge, freezer and bathroom that have reached their use-by date. Use it as an opportunity to rid your home of items that no longer work or you no longer use. You can donate items such as clothes, furniture, appliances, books etc., provided they are still functional.

2. Priorities people! A plan is important… as long as you don’t use it as an opportunity to procrastinate! This is a vital step to ensuring your spring clean goes smoothly, especially if you have a big job on your hands. To begin, write out a list of everything you plan on doing and create a schedule that balances priorities and time. For example, tasks such as washing sheets and bed linen, throws and cushion covers, should be at the top of the list. You can then move on to other jobs while you wait for them to dry. Planning on giving the windows a wash? Avoid the dark evenings and get them done earlier in the day.

3. If it’s broke, fix it! Now is the time to fix what needs fixing! Take a quick note of what bulbs are gone and what needs some TLC before you head out to buy supplies and get those little jobs sorted!

4. Hit the floor last! Take it from the top to avoid going back over areas you’ve already cleaned. Start with clearing cobwebs and dusting tricky light fixtures before working your way down to other furniture and then finally the floors. You’ll save yourself a lot of time and effort in the long run and avoid giving yourself a headache in the process!

5. Go deeper! Don’t forget to move appliances and heavy furniture such as fridges, washing machines, microwaves, couches, TVs, cabinets and beds in order to clean behind them thoroughly. Couches can be deep cleaned by removing cushions, washing covers and hovering. Clean out the inside of your oven, microwave and other food preparation appliances. To remove stubborn sauce stains in microwaves, such as tomato, mix water with some lemon and place inside on high heat for a few minutes. Let it cool and then clean away!

Painting & Decorating Contractor

Contact 087 7783633 or Lo Call 1890 25 30 38 www.westernmobility.ie

WALLPAPER HANGING AVAILABLE

KEEN RATES – No job too big or too small

(090) 66 25643 • (087) 6396667 KILTEEVAN, ROSCOMMON

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

NewsPeople

Immoral to take €40m from BEAM farmers – Naughten

Local postman, Frankie Dolan, pictured hard at work on Wednesday afternoon near Rahara. Pic: Mick McCormack

Independent TD Denis Naughten has branded as “immoral” any attempt to seek a payback of up to €40m under the BEAM scheme from farmers. This comes as figures show the national suckler herd has already fallen by 6% between June 2018 and June 2020. “Suckler and beef farmers are already struggling to make ends meet. Therefore, it is imperative that the Minister for Agriculture seeks flexibility from the EU Commission on the compliance with the 5% reduction to ensure that farmers are not penalised for availing of this vital support. This is a point I will be taking up with Minister McConalogue in Dáil Éireann this week”. Deputy Naughten said that Minister McConalogue has a very strong hand to play in support of his argument. “Firstly, the national suckler herd had fallen by 64,600 head in the two years up to June 2020 and by the end of June 2021 this is likely to be close to a 10% reduction nationally. “It would therefore be completely unacceptable to see some suckler famers fac-

ing a BEAM repayment bill when the beef sector has contracted to such an extent. “Secondly, Covid-19 has had a big impact on farmers seeking assistance from other farmers or advisors in interpreting the nitrates calculation as a result of these restrictions. In fact, you would nearly need to be a quantum physicist to work out these figures independently or alternatively make a good guess based on data provided by the Department which has a four to six-week time lag. “Thirdly, these restrictions as well as the ongoing volatility of the market due to Brexit have had a considerable impact on the movement of livestock particularly through marts, despite the argument by the Minister based on headline figures. “Finally, it was clear from the public comments of Minister McConalogue’s predecessor, Michael Creed, on April 30th last in the Dáil, that the door was open to go back to the EU Commission to seek flexibility on the 5% reduction condition, particularly due to the change in circumstances as a result of Covid-19,” Deputy Naughten stated.

SUNDAY GOSPEL REFLECTION Sunday 24 January 2021

Cormac and Diarmuid Fleming, Roscommon pictured out for a walk on Wednesday afternoon. Pic: Mick McCormack

Ava and Sarah Spollen, Curraghaboy pictured out for a walk on Wednesday afternoon. Pic: Mick McCormack

The calling of the brothers in today’s Gospel evokes Elisha’s commissioning by the prophet Elijah (see 1 Kings 19:19–21). As Elijah comes upon Elisha working on his family’s farm, so Jesus sees the brothers working by the seaside. And as Elisha left his mother and father to follow Elijah, so the brothers leave their father to come after Jesus. Jesus’ promise – to make them “fishers of men” – evokes Israel’s deepest hopes. The prophet Jeremiah announced a new exodus in which God would send “many fishermen” to restore the Israelites from exile, as once He brought them out of slavery in Egypt (see Jeremiah 16:14–16). By Jesus’ Cross and Resurrection, this new exodus has begun (see Luke 9:31). And the apostles are the first of a new people of God, the Church – a new family, based not on blood ties, but on belief in Jesus and a desire to do the Father’s will (see John 1:12–13; Matthew 12:46–50).

From now on, even our most important worldly concerns – family relations, occupations, and possessions – must be judged in light of the Gospel, Paul says in today’s Epistle. The first word of Jesus’ Gospel – repent – means we must totally change our way of thinking and living, turning from evil, doing all for the love of God. And we should be consoled by Nineveh’s repentance in today’s First Reading. Even the wicked Nineveh could repent at Jonah’s preaching. And in Jesus we have “something greater than Jonah” (Matthew 12:41). We have God come as our savior, to show sinners the way, as we sing in today’s Psalm. This should give us hope – that loved ones who remain far from God will find compassion if they turn to Him. But we, too, must continue along the path of repentance – striving daily to pattern our lives after His. – Scott Hahn Ph.D., www.salvationhistory.com (courtesy of Sacred Heart Church)

Learn to drive with

ROSCOMMON DRIVING SCHOOL Jack, Kealan and Aoibheann Gannon, Creggs out and about on Wednesday afternoon. Pic: Mick McCormack

087 2295551

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

PropertyPeople

New to the market at Oakwood Retirement Village This week, David Diffley of Property Partners Earley, Roscommon is offering, new to the market, a quality, two-bedroomed, ground floor apartment, located at 20, Oakwood Retirement Village, Hawthorne Drive, Athlone Road, Roscommon town with a price guide of €75,000. David describes the property as “a most attractive, two-bedroomed, ground floor apartment, located in the exclusive Oakwood Retirement Village beside Roscommon town, Roscommon University Hospital and all local amenities. The property is presented for sale in good condition

Agricultural lands wanted in all areas to let

throughout with the benefit of spacious living accommodation and a peaceful setting with ample parking facilities”. The auctioneers now invite immediate enquiries and all offers to sell. BER: D2. A full virtual tour is available on Earley’s website as set out below. For further details or to arrange a viewing, contact David Diffley (MIPAV, TRV) of Property Partners Earley, Stone Court, The Square, Roscommon on 090-66 26579/086-8952283, email ddiffley@ propertypartners.ie or log on to propertypartners.ie.

Prime Ballinasloe lands available at Earley’s This week, John Earley of Property Partners Earley, Roscommon is offering, new to the market, prime lands containing approximately five acres, set out in one lot at Poolboy, beside Ballinasloe Town and the M6 Motorway, Co. Galway. John describes the property as “prime lands holding potential for development at this sought-after commercial location. These are ideal, quality lands, suitable for residential development subject to planning and zoning”.

The lands are comprised in folio GY57776F and are zoned industrial. The auctioneers now invite all expressions of interest and offers for immediate sale. To arrange maps or for further details, contact John Earley (FIPAV), Property Partners Earley, Stone Court, The Square, Roscommon on 090-6626579/0862551380, email jearley@propertypartners.ie or log on to propertypartners.ie.

This week, Property Partners Earley, Roscommon are seeking agricultural lands in all areas for the forthcoming letting season. Parcels of all sizes are required for both long and short-term letting. Earley’s have a comprehensive database of vetted clients ready to go and offer a comprehensive pre-market analysis and valuation of all lands, with over forty years experience in the landletting sector. For further details or to arrange a free consultation, please contact either John Earley (FIPAV) or David Diffley (MIPAV) of Property Partners Earley, Roscommon on 090-66 26579, or email jearley@ propertypartners.ie. For out-of-office enquiries, please contact John on 086-2551380 or David on 086-8952283.

Six-bedroomed dormer bungalow in Creggs Tucked neatly down a country lane, just outside the village of Creggs, is this beautiful, six-bedroomed dormer bungalow with detached garage, sitting on a corner site of approximately 0.6 acres. On the market with Connaughton Auctioneers, the property is in superb condition and is deceivingly large internally. The grounds surrounding the residence are manicured and have an assortment of fruit trees, with a port tunnel behind the rear of the garage. Coolroghan, Creggs is an idyllic rural area, which is, in turn, a mere tenminute drive from both Roscommon town and Glenamaddy, with Ballygar being a mere six miles away. The location is excellent and the property is ideal as a ready-to-

occupy family home. There is an additional corner site of approximately 0.4 acres across the road with approximately 4 acres of bog lands close by in the townland of Carrowkeel included in the sale. The porch to the front leads into the reception hallway with wooden flooring, wherein stairs lead off to the first floor and there is a closet with ample storage. The living room is a large, open-plan room with a solid fuel stove and a host of decorative features, including wooden flooring and centre rose lighting. A door off the living room leads into the kitchen/dining room, which features a ‘Rayburn’ solid fuel stove, tiled flooring, fully integrated units and appliances, as well as a storage room off, which could easily be used as a

walk-in larder. The utility room, which has a door off to the rear of the property, is plumbed for a washing machine and dryer, and also has tiled flooring and ample shelving. On the ground floor there are four bedrooms, all with wooden flooring. Bedroom three has the addition of built-in ‘slider-robes’. The main bathroom has tiled flooring and part-tiled walls and has a wash hand basin, bath with shower over and a toilet. On the first floor, the landing area is bright with the addition of Velux window with wooden flooring and a walk-in, fully shelved closet. There are two large bedrooms on this floor, with the master bedroom ensuite, and access to the airing cupboard. The exterior of this beautiful home has a lot to offer

from the manicured gardens with mature trees on the side boundary to the array of fruit trees, shrubbery and flowers throughout the site. There is a raised timber decking area to the side of the property with scenic views from every aspect. The driveway is stoned and kerbed and extends to the rear, with traditional stone facing the front wall.

The detached outbuilding on the adjoining corner site (25’3” x 11’) also has matured fruit trees on site. The four acres of bog land is close by in the townland of Carrowkeel. Viewing is highly recommended. To arrange an appointment email info@ connaughtonauctioneers. ie or call the office on 0906663700.

Three-bedroomed detached residence in Frenchpark On the market with Connaughton Auctioneers is this spacious, three-bedroomed, detached, twostorey residence in the town of Frenchpark, Co. Roscommon. Located to the front of a low-volume development within walking distance of all amenities, No. 1 Cloonshanville Park is in excellent condition throughout and is ready for occupation. On the ground floor, accommodation includes a large reception hallway with wooden flooring, with a guest WC off with toilet and sink. The sitting room is located to the left of the hallway and features a bay

window overlooking front lawn, as well as a cast iron, open fireplace with wooden surround. From there, a doorway leads into the large, open plan kitchen/ dining room, located to the rear of the property with fully fitted kitchen units, including a built-in cooker, hob, extractor fan, fridge freezer, washing machine and dishwasher, wooden flooring and a sliding patio door to the rear. On the first floor, there are three bedrooms (master ensuite) and a main bathroom that is fully tiled, floor to ceiling, and features a bath (power shower over), toilet and sink.

Services include: mains sewerage, oil fired central heating and mains water. Features are many for this property, such as the cast iron gated entrance to the rear with tarmacadamed rear yard, ample parking, and a lawned garden to the front. Internally there is wooden flooring throughout the residence. The property is in excellent condition and ready for immediate occupation. Viewing is highly recommended. To arrange an appointment, email info@ connaughtonauctioneers. ie or call the office on 0906663700.

Prime Creggs forestry lands available at Earley’s John Earley of Property Partners Earley, Roscommon is offering, new to the market, prime growing forestry lands containing approximately 52 acres, located at Aghagower and Aghagad, Co. Roscommon. All offers above €100,000 to sell. John says: “This property consists of approximately thirty acres of Sitka Spruce, planted approximately 1990 and 1994, and approximately 22 acres of clearfell and bare lands located off the main R362 Creggs-Roscommon route, approximately 2 km from Creggs village. The balance of lands are clearfell”. The lands are comprised in folios: RN11927F, RN23656, RN11928F, RN23656, RN24779 and RN11929F. The auctioneers now invite immediate viewings and all offers after €100,000 to sell. To arrange maps or for further details, contact John Earley (FIPAV) of Property Partners Earley,

Stone Court, The Square, Roscommon on 0906626579, email jearley@ propertypartners.ie or log on to propertypartners.ie. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/propertypartnersearley.

Looking to sell? We have buyers! Our services include: • Sales – Sell your home! • Lettings & Rentals • Property Management – We will manage all aspects of your rental property • Valuations – FREE pre-sale valuation No Sale – No Charge Web: www.kleavyauctioneer.com Tel. 071 96 34737

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

PEOPLE PLATFORM Your say, our say….in everyone’s favourite local newspaper!

‘Families share responsibility for mother and baby homes’ Cloonlaughlan, Mount Talbot, Co. Roscommon Dear Editor, I am writing to exclude myself from Senator Eugene Murphy’s “collective responsibility” remark (Roscommon People issue 15/1/21) regarding the “treatment of former residents of “mother and baby homes”, because it is factually incorrect. The issue is about the “hierarchy of responsibility”. The first responsibility lies with the two people who knowingly – except in the case of rape – created those babies out of wedlock, being fully aware of the resulting stigma, intolerance, isolation and exclusion of that period. The second responsibility lies with the parents of the two people who created the babies. These parents (of the baby’s parents) refused to accept them and care for them back in their family homes, creating the need for an alternative care environment. In the case of farming parents, the

rejection of daughter and child was based on avoiding having to deal with an ‘illegitimate’ child interfering with the established farm inheritance rights of the ‘legitimate’ children. Many of those pregnant women were actually dumped by their own parents at the gates of the ‘mother and baby homes’. The third responsibility lies with the aunts, uncles and other relatives of the pregnant women. The last responsibility lies with the residents of the area in question. The recent report of the ‘Mother and Babies Home Commission of Investigation’ also included investigation of ‘County Homes’, which fulfilled a function similar to the ‘Mother and Baby homes’. In 1960, I was 15 and a member of the ‘Legion of Mary’ in Carrick-on-Shannon that visited the residents in the local County Home on Sundays. The county home was run by nuns and was very well maintained – I can still smell the mansion floor

dedicated to his job and put his own promotion at risk for the County Home. ‘That man’ was my father. Yours sincerely, Peter Wrafter

Society and clergy and the wrongs of the past

polish. I made many requests to the ‘Head Nun’ for minor additions for the residents. She agreed with me but said she could only give what she had money for, and she would gladly give more if she got more from ‘that man’ in charge of health in the county council. I confronted ‘that man’ in the county council on many occasions to support the requests from the ‘Head Nun’

of the County Home; ‘that man’ listened, but could not comment on county council matters to me. Many years later, after the death of ‘that man’, while on a visit to Carrick-on-Shannon, I was approached by a local man who had worked in the health section of the county council. He told me that he had worked under ‘that man’; he told me ‘that man’ was

Carrowduff, Ballymacurley, Co. Roscommon Dear Editor, Sebastian Barry’s fictional novel ‘The Secret Scripture’, based on a true story, was clearly a case in point in relation to who were the ‘pillar of society’ monsters that conspired to lock up people in mental institutions, victims who were perhaps more sane than their perpetrators, the clergy included. This was done to get these people ‘out of the way’, using inheritance issues (regarding land, etc.)

and other reasons to keep the status quo. Barry’s story is one that mirrors the tragic ‘mother and baby’ stories that nearly every extended family in Ireland could relate to, the clergy using the holier than thou, high moral ground and a brainwashing approach to get rid of a family’s ‘inconvenience’ or ‘case’ or whatever you want to call it. Deputies Catherine Connelly and Richard Boyd Barrett are correct in saying that the report is a whitewash. Priests and nuns – who were the bulk of these ‘pillars’ – were acting out as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-like characters within the confines of these institutions. They came and took the victims in medieval-like fashion, to keep control of a changing society. The buck stops with the Government now. It must act to make amends for their wrongs of the past. Yours sincerely, Ian Hester

‘Direct Provision a severe violation of human rights’ Ballygar, Co. Galway Flooding at Lough Funshinagh. Picteure: Mick McCormack.

Views on the Lough Funshinagh flooding crisis Carrowduff, Ballymacurley, Co Roscommon Dear Editor, There is a proposal by the NPWS to designate Lough Ree SAC, a Biosphere Reserve under the auspices of UNESCO, Convention Concerning The World Cultural and Natural Heritage. It must meet the required standards, but with the ongoing problems of Lough Funshinagh – the increased and rising water levels giving rise to algae blooms and the loss of its

conservation status as a result – it’s hard to see Lough Ree and its subsite Lough Funshinagh qualifying for this designation. With the recent flooding, it is now exposed more than ever before to more elevated nutrient levels from ‘diffuse’ and ‘point’ sources, despite farmers and households applying the regulations, such as setback distances for slurry and fertiliser application. The Environment Section of Roscommon Council is responsible for taking charge of any pollution impacts, so they should try to ensure

that remedial measures be immediately enforced. The NPWS have a pivotal role in the management of the lake, but it needs to be proactive now in forming a solution to the myriad of obstacles facing the lake’s proposal to meet UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation for Lough Ree. Yours sincerely, Ian Hester, For and on behalf of Uisce Domhan Water World Europe CLG

Dear Editor, It was a temporary measure introduced at the turn of the century and many of our current incumbent politicians approved and sanctioned its creation. It is now over twenty years in existence. Tanya Ward of the Children’s Rights Alliance said that the human rights abuses happening in these places are “probably some of the worst I’ve ever witnessed in this country”. The internment camps we called ‘Direct Provision’ are quite simply ‘a severe violation of human rights’ (United Nations 2019). They are run for profit by catering companies on behalf of the Irish Government and the people of Ireland. With the exception of the words ‘catering companies’, is there anything that sounds familiar here? Let’s be quite clear, State-sanctioned human rights abuse, the abuse of the rights of children, are by ‘de jure’ still ‘okay’ in Ireland. Are you okay with this? I’m not. Yours sincerely, Glyn Carragher

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

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

ACCOUNTS McGOWAN ACCOUNTANCY SERVICES Catering for: • Individuals • Sole Traders, Partnerships & Companies • VAT, RCT, PAYE/PRSI, Financial Control, Completion of annual tax returns First consultation FREE, can meet clients outside office hours Provides training for start your own business and basic computers and accounting. Also training in Thesaurus accounting products

‘YOUR SUCCESS IS OUR BUSINESS’ Contact Nuala

090 66 25818 086 0352849 Email: mcgacco@gmail.com Web: www.mcgowanaccounting.com

PODIATRIST

PODIATRIST/ CHIROPODIST Mark Kilgallon B.Sc Podiatry (Hons) M.Ch.S.I. Department of Health Approved

EVERY FRIDAY St. Joseph’s Resource Centre, Boyle For appointment

085 1503353 086 8538404

Email: m.kilgallon23@gmail.com

FOOT AND ANKLE CLINIC

Aoife Reilly BSc Pod, MChSI, SCPI (registered with VHI, AVIVA, LAYA & GloHealth)

College Road, For Bookings Contact: Mountbellew,

Sarah Fleming

(Saturday & evening appointments available) Treanrevagh, Mountbellew, Co. Galway H53 D7W8 Open under Goverment + HSE Guidelines

For any of your foot issues call:

094 9620009

PODIATRIST

For all foot ailments Siobhan Murray BSc (Hons) Podiatry M.Ch.S.I.

(087) 707 5803 (Saturday & evening appointments available)

Co Galway H53 D7W8

CHIROPRACTOR ROSCOMMON CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC Specialising in:

• BACK PAIN • HEADACHES • NECK PAIN • LIMB PAIN

Telephone: 086 8433433

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

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

VHI and Laya Covered

Department of Health Approved

Kearney’s Chemist Main Street, Castlerea

For appointment: (094) 96 21647 / (089) 4142233 • Home visits • 20 years experience

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

087 2798704

Podiatrist/Chiropodist

HSE Trained and Approved l Home visits available

Chimney Cleaning

The Galway Podiatrist

(087) 707 5803

Complete Chimney Services

CCTV CAMERA INSPECTIONS • Firebacks replaced and flues repaired • Can be cleaned from the bottom up • Chimney cowels and crow guards fitted Power washing and gutter cleaning services. Telephone:

For Bookings Contact:

Tullys

Construction

• Removes up to 50% more than traditional methods

Clinics also in Ballaghaderreen and Castlebar

CAR FOR SALE < CAR FOR SALE: Kia Sportage F.W.D., 2006 like new, new N.C.T. report available, serviced, belts done, 169,821 km, high spec colour black, €1,050 o.n.o. beside Roscommon town. Phone 086 1529190

CONSTRUCTION Stephen Casey

• House Visits • Insoles and Orthotics Prescribed • Chiropody Services

PODIATRIST

CB.Sc (Hons) Podiatry MScPI at

CHIMNEY CLEANING

CHIMNEY REPAIRS

CHIMNEY SWEEP • Open fire, stove, ranges • All flues and chimneys • Power brushed & vaccumed • No mess, no fuss • CCTV camera inspections • Detailed report and CCTV recording provided for insurance claims • Fully insured Also available for powerwashing and gutter cleaning fergalkelly@live.com

Fergal 086 1016899

l General Building Extensions & Roofing l Groundworks l Renovations

Strokestown, Co. Roscommon

087 9268424 stephenrockcasey@ gmail.com

COMPUTERS 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

NO JOB TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL

COUNSELLING

COUNSELLING 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? Please call Glynis on

085 2514394

email: downeyglynis@yahoo.co.uk

https://www.psychotherapyglynisdowney.com

COUNSELLING & HYPNOTHERAPY 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

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

EDT Lessons Available Telephone:

094 96 20099 Mobile:

086 8936012

This driving School conforms for the new RSA regulations & legislation

FARMING

GARDENING

< ABATTOIR SERVICE AVAILABLE: Cattle, lambs and pigs. Ready for freezing. Home Cured and Honey Dry cured traditional bacon (not pumped with water) now available. Tel: Webb’s Butcher’s, 094 96 20005 or 086 4094715

• Certified Arborists • Tree Surgery • Dangerous Tree Removal • Wood Chipping • Leylandii hedges reduced and shaped

< FOR SALE: Square bales of hay for sale. Tel: 087 2392729

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

Tel: 086 6077307 or 086 8125165

GARDENING 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

087 2860428 GATELY GARDENING

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

www.parklawntreeservices.

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

JOE HEALY

Tree Services

• Hedge Cutting • Dangerous Tree Removal • Wood Chipping • Fully Insured

Phone:

087 2721193

FENCING/GATES

Des Kelly Fencing Over 20 years in business All types of fencing supplied and erected Including: • Cresoted Posts • Agricultural Fencing • Site Fencing • Security Fencing • Post & Rail Fencing • Concrete Fencing • Grant Approved Fencing No job too big or too small Just give us a call on

087 2346364

FRANCIS REGAN FENCING LTD l l

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

Tel: 087 2172281

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

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

Classifieds 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

PROPERTIES TO LET/RENT/WANTED 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

PLANNINGS

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 are applying on behalf of The Board of Management of Ballymurray National School for planning permission to construct a single storey extension to include an additional classroom with link corridor and all associated site development works at Corroy Td, Ballymurray, Co. Roscommon.

Signed: AOL Design Ltd. Consulting Engineers C/O Albert Looby, Killeenboy, Kilteevan, Co. Roscommon. Tel: (090) 66 28184 Mobile:(086) 8167365 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 a fee of €20 within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the planning 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.

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL I, Kieran Lane intend to apply for planning permission to Roscommon County Council for the following development: To Construct a New 4 Bay Slatted Cattle Shed, together with all associated site works at Keenagh (Clanrickard) Td, Athleague, 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 to the authority in writing 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 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 condition, or may refuse to grant permission. Signed: P Durkan & Associates Telephone: 071-9630037 Mobile: 086-1600385 Email: padraic.durkan1@gmail.com

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL I, Patrick Conroy, hereby give notice that I am applying to Roscommon County Council for planning permission for retention of (i) a 46.23m2 garage, (ii) a 15.44m2 turf shed and (iii) a 14.5m2 storage container and all associated site works at Mountpleasant, Strokestown, Co. Roscommon.

Signed: Lo-Homes Limited Tonamaddy, Creggs, Co. Roscommon. Mobile: 086 8551835 A submission or observation in relation to the “Further Information” may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee of €20 not later than two weeks after the receipt of the newspaper notice and site notice by the planning authority. There will be no fee payable on a further submission/observation if it is accompanied by a copy of the acknowledgement of a previous submission/observation.

PLANNINGS ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL We Cathal Dolan and Nichole Nestor intend to apply to Roscommon County Council for planning permission to erect a new dwelling house and provide a sewerage system and percolation area and all associated works at Ballycreegan Td. Kiltoom, Athlone, 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 a fee of €20 within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the planning 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: Cathal Dolan and Nichole Nestor

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL I, Kenneth Butler intend to apply to Roscommon County Council for planning permission to construct 5 bay Machinery/Storage shed together with associated site works at Carrowkeeran Td., Brideswell, Athlone, Co. Roscommon.

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL We are applying on behalf of John and Breda O’ Connor for planning permission to construct a two storey dwelling house and domestic garage with wastewater treatment system and all associated site development works at Carrowmoneen Td, Co. Roscommon.

PLANNINGS ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL We are applying to Roscommon County Council on behalf of Paul Donnelly and Ciara Watson for planning permission for the construction of a dwelling house, a domestic garage/store together with the installation of a waste water treatment system/ percolation area and all necessary site services/ ancillary siteworks at Funshinagh, Four Roads, Co. Roscommon.

Signed: Seamus Dowd & Associates Ltd, Registered Surveyors, Chartered Construction Managers, Building Consultants. Tel: (090) 6623417 Mob: 086-8546035 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 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.

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL We, APK Architects & Engineers are applying to Roscommon County Council on behalf of Cloontrask Park Limited for planning permission to: 1. renovation to existing structure, 2. provision of additional floor space at first floor level, 3. extend roof over existing rear yard to create store, 4. changes to front elevation finishes, 5. provision of additional windows and doors to all elevations and carry out all ancillary site works at Ballindrimley Road, Demesne Townland, Castlerea, 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:

Cloontrask, Castlerea, F45 WV81 Co. Roscommon. M: 086-2102190 P: 090-6665832 E: adam@apk.ie

TUITION

EXPERT IRISH TUITION Have you trained as a Primary School Teacher outside of Ireland and are anxious to fulfill your SCG/OCG Requirements? Courses and private classes arranged to facilitate same. Are you sitting Junior Level or Higher Level Irish in the Leaving Cert with a view to obtaining at least a grade C with the intention of training as a Primary School Teacher? Are you studying at 3rd Level and require help with assignments as Gaeilge? Preparation for Interviews in English and Irish a speciality. Discuss your options with an experienced Irish lecturer. Gaeltacht courses available for all levels at Coláiste Gharumna, Tír an Fhia, Co. na Gaillimhe. All classes are held on skype.

Call 086 0815635 Tomás Ó Móráin OS., BA., M.Ed., A.T.O., A.T.G.

USEFUL SERVICES

SEPTIC TANKS EMPTIED DRAINS/SEWERS CLEANED PERMIT NO: NW CPO - 09 - 03267 - 03

TELEPHONE MICHAEL HAVERTY: 086 8381227 or 086 1997815 Do you have a house or shed that you want cleaned out and all unwanted items removed? If so ring: 087 9657933 or 090 6626752

DOMESTIC APPLIANCE REPAIRS: WASHING MACHINE, REPAIRS, DISHWASHER REPAIRS, OVEN AND TUMBLE DRYER REPAIRS Contact Paul on 086 0538977 087 4046478 071 9664207 www.appliance-repairs.ie

USEFUL SERVICES

TURF/FUEL/ FIREWOOD

Electrician Available Safe Electric Registered. Domestic and Industrial, All work considered. No Job too small. Phone Paul 086 2553153 or 090 666 3053 or Email p0862553153@ gmail.com.

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 Working throughout current restrictions with full PPE equipment.

Evo Roofing & Guttering Experts CONNAUGHT AREA

Call on 091 734122 or 085 2427727

< TURF FOR SALE: In tonne bags, delivery to Roscommon town and surrounding areas. Price €50. Bag and delivery also included in price. Tel: 086 8534011

< THIS WEEK’S SPECIAL OFFERS: • Bags of seasoned firewood only €2 per bag• Bags of turf only €2.50 per bag, buy 20 get 2 free • Tonne bags firewood/turf €35 per bay, or buy tonne firewood + tonne turf + 2 bags coal 20kg all for €80 delivered. • Stove coal 40kg bags only €14, buy 10 bags get 1 20kg bag coal free. • 8x4 trailer load firewood only €90. All includes free delivery. Contact Tom: 086 2628439 < TOP QUALITY TURF: 10x6 Loads of Turf, saved in good weather and stored in dry shed, will deliver. Phone: 083 0684011 WANTED: Fallen trees for firewood. Ash, Beech, Birch and Whitethorn. We are safety certified and insured. Phone:

086 2437376

evoroofingandguttering.com

• All types of roof repairs • Gutter cleaning from €49 • PVC fitted • Roof moss removal • Chimney repairs • Power washing • Ridge Piping • Lead valley repair • New tiles • Quality work, guaranteed

No job too big or too small

PAINTING & DECORATING

PROFESSIONAL PAINTING & DECORATING CONTRACTOR For all your decorating needs CONTACT JOHN

086 4679798 PAINTER & DECORATOR Private & Commercial Power washing 25 years experience Free Estimates Given

Phone Alan on:

090 6661635 or Mobile:

087 2683079

TURF AVAILABLE Tel: Donal

086 2721812 (All areas)

< TURF FOR SALE: Top quality black turf, tractor trailer or jeep trailer loads. Delivery to Roscommon, Athone and surounding areas. Phone Eamonn: 087 9784151 < TURF FOR SALE: Good black turf, shed stored. In trailer loads or bags. Tel: 086 2544294

SITUATIONS WANTED < KIND, RELIABLE, LADY AVAILABLE: To do private home care for elderly people in their own home, in the Boyle, Carrick on Shannon, Elphin and Frenchpark area. Tel: 083 8991755

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

Classifieds

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

FAMILYNOTICES ....ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND ANNIVERSARIES KELLY Frank Mullymux, Roscommon (13th Anniversary)

In loving memory of Frank, Husband, Father and Grandfather When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.

Loved and missed by all your family. Anniversary Mass in the Sacred Heart Church, Roscommon on Saturday, 23rd January at 11am.

THANKSGIVINGS 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. M.K. PRAYER FOR A SPECIAL REQUEST Pray for 3 days. Publish on the 3rd day. See what will happen on the 4th day. Oh! Dear Mother of God, Our Lady of Conception Aparecida! Oh! Saint Rita of Cassia and Saint Jude worker of miracles and helper of impossible causes pray for me. Saint Expedite, Saint of urgent causes. Saint Edwiges the Saint of the needy, you know how desperate I feel, please ask Jesus to help me. (Here mention your request). May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored and glorified for ever. Pray 1 Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be... Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. L.S. 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. U.G.

TIGHE  Philomena

McNAMARA Frank

Cloonfaughna, Glinsk, Castlerea (21st Anniversary)

Rockfield, Roscommon (12th Anniversary) Who died on 23rd January 2009

In loving memory of Philomena who is sadly missed by her mother Anne and family, Philomena passed away on 22nd January 2000 May the winds of Heaven blow softly, and whisper in your ear, how much we love and miss you, and wish that you were here. Our hearts still ache in sadness, and secret tears still flow, what it means to have lost you, no one will ever know.

Anniversary Mass on Sunday, 24th January at 10am in St. Michael’s Church, Glinsk.

MOORE Mary (15th Anniversary)

Will those who think of him today, a little prayer to Jesus say.

Remembered by Chris and family.

HENNIGAN Anne (Nancy) Castletanna, Fourmilehouse, Co. Roscommon (6th Anniversary)

In life we loved you dearly, in death we love you still. In our hearts you hold a place, no one else can ever fill. It broke our hearts to lose you, but you didn’t go alone, for a part of us went with you, the day God took you home. Never a day goes by that you are not in our hearts and mind.

Sadly, missed on this fifteenth anniversary by your loving husband George, your children, grandchildren and extended family.

Locally owned ... in the heart of the community

Mount Talbot, Co. Roscommon (13th Anniversary) In loving memory of a dear wife and mother, who passed away on 18th of January 2008

Silent memories keep you near as time unfolds another year Out of our lives you may have gone but in our hearts you still live on.

Loved and remembered by George and family, neighbours and friends. Anniversary Mass in The Church of the Good Shepherd, Tisrara on Sunday, 24th January at 11am.

GATELY Dara Castlecoote, Roscommon (9th Anniversary)

KENNY Paddy Aughmaghree, Kilteevan Who passed away 17th of January 2011 (10th Anniversary)

Always lovingly remembered by her son Tommy Joe.

KEEGAN Paddy Beechwood, Kilteevan, Co. Roscommon In loving memory of Paddy who passed away on 21st January 2019 (2nd Anniversary)

For those who think of him today a little prayer to Jesus say.

Lovingly remembered by Kathleen, Maura, Bernie, Richard and Eric Anniversary Mass in The Sacred Heart Home on Sunday, 24th January at 11am. Mass will be held in private.

In loving memory of Dara, whose 9th Anniversary occurs on the 24th January. Those special memories of you will always bring a smile, if only I could have you back for a little while. Then we could sit and talk again, just like we used to do. You always meant so very much and always will do too. The fact that you’re no longer here will always cause me pain But you’re forever in my heart until we meet again.

Sadly missed and always remembered by his loving father Eamon, aunts, uncles and cousins. Mass will be offered on Sunday, 24th January

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

CONTACT HAZEL

087 6758874

Sadly missed along life’s way Quietly remembered everyday No longer in our lives to share but in our hearts he’s always there. A silent thought, A quiet prayer, For a special person in God’s care.

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

DONNELLY Paddy

Scrine, Rahara, Co. Roscommon (1st Anniversary) In loving memory of Paddy who died on the 18th January 2020.

Lovingly remembered by Marie, Vincent, Philip and Alex.

REGAN Ann Liscoffey, Athleague, Co. Roscommon (16th Anniversary) Who died on 21st January 2005

In loving memory of Anne who passed away on 14th January 2015. Also remembering at this time her husband, Cornelius (Sonny), who passed away on 26th August 1976 We miss you from your fireside chair your loving smile and gentle air. Your vacant place no oe can fill we miss you Mother and always will.

In loving memory of Mary, late of Carrenterriff, Dysart, Ballinasloe, Co Roscommon who died fifteen years ago on January 21st 2006.

GALVIN Maureen

As we look back over time we find ourselves wondering ..... Did we remember to thank you enough for all you have done for us? For all the times you were by our sides to help and support us ..... to celebrate our successes to understand our problems and accept our defeats? Or for teaching us by your example, the value of hard work, good judgement, courage and integrity? We wonder if we ever thanked you for the sacrifices you made to let us have the very best? We’re thanking you now and we are hoping you knew all along, how much you meant to us.

Missed always by James, sons, daughters, sons-inlaw, daughters-in-law and all your grandchildren. Anniversary Mass will be celebrated in January privately due to Covid restrictions.

Mary Ward and Brigid Quinn (sisters), Pauline Donnelly (sister-in-law), together with nephews, niece and extended family, wish to thank everybody who attended the removal and funeral of Paddy, and to everyone who offered condolences. Sincere thanks to Fr. Michael Donnelly, his cousin, for celebrating the lovely mass, assisted by Monsignor Travers, Fr. Pravin and Fr. Tom Keavey, Donamon. Also to the choir for the beautiful music and singing. Thank you to the doctors and nurses of R.U.H. and the Palliative Care team for their care and kindness to Paddy during his illness. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass has been offered for your intentions. First Anniversary Mass will be celebrated at 7pm on Saturday, 23rd January (online on www.churchtv. ie/Roscommon)

HOARE Jerry 3 Ard Comain, Henry Street, Roscommon (7th Anniversary)

My darling husband, When I lost you seven years ago I lost part of myself, but I think you would know I have tried my best to muddle along but it cannot be the same now you’re gone. So on this day as I do every year I hope you can see just how much I care And until we meet again my love Just keep watching me from your cloud above.

Always remembered and loved by your heartbroken wife Kathleen.

Losing our Dad was our rock shattered We may no longer have been children But oh how Dad mattered Our foundations are shaky and we wobble and fall. So when this day arrives each year we do our best to show how we still care We hope Dad knew how much he was loved and that he is looking down on us.

Always remembered and loved by his heartbroken children and grandchildren.

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

Classifieds

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

FAMILYNOTICES ....ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND ANNIVERSARIES MONTH’S MIND MASS KEIGHER Daniel

CORCORAN Carmel and Michael Killoy, Lecarrow (18th and 41st Anniversaries)

Castle Street, Roscommon Town. Who passed away on 21st December 2020

MacGUIGAN John M.V. “Letteree”, Sleaveen, Roscommon (2nd Anniversary)

The family of the late Daniel Keigher would like to thank everyone for their support since our son and brother died on December 21st, 2020. We want to take this opportunity to acknowledge how much people all around us have helped us cope and carry our cross at this very difficult time. Thank you to all the people who have kept us in their thoughts and prayers. The emergency services on the night worked with such dignity and strength to help Daniel and us cope with the tragic situation. Thank you to Pat Smyth (undertaker) who helped us through the tasks required in such a supportive and caring way. Thank you to Fr. Kevin, who stood with us in memory of Daniel. We needed an afternoon Mass in order for Daniel’s sister to be able to attend. Churches were busy on Christmas Eve. Thank you to the Friary in Athlone for making this possible. Thanks to Fr. Joe who said the Mass in the Friary. To the people who got Daniel’s sister and her baby from the airport to the funeral Mass, organised winter clothes, baby food and equipment to meet the various needs, and also for minding the baby throughout the day. To the people who brought food to help us keep going and carry us through, we appreciated your kindness. Thank you to all the people who lined the streets and the road to Athlone. Thank you to the people who stood outside the church and at the graveyard on a cold Christmas Eve, to the people who have sent cards of sympathy and have enrolled Daniel and us in Masses and prayers. To all the people who have written such beautiful condolences and memories of Daniel on RIP.ie. Please continue to carry him in your hearts and spread his gentleness and kindness. To all our friends, family, colleagues and neighbours who stand with us at this time. To his young friends who were with us and who have shared the richness of his life. We will continue to shine his light and make the world a better place because of his life. All of you have shown such compassion in our hour of need and your continued compassion will carry us through. We have a big gap in our lives without Daniel. Our relationship with him has changed, not ended. However we do believe that he can help us make this world a better place and we want to continue our relationship with everyone who knew him so that his calling will continue to flourish. Sadly missed by Mum Marian, Dad Donal and sisters Carol, Angela and Catherine. Daniel’s Month’s Mind Mass is on Sunday, 24th January at 11.30. You can join us on webcam, Sacred Heart Church Roscommon.

Ros Memorials Headstone, Memorial & Gravestone Specialists

KNOCKCROGHERY, CO. ROSCOMMON

PAT QUIGLEY: 087 7799076 PAUL O’CONNOR: 086 6052649

Loved and remembered always by your sons and daughters, Marie, Padraig, Annette, Seamus and Micheál, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.

CORCORAN Carmel No longer in our lives to share but in our hearts you’re always there.

Lovingly remembered by your sister Phil, brother-in-law Donald and family.

CORCORAN Carmel Sadly missed along life’s way quietly remembered every day.

Sadly missed by Kitty and family.

O’DONNELL Jack

In loving memory of our father, John, who passed away on 23rd January 2019. Sadly missed along life’s way, quietly remembered every day. No longer in our life to share, but in our hearts you’re always there.

CRAWFORD (nee Kelly) Bridget 4 Cuan Mhuire, Four Mile House, Co. Roscommon (2nd Anniversary) Who passed away on 19th January 2019

There is a gift you cannot buy, it is rare and true, it’s the gift of a wonderful great-grandfather, like the one we had in you. Your needs were simple, your love for us so true, so long as we were happy, you were happy too.

Always remembered and sadly missed by Isabel and Mollie Anniversary Mass for Jack and his wife Mollie will be celebrated in their memory on Thursday, 21st January at 8am. via webcam in St. Nathy’s Cathedral, Ballaghaderreen.

They lived and laughed, and loved and left, but their memories will live forever

Loved and missed by all your family.

Scrine, Athleague, Co. Roscommon Third generation Monumental Sculptors specialising in: • New Headstones • New Inscriptions • Restoration and Cleaning of Monuments • Wall Plaques and Name Plates • Grave Maintenance Service Contact James on 087 3549574 or David on 087 6086723 E-mail: anthonymurrayandsons@gmail.com

Your name is often spoken Bridget we talk about you still you haven’t been forgotten you know you never will.

Loved and missed by Mary, Martin, Elayne, Seamus and Lisa.

(1st Anniversary) In loving memory of Eithne who died on 4th January 2020

Lovingly remembered by Ruth, Mark, John, Jessica and his granddaughters.

Drimacoo, Ballaghaderreen (1st Anniversary) Who passed away on 22nd January 2020

Time may close the book of grief, but memories turn back every leaf. Memories we treasure one by one, things you said, things you done. They bring a smile, often a tear and forever a wish you were still here.

Acres House, Roscommon

(9th Anniversary) In loving memory of Denis (Denny), who died on 15th January 2012

Cherished memories of Carmel, who passed away on 25th January 2003 and Michael, who passed away on 7th January 1980 Many a lovely memory, many a silent tear, always treasured memories of parents we loved so dear.

DORAN Denis & Eithne

Always remembered by Charlie, Evelyn and family. Anniversary Mass in St. Bridget’s Church on Sunday, 24th January at 11 am.

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

• Headstones • Kerbed Memorials • Grave Site Care • Headstone Cleaning • Monument Levelling • Gravestone Repair

The local paper!

Rogers Funeral Directors Rooskey

(Covering Rooskey and surrounding areas)

Mobile: 087 2365453 Landline: 071 9638739 email: jrrogers40@hotmail.com Love’s Greatest Gift - Remembrance

MEMORIAL CARDS Individually Designed and Printed

Email or call for Sample Pack

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

AtYourService CHIMNEY REPAIRS

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

WINDOWS/DOORS

Chimney Problems

SHOWROOM:

Racecourse Road, Roscommon

Dooley Chimney Repairs • Lining

We SUPPLY & FIT Double & Treble Glazed Windows & Doors, Patio Doors, French Doors, Porches and Conservatories WIDE RANGE OF COMPOSITE DOORS

uPVC Window and Door Locksmith We are the only Licensed Window and Door Locksmith in Roscommon

• Relining • Rebuilding • CCTV Camera Inspection

Cathal Dooley 087 6579064

20 Years Experience Free Insurance Quotes Nationwide Service Stoves and Ranges Fitted All Work Guaranteed

Telephone: 090 66 33026 www.roscommonwindows.ie

WINDOW AND DOOR REPAIRS

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

• Door Handles • Door Locks • Letterboxes • Window Hinges • Patio Door Repairs • Misted and Double Glazed Units • Reseal Windows and Doors

Contact David Martin on 087 9959417 WINDOW AND DOOR SERVICE

- CCTV Camera Inspection

DOOR & WINDOW SERVICE

For Professional For Professional Advice Contact Advice Contact: John Hibbitt:

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

Tel: 090

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

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

REPAIRS & SERVICING ALSO CARRIED OUT

BLINDS

Contact Pat Hanley on

Email: pjmhanley@gmail.com

Also Wooden Venetians, Velux Window Blinds. Tel: 090 66 30521 Mobile: 086 8115928

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 INSURANCE CLAIMS

Chris’s Window Service

Springfield, Williamstown, Co. Galway Window restrictors l Burglary repairs l Window locks l Cylinder and lock supplied l Hinge replacement l Glass replacement l Window and door seals l Window and door handles supplied and fitted l Aluminium and uPVC doors and windows repaired.

SEPTIC TANKS EMPTIED ALSO DRAIN JETTING SERVICE

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

Tel: 090

6621220

VETERINARY

ALL CREATURES VETERINARY LANESBORO STREET, ROSCOMMON Tel: 090 662 6898 AFTER HOURS/24 HOUR EMERGENCY

087 2596055

Loss Assessor/Claims Management

Martin Hibbitt CDIP LA, APA-PL

Certified Dip in Loss Adjusting Approved Product Adviser Member of the PSAG-GI Member of the Insurance Institute of Ireland

M: 087 9818153 E: info@icr.ie

T: 091 380900 W: www.icr.ie

Regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland

FARMING

Dead & Worn-Out Animals Contact JOHN GREENE BALLINASLOE TEL: (090) 96 88606

086 6002721

to discuss your requirements

BRENDAN DOOLIN

S tephen H oare

SEPTIC TANKS EMPTIED

(090) 96 88830 or (090) 96 87651 Lowest price guaranteed Daily collection

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR CUSTOMERS FOR THEIR CO-OPERATION AND UNDERSTANDING DURING THESE DIFFICULT WEEKS YOU MUST CALL IN ADVANCE TO ORDER REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS Ring us from your car when you arrive for collection of your order/appointment. We ask that all payments be made by card if possible and encourage payment over the phone when ordering medication/food. While on the premises we ask all customers to observe the 2m rule at all times.

SELLING A USED CAR? Don’t let your advert get lost in the Web!

You have a better chance of selling a reasonably priced used car within your own county! An advert in the Roscommon People will be seen by over

80,000 LOCAL people every week!

Te l : 0 8 5 2 1 9 1 2 3 4

email: chrislocksmith.162@gmail.com

INSTALLATION RECYCLING

Castlerea Vehicle Recycling

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

Ballybane Industrial Estate, Unit 2, Ballybrit Industrial H91 P5k5 BlockEstate, 12, Galway Galway

091 768 768 info@ecowise.ie

www.ecowise.ie

All NCT Failures Destruction Certs Issued l Sale of Second Hand Parts l Contracted to all Major Car Companies l Farm Machinery, Old Gates l Metals, Iron Baths l Old Cooking Ranges l Weighbridge on Site l l

RECYCLING OF END-OF-LIFE VEHICLES

RECYCLING ALL TYPES OF METAL

C astlerea ELV Recycling Ltd ., Cloonkeen, Castlerea Kevin & Martina Keenan Tel: 094 96 21250 Mob: 086 2522231

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

Telephone: 090 66 34633 Email: advertising@roscommonpeople.ie

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

Classifieds

NewsPeople

APPOINTMENTS

Companies called on to improve staff wellbeing through music and song!

Qualified Electrician required also Apprentice Electrician (1st, 2nd or 3rd year) Required for Roscommon/Athlone /Galway area. Please send CV to: PO Box No 2046 c/o Roscommon People, Abbey Street, Roscommon

Alzheimer Day Care, Castlerea require a

CARE ASSISTANT

TO PROVIDE DAY CARE AT HOME Purpose only contract 14 hours per week. For further details please contact Marion Murphy 086 4671465

LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB? To have your advert seen by over 80,000 people every week advertise with us! THE MOST READ NEWSPAPER IN COUNTY ROSCOMMON!

The local paper! TELEPHONE: 090 66 34633 EMAIL: advertising@ roscommonpeople.ie

Cork International Choral Festival is calling on Roscommon-based companies and businesses around Ireland to connect with their staff and teams during Covid through the uplifting medium of music. The new ‘Choirworks’ programme devised for the 2021 Cork International Choral Festival offers workplace colleagues around the country and internationally the chance to learn to sing and form a company choir, or improve their singing and existing workplace choir, through online interactive music lessons, choir workshops and team building projects. No prior singing experience is required as the ‘Choirworks’ programme will take everyone from singing in the shower to singing in an online music video! Established in 1954, the Cork International Choral Festival is regarded as the premier event of its kind both nationally and internationally. Now staging its 66th edition, this is the first time the festival, which will this year be held entirely online, has introduced a workplace/company strand. The novel move has been made in an effort to help employers boost staff morale and improve employee wellbeing through the power of music. Remote working has become the norm in most organisations since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, however working from home can often cause feelings of social isolation and loneliness in the workforce. Finding new ways to engage with staff and colleagues has therefore never been more important. For further information on how to register please visit www.corkchoral.ie or email kery@corkchoral.ie

Solas update on annual Junior Art Exhibition Due to ongoing restrictions and lockdowns Solas in Carrick-on-Shannon have extended their acceptance deadline and have a new opening date for their annual Junior Art Exhibition. Closing date for submissions is now Wednesday, 27th of January 2021 at 8 pm. The Junior Exhibition Opening will be on Satur-

day, 30th of January 2021 on their virtual gallery: https://www.kunstmatrix. com/en/solas-art-gallery This will be a virtual show hosted by kunstmatrix.com and entries are invited from anywhere in Ireland, submitted by email to solasartgallery@gmail.com, (no artwork to be delivered to the gallery). Young people up to age

18 are invited to create one artwork per person in any medium, then photograph or scan the art piece to email including their name and age (and/or location if outside Leitrim). * Updates will be posted on both Facebook www.facebook.com/solasartgallery, Instagram at gallerysolasart and on our website www. solasart.ie

OUR DEADLINE IS STRICTLY 2PM ON TUESDAY We cannot guarantee publication after this time

A previous entry by Hannah Woods (age 9) Kilanerin, Co. Wexford

A previous entry by Rhia Shortt (age 9)

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

Sports PEOPLE

Roscommon U-20s drawn against Leitrim < SEAMUS DUKE

In the draw for the 2021 Connacht U-20 Football Championship which was made this week, Roscommon have found themselves on the same side as Sligo and Leitrim, with Galway and Mayo on the other side. Roscommon will face Leitrim at a Roscommon venue on April 3rd, with the winners facing Sligo in the semi-final on April 10th. Defending All-Ireland champions Galway will play Mayo in the other semi-final also

on April 10th. The final will be held on either the 16th or 17th in April. In the minor (U-17) draw, defending provincial champions Roscommon are on the same side as Galway and Mayo. Roscommon will travel to face Mayo in round one on April 2nd, while the winners will face Galway in the semi-final on April 9th – the same date on which Sligo face Leitrim in the other semi-final. The final will be played on April 13th. Meanwhile, Roscommon U-17s still have an All-Ireland semi-final (from 2020) to look forward to later this year.

Roscommon Gaels: ‘We can help in lockdown’

Roscommon Minors, fresh from their Connacht Final win at Christmas, will face Leitrim on April 3rd. Picture: Michael McCormack.

Roscommon Gaels GAA Club would like to make it known to anyone who may be in need of assistance in the locality during lockdown that volunteers are available to assist with shopping pick-ups or prescription collection or errands/requests of any nature. Please don’t hesitate to contact 087 689 0273, 086 191 6808, or 0868178259. No job will be too big!

Andy takes reins in Ballaghaderreen

Former ‘Footballer of the Year’ and All-Star Andy Moran will take charge of the Ballaghaderreen senior football team in 2021. Moran will be joined by former Mayo U-21 AllIreland winning team manager Mike Solan, who is also a Ballaghaderreen native. Ballaghaderreen last won the Mayo SFC in 2012.

Poacher Steven to target success with Rossies

Steven Poacher has joined the Roscommon senior football coaching team for 2021. The Down man who joined Carlow GAA in 2017 will bring vast experience to Anthony Cunningham’s backroom team. Roscommon manager Anthony CunningAndy Moran

ham said: “I am delighted to welcome Steven on board and we look forward to working with him to strengthen our team in 2021”. Also joining as a Performance GDA will be Gary Flannery. Gary is a Sport Scientist/ Strength & Conditioning Specialist with an

in-depth knowledge of exercise physiology, human anatomy, bio-mechanics and athletic performance. Roscommon GAA would like to welcome both Steven and Gary and wish them the best of luck.

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

SportsPeople

Horses for courses There is no racing in Ireland today and tomorrow racing takes place on the all-weather Polytrack surface in Dundalk, first race at 4 pm. Saturday there is national hunt racing in Proudstown Park in Navan featuring the Grade B Navan Handicap Hurdle off at 12.50 pm and Sunday at Thurles there are two Grade 2 races on the card, the Horse and Jockey Hotel Chase and the Coolmore N.H. Sires Kew Gardens Irish EBF Mares Novice Chase starting at 1.30 pm. Racing cross channel has been badly hit by the inclement weather with Kelso on Sunday the first meeting to fall this week and Fakenham followed on Tuesday. Today’s card at Ludlow is subject to a 7.30 am inspection and Friday’s card at Fos Los in subject to an inspection at 8.30 am today. Saturday’s card at Haydock is doubtful and is also subject to an inspection this morning at 8 am. The going at all other tracks varies from soft to heavy due to Storm Christoph and will probably change.

Racing Review

Grangee, trained in Ireland by Willie Mullins, could only finish third to the Pam Sly trained Eileendover who took her unbeaten record to three with an impressive victory in the Listed bumper at Market Rasen on Saturday with Miss Lamb separating them. The winning distances were 6 ½ l and 2l. The Paul O’Brien ridden, family owned and bred, mare is not for sale and will probably give Cheltenham a miss and go for a mare’s bumper at Aintree. The 2m6½f beginners' chase at Punchestown provided plenty of drama with only six of the fourteen runners finishing the course. Of the eight who did not, one fell at the first bringing down two more, before a Foinavon incident at the seventh as loose horses ran across the fence carrying out three horses and causing one to refuse leaving just half the field upright. Miss Cedille, who survived the seventh, fell at the twelfth leaving Owl Creek Bridge to win for father son team, trainer Eric and jockey Conor McNamara.

Racing News

Jockey Davy Russell is on the way back following his fall of Doctor Duffy in last year’s

by Tom Red

Shor t putts (News from local golf clubs)

Boyle

The impressive Eileendover bolts clear of Miss Lamb to maintain her unbeaten record.

Munster National in October. On Tuesday, he rode out at Gordon Elliott’s yard and was happy afterwards but he still has not set a date for return to race riding. Russell will not be wasting time though with all the major national hunt festivals on the horizon. The former champion jockey fractured two vertebrae in his neck and dislocated another in the fall and was months in a neck brace. Cheltenham winning trainer Charles Byrnes is in the wars again with the powers that be. He has had his licence suspended for six months and fined €1,000 after Viking Hoard tested positive for a prohibited substance when pulled up in a race at Tramore over two years ago. On the day, the horse had been laid to lose on the betting exchanges. There were alerts from BHA as a result of the betting information received from betting exchanges. It was the third time, at Galway and Sedgefield, the horse had been substantially laid to lose, successfully. The horse tested clear in Galway but there is no record of a test being carried out at Sedgefield. This is and will always be a problem because it is much easier to lay a horse to lose to the field, multiple chances, than to beat the field, single chance. Would the problem have

Davy Russell aboard Tiger Roll having retained the 2019 Aintree Grand National crown.

been highlighted if the horse had won at either or both of the other meetings? If people want to lay horses to lose let them beware of the dangers and their complaints should not be entertained by the authorities but a case of nobbling by drugs, when discovered, should be investigated without input from the layers. Memories of Gay Future when nothing would have happened if he had fallen in what was a steeplechase or had been beaten. One omission that came out in the inquiry was that, in this day and age, there is no CCTV in operation in a lot of race course stables this must be corrected.

Point-to-Point Corner

Taking into account the loss of point to point racing, the race conditions for the Foxhunters have been revised with the addition of a condition that allow horses who finish in the first four on two occasions in a hunters’ steeple chase between 20th January and 1st March to qualify. Horses were required to have either finished in the first two in a hunters’ steeple chase on two occasions or won two open point-to-point races, or one of each, within the previous two-and-ahalf years. Horses qualified under the original rules do not need to re-qualify with the additional conditions. The new condition has also been included in the Aintree Foxhunter conditions.

Although all golf is currently suspended under the National Level 5 restrictions, some of the outstanding matches in the King Harmon Matchplay competition managed to proceed during December. The quarter-final results were as follows: Gerry Carty beat Michael McHale, Lorcan Egan beat Jason Beirne, Lochlainn Conboy was beaten by Vincent Egan. Padraig O’Connell and Martin Daly’s match will be played when the restrictions are relaxed to a degree that permits golf to resume. Recent winners in the club’s monthly fundraising draw (December) were: 1st: Lorcan Egan; 2nd: Liam Whyte; 3rd: Paddy Nangle. First place gets €120, second and third places get €60 each. Entry envelopes are available at the clubhouse noticeboard or you can set up a direct debit for €10 per month to the club’s bank account at the following IBAN: IE59BOFI90532822439700. The men’s AGM took place last Sunday (January 17th) on Zoom. The men’s committee for 2021 was ratified at the meeting. Notable points from the meeting included that the increase in the men’s membership during the year led to a healthier than expected revenue from the men’s competitions. It is hoped to have the overall Club AGM on Sunday, February 14th. As the current restrictions are very unlikely to have relaxed to the point of permitting large indoor gatherings, it is expected that this meeting will also take place via Zoom.

Darts

Battle for top eight too close to call!

There was another night of top class Roscommon darts action online last Friday with Daniel McDermott proving to the big winner. McDermott took sixteen of the available eighteen points on offer, which shot the young player right up the table. 13- and 17-dart legs were the highlight as he made every dart count. Sean Fleming also moved up the table with fifteen points. The Ballaghaderreen man had five 180s on the night along with a 100 finish and a 13-dart leg. Thirteen points for Martin Fleming keeps him well in the hunt also, while the same can be said for Paul Carton, who took twelve points. 153 and 128 finishes for Carton along with a 15-darter continued a streak of clinical finishing from him over the past number of weeks. David Concannon was also in clinical form, taking the highest finish of the night with 156 (alongside two maximums). Gary Concannon also had a 100 finish, while Tomas Rushe also impressed with a 121 finish and a 15-dart leg. Matty Conneally and Denis Coffey both hit 180s in their game, while David Cafferkey did likewise. The next two weeks will be very interesting as we move closer to the knockout stages. Last Friday’s results were as follows – Round 9: Sean Fleming 7 Alan Owens 2; Denis Coffey received a bye; Martin Fleming 6 Tomas Rushe 3; Matty Connelly 2 Daniel McDermott 7; Paul Carton 8 David Cafferky 1; David Concannon 6 Gary Concannon 3; David Doherty received a bye. Round 10: Matty Connelly 6 Denis Coffey 3; Sean Fleming 8 Tomas Rushe 1; Alan Owens 0 Daniel McDermott 9; Martin Fleming 7 David Cafferky 2; David Concannon received a bye; Paul Carton 4 David Doherty 5; Gary Concannon received a bye. For a full list of fixtures and results, as well as the league table, check the Roscommon Online Darts Facebook page.

Roscommon People Friday 22 January 2021

www.eurona.ie

sales@eurona-brisknet.ie

PHONE

090 66 34319

Your local choice

Providing Super Broadband to ROSCOMMON • EAST GALWAY • LONGFORD

Here for the Community All New Packages for 2020: E E R F R!

UNLIMITED DATA

DOWNLOAD SPEEDS

UPLOAD SPEEDS

UP TO

20MB

€35

per month

UN LIM I

D TE

UNLIMITED DATA

DOWNLOAD SPEEDS UP TO

60MB

UPLOAD SPEEDS UP TO

20MB

€50 per month

UP TO

20MB

UNLIMITED DATA

DOWNLOAD SPEEDS UP TO

UP TO

WE OFFER TRULY UNLIMITED DATA!

20MB

€45

per month

END OF YEAR UPGRADES PLANNED WITH EVEN FASTER SPEEDS AT NO ADDITIONAL COST

40MB

UPLOAD SPEEDS

€40

FREE UPGRADES TO ALL NEW 2020 PACKAGES

D TE

UN LIM I

1000 GB DATA ALLOWANCE

ED T I

INST ALLA TION

per month

UN LIM

10 0

TE ROU

FREE

Totally Unlimited Data

100

ED IT UNLIMITED DATA

DOWNLOAD SPEEDS UP TO

100MB

UPLOAD SPEEDS UP TO

50MB

€65 per month

PHONE SERVICE ALSO AVAILABLE