Roscommon People - 29 May 2026

Spouse Inheritance Rights

My husband passed away recently. I understand that he made a will prior to his death and he left his large farm to his nephew. The farm was in his name only. Our home was also in his name and he left me with just a life interest in my home and after my death it will also pass to his nephew. I am very disappointed and I feel ill-treated. Is there anything I can do?

The law governing wills, namely the Succession Act, 1965, provides unique protection for spouses of the deceased in Ireland.

You refer to a will and I am assuming that your late husband’s will is valid. You are entitled to one-half of your late husband’s estate if he died having made a valid will and he had no children. You are entitled to one-third of your late husband’s estate if he died having made a valid will and he had children.

This entitlement is called a legal right share. The legal right share ranks in priority after the rights of creditors of the deceased and ahead of any other beneficiary.

You do not have to go to court to get your entitlement as the executor of his estate is obliged to grant this share to you where applicable. You should contact your Solicitor immediately to obtain legal advice as strict time limits apply in respect of claiming your inheritance share.

I should also mention that a surviving spouse may cease to be entitled to a legal right share in a number circumstances to include legal separation or divorce. It would be usual for a spouse to renounce their legal right share as part of the terms of a divorce or legal separation agreement following the dissolution of a marriage.

Please feel free to contact Byrne Carolan Cunningham dedicated Wills & Inheritance Law Department in confidence for advice specific to your situation.

WATCHING People

With PAUL HEALY

If

So we lost – but we’re still in the AllIreland race!

Yes, roll on next Tuesday’s big draw!

Ah it was a great day last Sunday! The weather was amazing! And I’ve never seen so many people wearing Roscommon jerseys!

Yes, we have real momentum this season, after all our success in Connacht! And with the senior team preserving their Division One status too!

So while we lost by the narrowest of margins to Tyrone on Sunday… All’s not lost!

Exactly! We’ll be a force to contend with for any team in the next round! Roll on Tuesday!

(They pause to argue over whether or not they want Roscommon to draw Kerry)

By the way, that was a nice couple of pints we had after the game… there was a great atmosphere in town despite our narrow loss.

Yes! We had a lovely hour or two, but as you know, I had to leave early.

No problem! I represented you in your absence for a while after you left!

By the way, did you hear that Chris O’Dowd was in town for a while on Sunday?

Oh, really? He must have heard about my plans for a new comedy-drama set

Endangered Species

Thebarstoolboyos

in Roscommon!

Huh?

I mentioned it here last week. Our PMA…

Prospective American Agent?

Yes, our PMA – Prospective American Agent – and I have discussed not

Love Island, Chris O’Dowd… and backing Rossies all the way!

only a book deal for the Boyos, but also my idea for a comedy-drama! AND?

Don’t you see? That’s probably why the actor Chris O’Dowd was in town!

Looking to be cast… as me! Was he asking for me?

Oh dear… notions! Chris was at the match, in the company of some friends. Oh he’ll be in touch!

(They pause to savour the beautiful weather)

So…

Hey, will you be watching?

Huh?

The Galway footballing ace in action over the coming weeks! Will you be watching him?

Huh?

Will you be watching the Galway football star as he shows off his moves?

Shane Walsh? Sure I’m just relieved we finally got him under control in the Connacht final! No, not Shane Walsh! Seán Fitzgerald! Will you be watching him on Love Island?

Eh… no! But while I concentrate on getting Brad Pitt or Chris O’Dowd to play me in my upcoming comedy-drama, if Seán’s a hit on Love Island, I might ask him to play… the younger you!

It’s

been

a GOOD week for…

All who like (very) warm weather, with high temperatures being enjoyed around the country this week

New TDs Daniel Ennis and Seán Kyne, respectively the winners of the by-elections in Dublin Central and Galway West

Galway footballer Seán Fitzgerald, who succeeded in his bid to be chosen as a contestant on the new series of ITV reality show, Love Island

It’s been a BAD week for…

Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil, with both parties performing poorly in last Friday’s by-elections

Kilkenny hurling, with the famous ‘Cats’ knocked out of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Chamionship (at a very early stage) by Dublin

Tulsk Hooley to mark opening of new GAA pitch and walking track

A fantastic weekend of celebration is in store in Tulsk as the local GAA club prepares to mark the official opening of its new pitch and walking track.

After years of investment, planning, fundraising and voluntary effort, Tulsk GAA is looking forward to welcoming friends, supporters and members of the wider community to the Tulsk Hooley.

The celebrations will begin on Friday night with a welcome night in Dec’s Bar, officially launching the weekend’s festivities.

Saturday morning will see underage blitzes take centre stage, giving the club’s youngest sport-

ing stars the chance to enjoy the new facilities.

The official opening ceremony will begin at 2 pm on Saturday afternoon, with prayers led by Fr Devine followed by the ceremonial ribboncutting.

From 3 pm onwards, the club’s over-40s legends will return to the field to show they are still fighting fit and ready to relive their glory days. The games are expected to bring back plenty of memories of camaraderie, pride and the maroon and white jersey.

The legends games will conclude Saturday’s on-field action, but the celebrations will continue into the evening. A marquee in the centre of the

village will host live music and team reunions, while a BBQ on the Green beside the marquee will serve food throughout the evening.

Action will resume on Sunday, with underage and senior competitive matches taking place across camogie, ladies football and men’s football. Large crowds and a lively atmosphere are expected throughout the day.

Another major highlight will take place on Sunday evening in the marquee with A Night with the Stars – GAA Style. The panel will feature Westmeath football legend Dessie Dolan, LGFA President Trina Murray, All-Ireland winning Cork hurling captain Mark Landers, former

There will be no entry charge to any of the events held over the weekend.

The celebrations will conclude on Monday afternoon with The Brown Bull of Cooley Poo-ley, where one lucky winner will walk away with €5,000.

Tulsk GAA has thanked everyone who has supported the project and said it looks forward to celebrating a momentous occasion for the club and community.

Star-studded line-up for Night and Day Festival this weekend

This year’s Night and Day Festival begins this Friday, May 29th, continuing to Sunday, May 31st, with a star-studded line-up of national and international acts on the majestic setting of Boyle’s Lough Key Forest Park.

Vast crowds are expected to visit the North Roscommon area, with as many as 5,000 music enthusiasts expected to converge over the June Bank Holiday weekend. Uniquely, the festival can be accessed by boat, as well as through frequent shuttle bus and rail services from Boyle and Carrick-on-Shannon.

A boat can be moored at Lough Key’s 50-berth marina, overlooking the historical castle island, and connected to the Shannon-Erne Waterway. Users are urged to note that berths cannot be booked in advance. The marina will operate on a ‘first come, first served basis’.

Frequent shuttle bus services will run between Boyle, Carrick-on-Shannon, and Lough Key, while concert-goers will be able to access regular train services both from Boyle and Carrick-on-Shannon on the Dublin to Sligo service.

Revellers travelling by car are advised to allow for plenty of time when making their journeys. Concert-goers are also encouraged to use only dedicated parking areas and to follow road signage and the directions of stewards.

This year’s headline acts include The Saw Doctors, The Boomtown Rats, Hothouse Flowers, Paddy Casey, Soda Blonde,

Jenny Greene, as well as acclaimed international acts such as 80’s rockstars Big Country and Richard Thompson. Friday access to the festival is priced at €80, while tickets for Saturday and Sunday performances are €110. Further information on the ticketing options for this year’s festival are available on nightandday.ie.

Festival-goers are permitted to bring alcohol into the campsite, only if one is a camper. However alcohol is not permitted to be carried into main festival area and is only available to purchase inside. All

enclosed spaces onsite are non-smoking. There will be a clearly signposted information point located close to the entrance to the festival arena.

Commenting ahead of the start of this year’s festival, festival promoter Craig Hughes said: “This year’s Night and Day Festival will be the biggest and best to date. We have attracted a fantastic line-up of acts across our four stages. The event offers a full festival experience that’s family-friendly with lots of things to do and see on site.

“Our ticket sales have surpassed previ-

ous festivals, reflecting the varied and eclectic line-up of local, national and international acts. Once again, we’re delighted to collaborate with Roscommon County Council and Coillte in delivering the festival.”

Tourism Officer with Roscommon County Council Lisa Joy said the Night and Day Festival showcased the best of what the county had to offer visitors, complementing the many other offerings for those who are curious about the county.

As hosts again this year, Dermot Beg-

gan, manager of Lough Key Forest and Activity Park, is encouraging concertgoers to sample the many attractions the park has to offer. “Though the park will be available to festival-goers only that weekend, we warmly invite those present to enjoy the many attractions on site.

“This year’s festival will be followed by the commencement of an extensive renovation programme to the park, which will not only transform the facility but also cement the venue’s reputation as one of the country’s leading forest and amenity parks.

“We are delighted to be associated again with the Night and Day Festival, which attracts thousands of visitors – not only to Lough Key, but also to Boyle. As a concert venue, Lough Key will be buzzing with great music, lots of food and drinks stalls and lots to do and see for all ages,” says Dermot.

“We will have kayaking tours and excursions available as activity options throughout the weekend. Boat trips will also be scheduled, though prior booking is advisable.”

The festival is strictly over 20s, with U-14s able to attend with a parent/ guardian. Festival-goers can also explore the beautiful grounds and campsite at Lough Key Forest Park and avail of the on-site activities such as zip-lining courses, kayaking, boat tours and forest trails.

Everything you need to know about Night & Day this bank holiday weekend

Who is playing?

Headline acts include: The Saw Doctors, The Boomtown Rats, Hothouse Flowers, Imelda May, Richard Thompson, Big Country, Jenny Greene, Cardinals, Soda Blonde and many more. Check out the full line-up on nightandday.ie.

How many stages are there?

There are five musical stages with around 100 acts performing over the weekend.

Where is it on?

In the nature lover’s paradise of Lough Key Forest Park, Boyle, County Roscommon. The park has an existing campsite, showers, etc and is perched on Lough Key. Apart from all the great music you can also avail of the existing services in the park such as ZipIt [15% discount for festival-goers], boat tours of the lake with musical performances on board, kayaking and lakeside saunas. The lakeside Úna Bhán stage will feature local musicians by day and electronic acts from 7 pm-11 pm.

Why should I go?

You won’t want to miss the electronic performances on the Sol stage, which is widely regarded as the most unique festival stage in the country.

The 150ft high Moylurg Tower is transformed into a spectacular visual art installation by visual artist Sergey Khadjava. Acts performing on the Sol Stage include: Jenny

Greene, Daithi, Vanishing Arcs, Nialler9, Sara Miller and Colin Perkins.

Apart from the late-night antics, there’s a full wellness programme each morning which is included in your festival ticket.

Can I get there by public transport?

Shuttle buses will be running from Boyle and Carrick-on-Shannon, which are both on the SligoDublin train line.

Driving?

If you are driving to the festival, you will enter the park via the L1019 and be directed to the car park. There’s no charge to use the car park for festival-goers.

Where can I stay?

There is camping on-site for weekend camping ticket holders, and glamping options are also available. If you fancy an extra nice stay rent a boat from Emerald Star, sail down the River Shannon and moor your boat at Lough Key for the weekend! There is also off-site accommodation in Carrick-on-Shannon still available.

Are tickets still available?

Yes, but they are selling fast and expected to sell out. Kids’ tickets for Saturday have already sold out and there’s just a handful of campervan pitches remaining. You can buy tickets via nightandday.ie

PAUL HEALY’S WEEK

FRIDAY

Tyre-some…

At the Dublin Central By-election, Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald was asked if she is now under pressure as leader of the party.

Whatever about Mary Lou’s future, I was dismayed to hear her response: “Pressure is for tyres.”

The first politician who shows a little bit of originality when asked about pressure – i.e. avoiding the tired ‘pressure is for tyres’ quip –will go up in my estimation!

SATURDAY

The things we say

On the radio just now, some spokesperson for some group complained that some unfolding situation is “an absolute disgrace.” It made me wonder (not for the first time) why some unhappy state of affairs was being given the extra status of being an absolute disgrace, rather than ‘just’ a disgrace. If you want to give the spokespersons/opposition TDs, etc, the benefit of the doubt, you could rather kindly suggest that they are making a distinction between a situation that’s a disgrace (of some standing) and one that’s a total (or absolute) one. Of course a lot of the people who bandy these expressions about are prone to hyperbole!

By the way, we also get this when something is deemed to be a scandal – before you know it, it will be called an “absolute scandal” or a “pure scandal” – or even a “shocking scandal.”

Occasionally, something will be deemed to be a scandal and a disgrace, presumably having graduated from being a mere controversy. Spokespersons who are prone to losing the run of themselves might even take a ‘disgrace’ or ‘scandal’ in mid-sentence and switch it to an embarrassment, a calamity, a fiasco, or (sarcastically) a ‘joke’. A pure joke, obviously (or maybe an absolute one).

A (mostly) light-hearted look at the week that was… paul@roscommonpeople.ie

SUNDAY

After the match

Even though Roscommon lost today’s big match – by the narrowest of margins, in a game of very thin margins – there was a great atmosphere in town. When it comes to Roscommon football just now, given the recent successes across various grades, the feelgood factor is happily all-pervasive. The fabulous weather helped today.

We had a very nice bite to eat in Jackson’s Restaurant, where we chatted with a gracious/humble Tyrone supporter (one of many who remained on in town post-game).

Back into the early evening sunshine then, where there was a large crowd of ‘familiar faces’ enjoying drinks and match analysis outside (and inside) JJ’s. We were heading home, but I had a quick word with a few Roscommon GAA diehards, and I must say the mood was generally upbeat and positive.

More than one person made the point that Roscommon hadn’t played at their best, but had still

only just lost out by a point to a battle-hardened, wily Tyrone. Supporters feel Roscommon can compete with any team at the moment, and that it’s still all to play for!

MONDAY

They think it’s all over…

The Premier League season only finished yesterday, but I think I might already be missing the whole circus, with its cast of gifted players/spoilt primadonnas/egomanical (some) managers/ruthless owners… all served up by the hype merchants on Sky Sports (not forgetting BBC and social media)… with dashings of passionate punditry and VAR mayhem.

There are ‘just’ 90 days to go until the new season begins. At least there’s a World Cup to come in between. We can probably get through this.

TUESDAY

When’s it due to break?

The weather is glorious. What’s not

quite so glorious is the inevitable Irish response. We’re delighted there’s a heatwave, but it’s the hope that kills us; we daren’t enjoy it too much, because once the sun starts to shine with such an unexpected flourish, gloom over its inevitable imminent departure lives side by side with our joy at its arrival. When a heatwave comes in Ireland, we’re like a parent who can’t fully enjoy a trip home by their son or daughter – because their mind is racing ahead with thoughts of when the visit will be over.

All around Ireland, within a day or so of the fabulous temperatures enveloping the country, people have been asking: How long is it going to last? When is it set to break?

TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY

Internet’s… down!

A newspaper office without internet connection – emails down, no online access, computers grinding slowly –is a stressful place.

It began yesterday. At around 2.30 pm, I noticed my computer was

slowing down. Then, the emails stopped coming in. Our internet connection was gone. Something was going wrong… and we had a newspaper to produce. Surely it would pass quickly? Maybe we could fix it ourselves? Personally, I was certainly prepared to keep turning things on and off! By 5 pm-6 pm, I was definitely showing signs of stress. Dozens of half-written, quarter-edited would-be articles were languishing somewhere deep in this web of unfolding mayhem. Ad copy that was being emailed in was not reaching us. I was even beginning to miss those scam-type emails. Photographs/images were taking an eternity to open. Printers began acting strangely. Files wouldn’t open. Computers froze. Various theories were offered up. I just walked up and down Abbey Street a few times, pretending all was well with the world.

At least we could work from home. That got us through Tuesday night. Surely a new day would bring us back into the digital world? In fact, nothing had changed. We rang the relevant service providers. We switched things on and off. We drank coffee. Colleagues in the office who know about these things tried airdropping – and other ideas – while I impatiently pushed a USB key into my computer and willed it to help ‘save the paper.’ Cue painfully slow transferring of files.

At around 2.30 pm on Wednesday, a ‘technical guy’ arrived – an unflustered gentleman. Within an hour or so, all was well. We were back on online. Internet access was restored. The emails pinged in. I’m now writing these words in a hurry, because we’ve been playing catch-up all day. It’s 10.10 pm on Wednesday night, and this week’s Roscommon People is still a work in progress. But I expect we should be finished shortly. Is it too late for a stress-free pint?

Caltra NS are champs!

Castlerea school in ‘Science Blast’

ESB Science Blast Limerick 2026, where 108 primary schools across 14 counties in Ireland engage with STEM learning experiences, included a Castlerea school.

ESB Science Blast asks entire primary school classes to investigate a question they are curious about and to present their findings at a showcase day. During the showcase

events, students talk to STEM experts about their investigations and receive constructive feedback. They also attend science-themed shows and visit interactive stands in the exhibitor’s area.

St Paul’s BNS in Castlerea took part in this year’s ESB Science Blast Showcase at the University of Limerick.

To date, over 100,000 primary school children have taken part in ESB Science Blast events. The Royal Dublin Society (RDS), which delivers the programme, aims to develop STEM confidence in the next generation.

An inquiry-based approach promotes the development of creativity, critical-thinking, collaboration, and communication.

Pure Mule Productions Bring Acclaimed Irish Classic to Carrick Stage

Pure Mule Productions, a newly established theatre company based in CarrickonShannon, brings Jimmy Murphy’s acclaimed Irish drama The Kings of the Kilburn High Road to local audiences in Carrick-on-Shannon this June.

The Kings of the Kilburn High Road is a powerful drama interwoven with moments of light comedy, offering a poignant exploration of friendship, identity, and the immigrant experience that continues to captivate audiences today.

Set in the mid-1970s, the play follows a group of young men who leave the west of Ireland in search of better lives in England. Twenty five years later only one, Jackie Flavin, makes it home — but does so in a coffin. The winners and losers of the group reunite to honour his memory, confronting their shared past, lost ambitions, and their place in a changing Ireland.

Blending poignant drama with moments of sharp humour, Murphy’s work vividly captures the emotional reality of emigration and its lasting impact, making it as resonant for modern audiences as when it was first staged.

The production stars Peadar Conway, Gerry Farrell, Brian Gallagher,

Michael McLoughlin, and Niall Brewster.

Performances take place at The Dock, CarrickonShannon between 24 — 26 June. Tickets are €20 / €18 concession, with a running time of 120 minutes including an interval.

Committed to bringing high-quality live theatre to the region, Pure Mule Productions continues to cre-

ate meaningful cultural experiences, connecting local audiences with compelling Irish stories.

Event Details: The Kings of the Kilburn High Road Date & Time: 24 — 26 June 2026

Venue: The Dock Arts Centre, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim Tickets: €20 / €18. Available from thedock.ie or 071 965 0828.

Local filmmaker to screen

A Savage Silence

Local filmmaker Darragh O’Rourke is proud to announce the screening of his film A Savage Silence, at the Dean Crowe Theatre, Athlone at 8 pm on Friday, June 19th.

A Savage Silence, an ultra-low budget, independent musical-drama film, based on the acclaimed novel by Rory Hafford, deals with relationship breakdown, betrayal, and ultimately finding a new way of being in the world. In addition, the film delves deep into themes of love, loss, and the transformative power of hope and resilience.

Mr O’Rourke explains: “I decided to make this film because I felt it was an intriguing and inspiring story that offers guidance on navigating the hardships that many people, regardless of age or background, have faced at some point in their lives.”

O’Rourke, a young and ambitious filmmaker from County Westmeath, adds, “I believe it will prove inspirational for everyone who views it.”

A Savage Silence stars a variety of young, midlands-based actors, some of whom have made their cinematic debut in this film. O’Rourke’s previous works have earned praise for their originality, unique approach to filmmaking and creative process.

The film was recorded at various locations in counties Offaly and Westmeath, with additional scenes shot in St Julian’s, Malta and Brittany, France.

The film premiered at the Mullingar Charity Variety Group Theatre on Friday, October 24th 2025. It has since received a positive audience response and has been recognised by various organisations and film festivals around the world.

Tickets for A Savage Silence are €10 each, available online or at the box office. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director.

Athleague Hurling Club celebrates life and times of the late Terry Connaughton

Athleague Hurling Club held a special Mass for the late Terry Connaughton, of Athleague and New York, last Sunday. Terry passed away in New York on April 21st last.

Terry was born in Athleague, County Roscommon, the third youngest of five children of the late Dorothy and Peter Connaughton. He attended Athleague National School and Roscommon Christian Brothers School, where his love for the games of the Gael took root early.

By his late teens, he was captaining the Roscommon minor hurling team, reaching the Connacht final in 1951, losing to Galway. He then returned the following year to defeat them and claim the Connacht Minor Hurling Championship, the first time Roscommon had done so in over 45 years.

Terry emigrated to New York in 1952, in the suit sent back to him by his brother Benny, a hurl and boots over his shoulder, and the whole of a new world before him. What he built in the decades that followed – in sport, in service, in community, and in family – was extraordinary.

Terry had a long and fruitful life. He served in the United States Army and joined the New York City Police Department, serving for 20 years. In 1969, he was selected as the uniformed officer to blow the whistle at

high noon and send the St Patrick’s Day Parade up Fifth Avenue, Badge No. 8095, white gloves and all.

Upon retirement, Terry, his wife Anne and family returned to Roscommon in 1977. By 1978 they knew New York was their home and returned back with their family.

In 1979, they purchased the now well-known ‘Riverdale Steak House’ in The Bronx, now an institution and very welcoming to all customers, with a special welcome from any person from Athleague or anywhere in Roscommon.

Terry gave so much of his time to Gaelic Games in New York. After playing with the Clare Hurling Club from 1953-1974 and again in 1980, Terry served as Vice-President of the New York GAA Board in 1971, 1972, and 1973, and was elected President in 1974, and again in 1988 and 1989.

His 1988 presidential term was historic: It was the first year that the New York GAA became formally affiliated with Croke Park, ending a 70year period of limited recognition. During that tenure he also extended the playing area at Gaelic Park by fourteen yards and had the pitch completely re-sodded.

Terry was also the man who got Ladies Gaelic football up and running in New York, calling the very

first meeting in September 1991 and serving as Chairman of the New York Ladies Board for its first four years and later being named Honorary Lifetime President. He managed the Good Shepherd team to three Junior Championships in the 1980s, and his life in Gaelic sport was recognised by the GAA itself in an oral history project.

Over the years, he was honoured by countless Irish and civic organisations for his contributions. Terry attended 50 consecutive All-Ireland finals at Croke Park, often with his children beside him, and could reliably be found holding court at the Burlington Hotel on All-Ireland Sunday morning.

In 2023, Terry made his last trip to Ireland and visited Roscommon. A special evening was organised by Athleague Hurling Club in Hamrock’s to present Terry with an Athleague jersey to recognise his contribution to hurling in both Athleague and Roscommon and in appreciation for all the people he helped when they emigrated to America from Athleague, Roscommon or anywhere from Ireland. Such was Terry’s very decent nature, he gave Athleague Hurling Club a substantial donation towards the current redevelopment of their hurling grounds.

Terry is survived by Anne and

their five children: Terry Jr (Carrie), of Boston; Eileen (James), of New York; Mary-Anne (Mike), of Riverdale; Eamon of Pompano Beach; and Donal (Caroline), of Yonkers; and by his fourteen beloved grandchildren: Conor, Haley, Kenzie, Ava, Harry, Elizabeth, Grace, Anna, Pearse, Ronan, Donal, Nieve, Keelyn, and Cormac. Deepest sympathy is extended to his family. May Terry rest in peace.

RONAN HEGARTY

Kitchens & Wardrobes

At Ronan Hegarty Kitchens and Wardrobes, we design, manufacture and install kitchens, Sliderobes, standard and walk-in wardrobes with a wide range of designs, colours and nishes to choose from. The new sliding door wardrobe range o ers a blend of modern, traditional and contemporary styles enabling Ronan Hegarty Kitchens and Wardrobes to o er a wide spectrum of design and nishing. We have many di erent beautiful kitchen collections available in a diverse range of materials, nishes, colours and styles. We expertly create kitchens which give you individuality. From start to nish, your kitchen is your story. Solid in-frame kitchen furniture, comprising of the highest quality materials and craftsmanship. Every material has been specially selected, and each component carefully crafted to provide expertly designed tted furniture built to stand the test of time which is why Ronan Hegarty Kitchens and Wardrobes is the provider of choice for quality and value.

Ronan Hegarty Kitchens & Wardrobes would like to thank all last year’s client for there business and looking forward to working with you 2026.

KITCHENS

A beautiful kitchen collection available in a diverse range of materials, nishes, colours and styles. We expertly create kitchens which give

you individuality. From start to nish, your kitchen is your story.

BESPOKE WARDROBES

Wardrobes created to order by the Ronan Hegarty Kitchen and Wardrobes are available in an unlimited variety of sizes. Each one is constructed to order in to meet the exact dimensions of your living area. We can make the most of every millimetre to create a piece of furniture that is both attractive and functional and will last a lifetime. Our award-winning designs will help you modernize your bedrooms and locker rooms.

SLIDING WARDROBES

Fitted sliding wardrobes from Ronan Hegarty Kitchens and Wardrobes are craft and custom made to t your home in an immaculate manner. They are available in a large assortment of colours, nishes, styles, and a medley of storage layouts. These wardrobes are made to suit your tastes. Sliding wardrobes convey an elegant and sleek persona to any bedroom whilst also making the most of every inch of space right from oor to ceiling.

Applications invited for Roscommon New Writing award

RONAN HEGARTY Kitchens & Wardrobes

KITCHEN DESIGN & ROBE DESIGN

Two winners will each receive a monetary prize of €500 for short fiction or €500 for poetry. Two runners-up will receive €100 each for short fiction or for poetry.

The Roscommon Chap-

Submissions are now invited for this year’s Roscommon New Writing Award. The initiative is organised as part of the county’s Literary Development Programme, funded by Roscommon County Council and the Arts Council of Ireland, and supported by the Roscommon Herald.

book Bursary has been established to assist Roscommon writers with the costs associated with publishing a modest collection of poems (between 15 and 20), or a compact collection of short stories (between three and six). One award of €600 will be offered in 2026.

The 2026 competitions will be adjudicated by Gerry Boland, who is a Dublin-born author and poet. Gerry writes for adults and for children and has published ten books to date, his latest being his third poetry collection, All That Jazz, published in 2022 by Arlen House.

Gerry Boland’s forthcoming book of photos and poems on the theme of compassion and animal rights will be published by Lantern Publishing & Media in early 2027. He was Writer-in-Residence for Roscommon County Council in 2013 and 2014.

The closing date for receipt of entries is 4 pm on Thursday, July 16th. Further information is also available by clicking on https://www.roscommoncoco.ie/en/services/ community/arts-office/literature.html

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

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

Roscommon County Council having temporarily closed the road L7046 at Church Street, Roscommon Town between Goof Street and Henry Street for a period of approximately five weeks commencing 13 April 2026 now intends to extend the period of the closure as set out in the schedule hereunder for the periods and the reason specified.

Roscommon County Council having temporarily closed the road L7046 at Church Street, Roscommon Town between Go Street and Henry Street for a period of approximately ve weeks commencing 13 April 2026 now intends to extend the period of the closure as set out in the schedule hereunder for the periods and the reason speci ed.

Road Reference Townland/ Street Name Section of Closure Closure duration Proposed Diversion

L7046 Church Street

1 Between Goff Street and Henry Street

2 Between Henry Street and Abbey Street

3 Between Goff Street and Abbey Street (for resurfacing of Church Street in 2 sections as per 1 and 2 above)

For a period of approximately three weeks commencing 29 May 2026

N63, R366, L7042, L7048, L7046

For a period of approximately eight weeks after completion of works between Goff Street and Henry Street (at 1 above)

For a period of approximately one week after completion of works at 1 and 2 above

Reason for Closures: To facilitate Roscommon Town Realm Project

Reason for Closures: To facilitate Roscommon Town Realm Project Mark Keaveney

Mark Keaveney Director of Services

Narrow defeat last Sunday, but Roscommon GAA is still flying – that’s good news for the local economy!

PAUL HEALY

on the positive economic impact of Roscommon football’s ‘glorious momentum’…

Roscommon football’s glorious momentum may have slowed a little last Sunday – but the feelgood vibes certainly haven’t been halted.

The All-Ireland SFC Round 1 game between Roscommon and Tyrone was in the balance up to about 40 seconds from the end of last weekend’s thriller.

On a day of the finest of margins, fortune favoured the savvy Tyrone raiders, who won by a point courtesy of Ethan Jordan’s late free.

One minute earlier, the stadium had almost shaken as Roscommon supporters cheered Paul Carey’s superb equalising two-pointer. Now, with Tyrone’s last-gasp clincher, a pall of silence briefly descended on the thousands of Roscommon supporters in the big crowd.

Since the game, a nuanced perspective has taken shape, the positives comfortably outweighing the negatives. Roscommon are still in the All-Ireland Championship (their next opponents will be revealed on Tuesday); this was a defeat by the narrowest of margins, on a day when Roscommon weren’t at their best; the return of Brian Stack (introduced late on) is a significant psychological boost for the team.

While the result was disappointing for Roscommon, this was another wonderful occasion in the county town. The attendance of 16,181 was excellent, and reflective of the

positivity around Roscommon GAA just now.

The scorching hot day added to the atmosphere, with thousands of home supporters kitted out in Roscommon’s bright colours. Meanwhile, two weeks on from a memorable Connacht final weekend, this fixture was another welcome boost for the local economy.

‘Great boost’

Cahal Mahon, President of Roscommon Chamber of Commerce, said there was a great knockon effect for the county town.

‘Roscommon GAA is on a high at the moment, fans are coming in big numbers. It was notable that nearly every supporter had a Roscommon jersey!’

– Cahal Mahon

“You can see the impact of having these big matches in Hyde Park. There were Tyrone supporters in town on Friday and Saturday, so it’s a great boost.”

Noting the substantial attendance figure, Cahal said the game had been a welcome boost for pubs, restaurants and others involved in the hospitality industry.

“It’s not just the travelling supporters, you obviously have thousands of Roscommon supporters too. Roscommon GAA is on a high at the moment, fans are coming in big numbers. It was notable that nearly every supporter had a Roscommon jersey!”

Cahal added that there’s a significant multiplier effect on such occasions, with a big crowd on the day, but also a ripple effect, in that staff get extra hours, while suppliers to shops and other businesses benefit too.

‘Helps to keep businesses afloat’

Larry Brennan is a businessman in the county town, having run the ‘Down the Hatch’ public house with Seamus Hayden over many decades. Now a county councillor, Brennan is also a member of

former chairperson) and prominent in the VFI (Vintners’ Federation of Ireland).

Cllr Brennan: “The impact of these games at Dr Hyde Park is huge. And it’s not just the town that benefits. There’s a spin-off for other towns and villages too. And it’s not just pubs that benefit, although they obviously do. It’s all of the hospitality industry.

“I really believe that weekends like the two we’ve had (for the Connacht final, and last Sunday’s Tyrone game) can sustain some businesses that have been struggling for some time going forward; weekends like these can help keep businesses afloat, at least for a period.”

As with the Connacht final, last Sunday’s game showcased King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park in all its splendour.

“It was a great occasion” Chamber President Cahal Mahon said. “The facilities at Dr Hyde Park have been improved so much. The pitch is looking fantastic. Of course the weather is also a huge factor and it was glorious on Sunday.” Cllr Brennan also acknowledged how developments at Hyde Park have greatly benefitted the town and county.

“Developing the ground to the point where the capacity could be restored to 22,500 or so has been invaluable. I’m glad the Government was in a position to support this upgrading project with Sports Capital grant funding. Hyde Park is now one of the most important pieces of infrastructure in the county.”

Larry confirmed that one celebrity visitor to Down the Hatch on Sunday was every bit as positive as our Tyrone guests were about the county town, its people and Hyde Park. Hollywood star and Boyle native Chris O’Dowd is the man in question.

“As you may have heard, Chris O’Dowd called in to us after the game. And he was so positive about Roscommon Town, and indeed the Hyde. And that same message came from so many Tyrone supporters who were in town over the weekend. They were bowled over by the welcome they received.”

There’s no question about it – Roscommon’s Division One status, Connacht final heroics, and the potential offered by the new-look All-Ireland Championship provides tremendous momentum for the local economy. And that’s badly needed. Here’s hoping there are more positive days ahead

for commercial interests locally – and most of all (from a sporting perspective) for the Roscommon team and its army of passionate supporters!

‘‘‘Chris O’Dowd called in to us after the game. And he was so positive about Roscommon Town, and indeed the Hyde. And that same message came from so many Tyrone supporters who were in town over the weekend. They were bowled over by the welcome they received’ – Cllr Larry Brennan

FRANK BRANDON

FRANK BRANDON’S unique take on life ...

More top GAA games should be freely available for viewers

Our man Frank on big GAA games not being on mainstream TV, last weekend’s sporting action, his admiration for Ciara Mageean, international relations, and more!

It’s hard to believe it, but as I write this on Sunday evening, I am sitting outside in glorious sunshine… if you didn’t know better, you could be forgiven for thinking you were on the Costa Del Sol!

However, it is only Costa Del Crosswell – though it does seem as if we are in for at least a few more days of this Mediterranean-type sunshine. So let us all try to make the most of it!

Today has been one of the busiest sporting days of the year so far, and no matter how they dress it up, and no matter how much they claim that GAA+ is for the benefit of the grassroots in the

association, it is a disgrace that of the four big championship football games that took place over the weekend, only one of them was on freeto-air TV.

Whether it was by accident or design I don’t know, but the one game that was shown, Galway and Kildare, was by far the worst of the four! It wasn’t Galway’s fault, as they simply did their job by beating an inferior Kildare team by thirteen points. The second half was a Galway procession and there was never a chance of an upset. Contrast that with the other three games – which were on GAA+ – with Donegal and Kerry being both a brilliant and also a highly controversial contest, and the games between Cork and Meath and Roscommon and Tyrone each being hugely exciting matches that went right down to the wire. However, so many GAA followers – yours truly included – were unable to see any of them.

I know you will say that if I paid the €95 fee I would have it for the entire season, but it’s not that simple. It appears that even if you paid for it, some TVs still can’t get it – and that actually happened to me today. I paid €15 for the Rossies’ game, but apparently my telly is too old and

doesn’t have the necessary technology. Anyway, there is something wrong when three of the four huge football games were on the payper-view channel. No matter what spin the powers-that-be put on it, it simply isn’t right.

Sticking with sport: Irish rugby took a real battering in Bilbao when Ulster took a fair old hammering in their Challenge Cup final, French team Montpellier putting them to the sword, scoring 59 points in the process.

That was Friday evening, and then the following evening, Bordeaux Begles did the same to Leinster in the Champions Cup final, when they scored another 41 points. For anyone good at sums, that’s 100 points against our two top teams in two games.

On Friday night, our extended Friday night club paid a return visit to O’Boyle’s in Laught, where eight of us had another most enjoyable night. But what was very interesting was the support, or lack of it, for our two European finalists.

Now it was very understandable that we wouldn’t really want Ulster to win, because if they did, they would knock Connacht out of next year’s Champions Cup, and that would have been

A champion in every sense

Mageean, pictured right, is one of Ireland’s best ever athletes. As a middle-distance runner, she has won medals at ten different major championships – including gold at the 2024 European Championships. I have to admit that she has long been one of my favourite Irish sportspeople.

Although born, reared, and living in Portaferry, County Down, Ciara has represented both the republic and Northern Ireland in international competition, and always takes huge pride in wearing the tricolour after her big international successes.

In July of last year Ciara announced that she was battling cancer (having been diagnosed in May) and typically, said she would take it on and fight it as best she could. In the meantime, she had asked for privacy, and so it was a huge surprise to see her on TV last week as she took on an arduous endurance test over six days in Costa Rica with the programme host Ray Goggins, and an equally inspirational former Dublin footballer, Michael Darragh McCauley.

It is fair to say that they went through hell during their week in Costa Rica, as they covered 250km of a gruelling cross-country endurance test across the country, from the Pacific Ocean on the west to the Caribbean on the east. Skydiving, cycling, running, rafting, and kayaking were all on the menu – and none of them was easy – but the hills they had to cycle up included a 14km steep uphill climb in driving rain and sleet, and it took all their fortitude and bravery to actually make it to the top.

It was six long full days of never-ending torture and what is even more remarkable is that Ciara undertook all of this while between bouts of chemotherapy.

As someone who has seen the sometimes brutal effects of chemo during my wife Carol’s illness, I am simply amazed that she not only took it on, but actually got through an extremely difficult ordeal.

Since the programme aired, Ciara has opened up quite a bit about the illness and the way it has affected her; how

she wonders will she see her 40th birthday, and when she sees beautiful things, will she ever see them again? She freely admits that she has “low” days – which of course is totally normal – and that she always envisioned growing old with her partner and fiancé Tommy, but that now she can’t be sure.

I have to say that the online reaction has been awe-inspiring; everyone agrees that Ciara is an inspiration and a role model to so many people, and no matter how much she achieved in her athletics career, she has achieved so much more as a person.

As I said, I have long admired her for a lot of things, but today I admire her so much more. I really hope and pray that she gets through this and gets to live the long life she wishes for with her fiancé Tommy. With a bit of luck, we might even see her on the track again representing Ireland – wouldn’t that be something?

very unfair on a Connacht team that worked miracles to win themselves a place at the top table. However, when it came to Leinster, it was a very different story.

Despite being made up of almost the entire Irish team, who we support through thick and thin, for some reason when the same players are wearing the Leinster jerseys a lot of us are much more lukewarm in our support – and some are even actively anti-the Dublin 4 rugby brigade.

And so, during our chat in O’Boyle’s, there was a fairly even split. Four felt that we should support them because of the Irish connection, but even those four were only half-convincing, while the other four were definitely in the Bordeaux camp. What camp I was in is a secret, but I will say that from an Irish team’s point of view it’s a very worrying sign for the future, and it seems to me that we are in dire need of new, young, pacy blood.

However, it’s always a pleasure to see a genius at work, and there is no doubt that young French winger Bielle-Biarrey is a genius; his two tries were a glorious example of his extraordinary ability!

World cups and world affairs

As all football followers begin to look forward to the World Cup, which starts in just over a fortnight’s time (sadly, without Ireland), it is interesting to read in the papers that the CIA may have poisoned English goalie Gordon Banks hours before the quarter-final clash with Germany in 1970.

Banks, who was regarded as the world’s best goalkeeper, fell ill with food poisoning and was replaced by Chelsea’s Peter Bonetti, who many felt was at fault for all three goals from the German team, who won the game 3-2.

The theory is that the CIA wanted to ensure that Brazil won the tournament, as indeed they did, and there has been a lengthy investigation into the allegations. There have been no findings issued yet, but as someone who let a bizarre goal in in the County Junior final against Ballinameen way back in 1995, I’m beginning to wonder did the CIA put something into my porridge on the morning of the match… though maybe not, maybe I was just a bad goalie!

Anyway, it seems Gordon Banks thought it was “damned odd that only (he) got ill, and very seriously ill”, but I imagine that even if he was

deliberately poisoned we will never actually know.

As I say, the World Cup is almost upon us, and hopefully it will all pass off without incident. But holding a tournament in three different countries – the US, Canada and Mexico – will undoubtedly pose significant challenges, especially with the turbulent times we are in. It’s a pity we won’t be there, so I’m shouting for Scotland!

And finally…

As you know, I am not really a political person, but for the life of me I cannot understand how Israel can get away with the blatant act of piracy of forcibly hijacking innocent boats and ships on international waters, and then inflicting unspeakable acts of violence (including sexual violence) on the passengers who were citizens of several different countries. It beggars belief, and makes me wonder for what reason Israel is above all normal sanctions. I just wonder why…

‘I think we will have much more to come from Olivia!’

After her latest major win, SEAMUS DUKE met up with rising golf star Olivia Costello, and the businessman who has provided significant backing to the Roscommon Town youth….

ULTIMATE AIM IS TO TURN PROFESSIONAL

It’s been another year of progress for Olivia Costello so far as the young Roscommon Town golfing star goes from strength to strength.

The 18-year-old has already won the Irish Girls title in 2026, she finished third in the Women’s Open, and just last weekend she won the Castletroy Scratch Cup for the second year in a row. Olivia will be playing for Ireland this year in the various international competitions and has set the Junior Solheim Cup as a target for later in 2026. She will then set sail for the USA in 2027 when she starts a four-year stint with the prestigious Louisiana State University.

Her rise through the ranks over the years has been supported by local businessman Gerry McNulty who says he is delighted to have been able to help Olivia on her journey.

When I met up with Olivia and Gerry at Roscommon Golf Club this week, I asked Gerry how the association with the young star began.

“I’d say that Olivia was 13 or 14 at the time. I was looking out the window of my own house over at the Golf Club, and I was looking at this young girl out practising and was wondering what type of a person would be out in rain and wind and snow. I saw her morning, noon and night out practising. I made a few enquiries as to who she was. So I made contact with her dad Mike, and that’s how it started.

“Even at that young age Olivia was a super golfer but how she has exploded onto the scene over the past few years is plain for everyone to see. She is going from strength to strength and there is lots more to come too.” Gerry says that it is a great honour for him to be able to help Olivia out.

“I’m delighted that I am able to help out someone from my own town. Olivia is a Rossie through and through and it is great to come over to the club and see the silverware that Olivia brings to the club on a regular basis.

“I’m honoured to be able to help Olivia out financially.

Going forward she has a big future ahead of her and I will be delighted to say that I was able to give her a helping hand over the years.”

Gerry is a well-known businessman who is a substantial employer in his furniture stores.

“This October we will be 39 years in Roscommon so that’s a good few years in the local area. It has been great, thankfully.”

Olivia says that the sponsorship from Gerry McNulty has been so important to her development as a player.

“My coach has a poster outside his office that says ‘Talent is nothing without opportunity’ and there is no doubt that without Gerry’s help I would not be able to do the things that I have been able to so far, like playing in the various tournaments and playing in Europe and abroad.”

Olivia has had a superb year so far and is looking forward to upcoming challenges.

“I have been working a

lot with my coach (Shane O’Grady) in recent months. I go to him regularly and we work on various parts of my game to build up confidence.

“I am going to play in a couple of championships here in Ireland over the next few months and there are team competitions coming up too. The European Women’s Championships are in Ireland this summer (Slieve Russell) so it would be nice to play in that. The home internationals are later in the summer and the Junior Solheim Cup will be held in the Netherlands in September, and that’s another aim.”

Looking further ahead, Olivia is looking forward to her trip to the USA.

“This time next year I’ll only have a few months to go before I go to the (United) States. I’m really looking forward to my stint at LSU and it will be another step on the ladder and ultimately to turn professional would be the long-term aim.”

She says the dedication and hard work that she puts into her game is required if one is to have a chance to succeed.

‘Even at that young age Olivia was a super golfer but how she has exploded onto the scene over the past few years is plain for everyone to see. She is going from strength to strength and there is lots more to come too’

“When you are from Ireland, during the winter the conditions mean that you don’t play a lot of golf – the days are short too – so you have to keep working hard to prepare for the summer season.”

Gerry McNulty finishes our conversation on a positive note.

“I think we will have much more to come from Olivia. There will be some great nights to come in Roscommon.”

FarmingPeople

IFA to hold regional meetings on Nature Restoration Law

IFA will hold three regional meetings in the coming weeks to coincide with the launch of the Government’s public consultation process on Ireland’s draft plan to implement the EU Nature Restoration Law.

IFA President Francie Gorman said the implementation of the EU law could have far-reaching consequences for thousands of farmers across the country.

“A report from the Inde-

pendent Advisory Committee on implementing the law in Ireland has gone to Cabinet, but there is no budget allocated for its delivery,” he said.

“We are inviting farmers to these meetings to hear directly from those responsible for developing the draft Nature Restoration Plan, and to understand what it could mean for your farm business. Local politicians will also be invited,” he said.

There were slightly bigger numbers of stock presented for sale on May 21st. While some classes noticed increased numbers on o er, both the bullocks and heifers noticed a reduction in the numbers presented for sale.

The bullock ring noticed stores making up to €5.75 a kilo, while heavier lots made up to €2800. The heifer ring noticed stores peak at €6.16 a kilo, while heavier lots made up to €2500.

The weanling ring noticed bulls peak at €6.20 a kilo, with the lighter bulls the best sellers. Heifer weanlings peaked at €6.22 a kilo.

The calf ring with good numbers on o er reported a good clearance with exporters very active. Cows with calves at foot made up to €4050 while springers topped out at €3240. The dry cows made up to €3080, with a good clearance taking place.

Bullocks, sample prices: Lm 375kgs €2090, Lm 360kgs €2070, Ch 380kgs €1980, Ch 505kgs €2270, AA 515kgs €1980, AA 500kgs €1900, Lm 585kgs €2560, BBx 565kgs €2480, AA 710kgs €2800, AA 675kgs €2540, and Lmx 565kgs €2480. Heifers, sample prices: Lm 375kgs €2310,

Senior officials from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), who are leading the development of the Plan, will address the meetings.

“This will give farmers an opportunity to hear directly what is being proposed and to provide feedback as part of the public consultation process,” he said.

“Farmers, understandably, are fearful of what this will mean for their farm business. The Nature Restora-

Lm 355kgs €1400, Sim 355kgs €1330, Ch 490kgs €2380, Ch 480kgs €2040, AAx 480kgs €1730, Chx 570kgs €2480, and Lm 505kgs €2100.

Dry cows, sample prices: Sim 475kgs €1890, Lm 450kgs €1770, BBx 850kgs €3080, Lm 840kgs €2880, Lm 765kgs €2780, Fr 480kgs €1200, and Ch 425kgs €1570.

Cows with calves at foot made from €2000 to €4050 for a Limousin cow with her heifer calf at foot. Springers made from €2000 to €3240. Lots made from €110 to €760 for continental type lots. Runners made from €740 to €1370 for the continental lots.

Weanling bulls, sample: Ch 280kgs €1600, Ch 240kgs €1490, Ch 255kgs €1440, Lm 270kgs €1580, Lmx 465kgs €2090, Chx 455kgs €2010, and Lm 330kgs €1990. Weanling heifer, sample: Lmx 270kgs €1600, LM 260kgs €1500, Lm 285kgs €1490, Lm 285kgs €1400, Lm 385kgs €2040, Ch 315kgs €1960, Lm 330kgs €1850, and Ch 345kgs €1670.

Sales continue at Castlerea Mart on Thursdays with the weekly sale of bullocks, heifers, cows, calves, runners and weanlings. All sales commence at 11 am.

tion Plan must be fully funded, led by the State on public land first and delivered through voluntary, well-supported measures in genuine partnership with farmers.”

Meetings for this region

will be in The Landmark Hotel in Carrick-on-Shannon on Thursday, June 4th, with the final one in the Tullamore Court Hotel on Wednesday, June 10th Both meetings are timed to start at 8 pm.

per kg. Heifers, sample prices: CHX - 590KG - €2610 - €5.07 per kg, LMX –550KG - €2860 - €4.42 per kg, HEX – 585KG - €2410€4.12 per kg, BBX - 560KG - €2420 - €4.32 per kg, CH – 640KG - €2430 - €3.80 per kg, LM – 565KG - €2540 - €4.50 per kg, and SHX – 630KG - €2380 - €3.78 per kg. Sheep: There was a super entry of sheep on o er at the sale of spring lambs, hoggets and stag ewes held on Wednesday, May 20th. Prices for spring lambs made up to €240, hoggets made up to €234, and stag ewes topped out at €306. Sales continue on Wednesdays at Roscommon Mart. The yard opens 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. The sale can be viewed live on marteye.ie. Spring lambs, sample prices: 44kgs - €225 - €5.11 per kg, 52kgs - €240 - €4.62 per kg, 55kgs - €238 - €4.33 per kg,

Beef price reality exposes ‘game-playing’

IFA Livestock Chair Declan Hanrahan said factory agents should “cop on” and stop trying to distort the public commentary on beef prices.

“It is obvious they are using quoted prices to undermine farmer confidence, but yet they are prepared to pay for cattle when pushed,” he said.

Prices for cattle have remained very resilient, coming in at just under €7/kg for R3 steers since April 4th, and holding this price right up to May 9th, which is the latest reported price. According to Hanrahan, this clearly shows the negativity put around by some factories and their agents on quoted prices is not reflective of actual prices paid.

Declan Hanrahan said market conditions for beef are expected to improve over the coming weeks as supplies tighten and demand increases for the summer, in particular for steak cuts which will be further helped by the upcoming World Cup.

“Factories and their agents have spent the last month talking down the trade and undermining farmers’ confidence despite continuing to process around 30,000 cattle a week.”

He said the clear message for farmers is to push back strongly on the negativity put forward by factory agents – and sell hard.

“Most shed cattle have moved at this stage and factories will have to work hard to secure supplies to meet the expected increase in demand for beef that is anticipated to materialise over the coming weeks.

Roscommon Ploughing Awards & Presentation Night

Roscommon Ploughing Association wishes to thank everyone who supported the 2026 County Ploughing Championships, held on the Hanley family farm, Fuerty. The Association greatly appreciates the support, sponsorship, voluntary effort and goodwill received from the local community, businesses, stewards and volunteers which contributed to another successful event.

Roscommon Ploughing Association

Awards & Presentation Night will take place on Saturday, June 6th at 9 pm in Castlecoote Lodge (Leyden’s). Presentations will be made to county winners and those qualifying to represent Roscommon at the All-Ireland Ploughing Championships in Tullamore this September.

Music and refreshments will be provided and all are welcome to attend. The Association wishes all All-Ireland finalists the very best of luck in their respective classes.

newsbriefs

Scahill highlights solar scheme for medically vulnerable

There needs to be greater awareness of the Solar PV scheme for medically vulnerable people, Fine Gael’s Senator Gareth Scahill has said.

Senator Scahill received con rmation in the Seanad that the scheme is set to deliver fully-funded solar panel installations to over 1,900 additional homes in 2026.

“This is a genuinely excellent scheme that’s making a real di erence to families who face signi cant energy costs due to their reliance on life-critical medical equipment. The minister has con rmed that it will reach another 1,900 homes this year alone,” he said.

Senator Scahill continued: “Too many people eligible for the scheme aren’t aware it exists. I’ve contacted the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) about this and am calling for a dedicated point of contact to be set up for the public to get clear, timely answers on whether they qualify and what the next steps are.”

The scheme was rst launched in 2022 in response to the energy crisis from the war in Ukraine as a cost-saving measure for individuals in areas which are susceptible to power outages. It provides a complete, no-cost solar PV system including survey, design, supply, installation, and a post-works Building Energy Rating.

It is available to homeowners registered under the life support category of the Priority Services Register with their energy supplier. Those relying on electrically powered medical equipment such as dialysis machines, ventilators, respirators, and other assistive technologies may qualify.

Senator Scahill is urging anyone who believes they may be using life support equipment at home to contact their electricity supplier to ensure they are correctly registered under the life support category of the Priority Services Register so they don’t miss out.

Roscommon ICA meeting

The Roscommon ICA will be having their monthly meeting on Tuesday evening, June 2nd at 7.30 pm in Vita House. New members are welcome.

Monster Bingo in Lecarrow

Lecarrow Vintage Club and Lecarrow Soccer Club are holding a Monster Bingo on Friday night, May 29th at 8 pm in Lecarrow Community Centre. All are welcome.

A thank you from Roscommon SPCA

The Roscommon society for the prevention of cruelty to animals (Roscommon SPCA) would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported their annual street collection in Ballaghaderreen, held on May 15th and 16th. Thanks to the kind generosity shown, an incredible total of €1,197,79 was raised – all of which goes directly to helping sick and injured animals across the county of Roscommon. Roscommon SPCA would like to thank all the following businesses, who kindly allowed volunteers to collect outside their premises over the two days: SuperValu/ An Post, McLoughlin’s lling station, and Durkin’s Hotel. Roscommon SPCA would like to thank all the wonderful volunteers who helped out, braving the rainy weather with smiles and determination.

Roscommon SPCA’s upcoming collection

The Roscommon society for the prevention of cruelty to animals (Roscommon SPCA) will be holding a collection at Holy Trinity Church in Mantua on Sunday, May 31st.

The Roscommon SPCA is run by a team of dedicated volunteers, with all money donated going directly towards animal welfare in the county. If you would like to learn more about Roscommon SPCA, please visit roscommonspca.ie.

Inspirational Roscommon woman reflects on her journey as part of MS Ireland’s World MS Day campaign

For Margaret McCarthy from Roscommon, World MS Day is an important opportunity to raise awareness of multiple sclerosis and to highlight the different stages and experiences that can come with the condition.

World MS Day is marked globally each year on May 30th. It is a day to raise awareness of multiple sclerosis, share experiences and bring people together across the MS community.

This year, the global theme is diagnosis, recognising that receiving an MS diagnosis can be life-changing and can bring uncertainty, questions and emotion.

In Ireland, MS Ireland is marking World MS Day 2026 through its national campaign, MS Journeys: Many Faces, One Community. The campaign is sharing stories from people living with MS across Ireland throughout May, highlighting that every person’s journey is different, while also reflecting the strength, resilience and connection found within the MS community.

Margaret’s story is being shared as part of this campaign. For her, World MS Day matters because “it is an opportunity to highlight the various stages that can be encountered and provide encouragement and support to those who are struggling.”

Living with MS has meant learning to adapt and maintain a positive outlook. Margaret says: “I am constantly adapting and always endeavouring to have a positive attitude to life.”

While MS has changed her life in profound ways, she remains focused on what life can still offer.

“I am permanently immobile and dependent, but still able to enjoy many pleasures of life.”

Her advice to someone newly diagnosed is clear and hopeful: “Realise that your world has not ended but changed. Live your life to the full and engage in your community.”

The support of family, friends and the local community has been very important throughout Margaret’s MS journey. She values being treated as she always was and says it is “a learning experience to meet with others living with MS, whether in person or online.”

MS Ireland has also played a meaningful role in her life, particularly through online supports and information. Margaret says: “The increasing number of online courses and information are invaluable.”

One of the issues Margaret would like to highlight is accessibility and the need for greater awareness of disability. She says one of the things that has surprised her most is “the failure of the wider community to recognise barriers created by disability.” Her biggest challenges include “pain and lack of mobility.”

Margaret is proud of what she has achieved while living with MS, including her role as National Welfare Officer at Tesco Ireland and helping to secure funding for research. She also received the Dún Laoghaire Cathaoirleach’s

Fergal Guihen presents €105,000 cheque after cycling from Ireland to Australia

On Saturday, April 18th 2026, Roscommon nurse Fergal Guihen (27), from Arigna, officially presented a cheque for €105,000 to the Mayo-Roscommon Hospice Foundation, the culmination of an extraordinary fundraising journey that saw him cycle across three continents and 28 countries over nearly two years.

Fergal departed Ireland in March 2024 and arrived at Sydney Opera House, Australia in February 2026, completing a solo cycling expedition that took him through some of the world’s most remote and demanding terrain, including the Tibetan Plateau, the Taklamakan Desert, and waraffected regions of Afghanistan. Along the way he faced extreme weather, a violent attack in Iran, and the devastating personal loss of his first cousin to suicide during the journey.

The €105,000 raised for Mayo-Roscommon Hospice Foundation will support the charity’s vital palliative care services across the Western Seaboard as well as its landmark new project –the Sunflower Children’s Hospice, set to be the first children’s hospice built outside of Dublin and the first of its kind constructed since 2011.

Fergal Guihen said: “This journey was always about more than just the distance. I am incredibly proud to have raised over €210,000 for the Mayo-Roscommon Hospice Foundation and North-West STOP suicide prevention services.

“The Mayo-Roscommon Hospice Foundation provided vital palliative care for my greatgrandmother in the final days of her life, and both charities are extremely close to my heart.

“I know the funds raised will make a real differ-

ence, and I am deeply grateful to everyone who supported me along the way.”

CEO of Mayo-Roscommon Hospice Foundation, Martina Jennings, said: “Fergal’s achievement has left us truly humbled. To cycle across three continents, endure everything he endured, and still keep these causes at the heart of it all, that speaks to an extraordinary character. We are so grateful to Fergal for choosing Mayo-Roscommon Hospice Foundation.

“This €105,000 will make a real and lasting difference, both to our existing hospice services in Mayo and Roscommon, and to the Sunflower Children’s Hospice. We have a big year ahead of us and generous support like Fergal’s brings us ever closer to making that vision a reality.”

Award with her husband in 2023.

“I was delighted to help secure substantial funding for research and to share the Dún Laoghaire Cathaoirleach’s Award with my husband.”

She is keen to challenge misconceptions about MS, reminding people that “MS is not fatal or contagious.” Her message to others living with MS is simple: “Go for it.”

Through stories like Margaret’s, MS Ireland’s World MS Day campaign aims to build understanding, challenge misconceptions and remind people living with MS that they are part of a strong, diverse and supportive community.

‘‘

The support of family, friends and the local community has been very important throughout Margaret’s MS journey. She values being treated as she always was and says it is “a learning experience to meet with others living with MS, whether in person or online.”

Local family raise €289k for childhood cancer charities

After a hectic two years, the McCann family from Ballaghaderreen have signed off on their incredible fundraising efforts, with CJs Rainbow Charity Cycle amassing a colossal final tally of €289,013.

The family attended the official cheque presentation with their chosen charities – Oscar’s Kids and Hand in Hand in Dublin – as they bring to an end their fundraising campaign.

The family launched ‘CJs Rainbow Cycle’ on April 22nd 2024, and decided it was fitting to conclude their efforts on the same date, two years later, following an action-packed series of events.

“It feels like a full circle for us,” said CJ’s father, Joe, who was one of 21 cyclists that travelled from Malin to Mizen in August 2024, in memory of his son CJ, who passed away from cancer in 2023.

“We never expected that people would still be running fundraisers for CJs Rainbow long after the cycle, and the time feels right to wrap up the efforts.” Joe decided to undertake the mammoth cycling challenge to fundraise for two childhood cancer charities, Oscar’s Kids and Hand in Hand, but never could have imagined that so many other fundraising events and efforts would ensure the fundraising continued long before and after the cycle.

“People were so incredibly generous; friends, family, and strangers,” said Joe. “We started this journey hoping to shine to

light on what these amazing charities do, and to help other families who find themselves in the position we were with CJ.”

Joe and Niamh’s son CJ was just 21 months old when he lost his battle with a rare and aggressive brain cancer, ATRT (Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumour), in October 2023, and it was during his son’s time on St John’s National Paediatric Oncology Ward that Joe decided he would fundraise for some the charities that helped and supported the family.

“Fundraising for these amazing charities helped to focus our energies, and to give CJ the legacy his life deserves,” he said.

“Handing over that cheque, knowing the difference it will make to other families is very special, and something that we are really proud of as a family.”

Joe and 20 other volunteers took on the gruelling Malin Head to Mizen Head cycle, but the cycle was just a catalyst for an incredible outpouring of goodwill from near and far, as fundraising events were organised up and down the country, with everything from community events, bake sales and marathons, to mountain climbs and colour runs. There was also an incredible day at MacHale Park, where Mayo manager Andy Moran put Ireland AM’s Deric Ó h’Artagáin and several dozen athletes through their paces.

“We had ambitiously hoped to raise €100,000 to help these two charities to support families who are trying to cope with a cancer diagnosis,” said Joe.

“Once we hit that, the figure

Join our Team – Roscommon County Childcare Committee (Roscommon CCC) CLG acts as the local agent of the Department of Children, Disability and Equality for the local implementation of national childcare programmes at county level throughout County Roscommon. We are now seeking to fill the following two positions within our team.

Employer: Roscommon County Childcare Committee CLG

Location: Roscommon County Childcare Committee Offices, Knock Road, Castlerea Eircode: F45P959 or as designated by Roscommon CCC

Health: Candidates shall be in a state of health such that indicates a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular & efficient service.

Garda Vetting: The successful candidates will be required to be Garda Vetted. Good command of English (i.e. grammar, spelling, and sentence construction) is required for both positions as well as a clean full driver’s license & provision of own car for business purposes. Willingness to work flexible hours as required at times, i.e. late evenings and, on occasions, weekends required for both posts.

Role 1: Childcare Development Officer (CDO)

Overall description of the post: To Support the delivery of Roscommon CCCs Annual Statement of Work and National Childcare programme supports the local Early Learning and Care (ELC) and the School Age Childcare (SAC) Sector.

Terms & Conditions: Contract of indefinite duration subject to ongoing funding & successful probation period.

Salary: Local Authority Grade 5.

Annual Leave Allowance: 24 days annual leave. Bank holidays are additional.

Hours of Work: 9.30 – 5pm Mon- Fri with evening/weekend work on occasions forming part of a 35hr week. Flexibility will be required. Time off in lieu will be offered for hours worked outside of normal working hours in line with Roscommon CCC employee handbook and company policies Eligibility Criteria: Third level qualification (minimum level 8), preferably in Early Childhood Education and Care (Minimum of 3 year’s experience of working in the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and the School Age Childcare (SAC) Sector

Good understanding of national policy and regulation in relation to the ELC/SAC sector. Good working knowledge of relevant national childcare programmes and the administration associated with these.

Excellent IT and administrative skills, including experience in report writing and use of SharePoint, Microsoft Office Package including Word and Excel applications. Experience in the development and/or delivery of training/workshops/networks (Communities of Practice) Excellent time management skills and a strong ability to deal effectively with enquiries from the public. This post involves both desk based and onsite support to services within Roscommon CCCs remit in County Roscommon and will involve training/meetings/ support visits often outside of normal working hours.

just kept going up, and we are so grateful to every person who helped us raise money for these two wonderful charities; words will never go far enough to thank Oscar’s Kids and Hand in Hand for all they do.”

Hand in Hand is a national childhood cancer charity, based in Loughrea, which supports families all over Ireland, helping them to cope with the impact of treatment on family life. This support includes counselling, play therapy for children and/or siblings, complementary therapies, hot meals, laundry, and domestic cleaning.

The second charity to benefit from the huge fundraising effort is Oscar’s Kids, who support families coping with a child’s terminal cancer diagnosis. The charity aims to create moments of magic during the toughest of times. Their incredible support enabled the McCann family to plan CJ’s Magical Christmas before his passing, the only Christmas spent with CJ at home.

“What Yav and Lar at Oscar’s Kids do for families is something very special, and we are delighted to be able to help them to continue this amazing work”, said Joe.

Another important element of their fundraising efforts was remembering CJ through it all: “It was just incredible to bring CJ on this adventure; it united so many people,” Joe said.

“I hope CJ is proud of all that Team McCann have achieved in his name.”

Role 2: Support / Communications Development Officer

Overall description of the post: To provide communications support to the CCC team. Assist with internal and external communications. Support the manager & CDO/ CMDO team in the delivery of Roscommon CCCs annual Statement of Work and National Childcare programme supports, the local Early Learning and Care (ELC) and the School Age Childcare (SAC) Sector. Terms & Conditions: Fixed Term 6 Months / 35 Hours per Week

Salary: Local Authority Grade 5. Point 1

Annual Leave Allowance: 24 days annual leave pro rata. Bank holidays are additional.

Hours of Work: 9.30 – 5pm Mon- Fri with evening/weekend work on occasions forming part of a 35hr week. Flexibility will be required. Time off in lieu will be offered for hours worked outside of normal working hours in line with Roscommon CCC employee handbook and company policies

Eligibility Criteria: Third level qualification (minimum level 8), preferably in Early Childhood Education and Care (Minimum 3 years’ experience of working in the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and the School Age Childcare (SAC) Sector. Provide communications support to the CCC team Assist with internal and external communications. Knowledge of Government ELC funding schemes Knowledge of Túsla Regulations and quality standards. Experience in training development and delivery. Strong understanding of the Irish early years sector. Strong report writing and IT skills (Microsoft Office, Outlook). Knowledge of inclusive early childhood education.

Strong understanding of policy developments within the early years sector

How to Apply: Full Job Description and Application form are available to download from www.roscommonchildcare.ie

A completed application form and cover letter should be sent by email only with the post you are applying for in the subject line to Roscommon CCC Chairperson seancrehan@eircom.net Closing date for applications is 5pm on Friday 5th June 2026. Late applications cannot be accepted.

Selection Process: Roscommon CCC reserves the right to shortlist applications based on the information supplied in the application form. In the event of a shortlisting exercise being employed, we will examine the information provided in your application, assess it against the criteria based on the requirements for the position and decide if you will be shortlisted, relative to the other candidates applying for the position. Roscommon CCC reserves the right to form a panel from this recruitment process. Satisfactory evidence of qualifications and references are requisite to the successful candidate taking up the post.

Use of Data: All personal data and the information submitted for this application will be used solely for the purpose of this campaign, after which it will be deleted in line with our GDPR and documents retention guidelines. All information will be treated with the strictest confidence and accessed only by those involved directly in the campaign.

Roscommon County Childcare Committee CLG is an Equal Opportunities Employer funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth through Pobal.

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Roscommon County Council is delighted to announce a vibrant and inspiring countywide pro- gramme for Cruinniú na nÓg 2026, taking place on Saturday, June 6th 2026. See www.roscommoncountycouncil.ie to learn more about this year’s programme.

As part of this national day of free creativity for children and young people, Roscommon will host an extensive range of engaging, imaginative, and inclusive events across the county.

Activities will take place in Ballaghaderreen, Boyle, Castlerea, Roscommon Town, Strokestown and Monksland, as well as in libraries and cultural venues throughout the county with many highlights.

There will be a Funfest event in Strokestown Park House celebrating Creativity at Play. This is a lively children’s festival featuring sensory zones and Irishlanguage creative spaces.

Wonder Walls Roscommon is an exciting street art project where young people collaborate on a largescale mural with live music performances. Meanwhile, Lift Off – From Page to Stage, is a unique workshop and live performance experience for young writers and musicians.

There will also be a Laugh Out Loud Comedy Workshop, offering teens the chance to develop

stand-up and performance skills. Ballaghaderreen will host a magical Mini Aladdin Musical performance, suitable for younger audiences.

As well as these exciting events, there will be hands-on craft experiences including crochet workshops, lantern making, and wire sculpture and printing sessions. There will be a series of innovative creative programmes such as Vinyl Design workshops, Museum of Believing (archaeology and storytelling), and Visual Noise combining street art and drumming.

Creative Youth on Air –  where participants will produce and broadcast live radio content with Athlone Community Radio – is another highlight, while exhibitions such as Voices of Monksland Youth Café will showcase young people’s artistic work. There will be interactive and creative learning experiences through Heritage Heroes activities in libraries countywide.

This year’s programme celebrates creativity in all its forms – from visual arts and music to theatre, storytelling, craft, and digital media. The programme is carefully designed to cater for all age groups, with activities ranging from early years sensory play to advanced creative workshops for teenagers. All events are free, though some are drop-in, while others require booking due to limited capacity.

Glenamaddy residents and Traders

from Thursday 20th to Monday 24th August.

Lots of fun family events planned and top entertainment.

Historic night in Glenamaddy!

Where? Raftery’s Oakland, Glenamaddy

When? Saturday, May 23

Glenamaddy Players held a Gala Dinner on Saturday, May 23rd in Raftery’s Oakland, Glenamaddy – it truly was a night that will go down in history!

The Players were after all celebrating winning the All-Ireland Confined Drama Finals in Carrickmore, County Tyrone, that and the group’s success (and proud record in drama) over the last 54 years!

A fantastic night was had by all. Glenamaddy Players extend thanks to Raftery’s Oakland for the fabulous three-course meal and venue; to all of our speakers, including John Keane, Chairperson of the ADCI and Mary Newman, Chairperson of the DLI, and indeed MC Kenneth Comer.

Thanks also to floor assistant Ann-Marie Curtin, the band Silkwood, Donal Healy Photography, Balloons 4-U (Glenamaddy) and The Card Suite (menus).

A special thank you to the cast and crew of Chapatti (the play which we staged in the All-Ireland) as well as past and present members of Glenamaddy Players, members of surrounding drama groups, and fellow thespians/drama friends.

Glenamaddy Players

ENTERTAINMENT Culture&ARTS

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

‘A Music Showcase’

Music Generation Roscommon presented ‘A Music Showcase’ at Roscommon Arts Centre last Friday, with performances by Music Hubs from Roscommon Town and Moore Community Hall, Ballydangan, Blossom Harps, Woodwind section of Roscommon County Youth Orchestra, The Bloodhounds band, Par 9 band, St Coman’s Wood Primary School, and Clonown National School

NEW TO THE MARKET

2 B/R COTTAGE STYLE RESIDENCE

TULLYVRANE, RATHCLINE, LANESBORO, CO LONGFORD

NEW TO THE MARKET 6 B/R DETACHED RESIDENCE

GRINSTEAD PLACE, LISNAMUCKLAGH, DYSART, CO. ROSCOMMON H53 DY02

NEW TO THE MARKET 4 B/R DETACHED TWO STOREY RESIDENCE 1 CNOC NA GAOITHE, LANESBORO, CO. LONGFORD NEW TO THE MARKET 4 B/R SEMI DETACHED TWO STOREY RESIDENCE

12 BARRY’S COURT, TARMONBARRY, CO. ROSCOMMON

AMV: €375,000

€270,000 AMV: €95,000 AMV: €320,000

RESIDENTIAL FARM STANDING ON 41 ACRES APPROX QUALITY ROADSIDE AGRICULTURAL LANDS

CARTON, ELPHIN, CO. ROSCOMMON

CAN BE SOLD IN ONE OR MORE LOTS

SALE OPTIONS

Lot 1 | The Entire Holding approx. . 41 Acres A complete residential farm including the derelict residence. Guide Price: €460,000

Lot 2 | approx. 4.2 Acres Compact parcel of quality roadside lands. Guide Price: €35,000

Lot 3 | approx. 4.8 Acres Attractive roadside parcel of good grazing lands. Guide Price: €40,000

Lot 4 | approx. 4.9 Acres Well-positioned parcel with road frontage. Guide Price: €45,000

Lot 5 | approx. 19.97 Acres Substantial roadside parcel excluding the dwelling, with cattle handling facilities. Guide Price: €200,000

Lot 6 | approx.. 20.97 Acres with Derelict Residence Substantial parcel including derelict dwelling, cattle crush, pen and holding facilities. Guide Price: €275,000

Lot 7 | Derelict Residence on approx. 1 Acre- A compelling restoration opportunity with signi cant grant support potential. Guide Price: €75,000

Lot 8 | approx. 6.2 Acres Quality roadside agricultural lands. Guide Price: €65,000.

Two-bedroomed residence new to market with Sheehy Meares Team Earley

Keith McLoughlin of Sheehy Meares Team Earley would like to present to the market an excellent opportunity to acquire a two-bedroomed residence, standing on approximately half an acre, and situated in the peaceful countryside setting of Tullyvrane, Rathcline, Lanesborough. The property offers superb potential for renovation and modernisation.

Extending to approximately 89.94 square metres, the accommodation comprises an entrance hallway, sitting room/ dining room, kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms. Outbuildings to the side further enhance the potential of the property.

While in need of renovation, the home benefits from existing services, including ESB, water supply, and septic tank.

Located just outside Lanesborough Town, the property enjoys convenient access to a range of local amenities,

including shops, cafes, and a choice of three primary schools and one secondary school.

Outdoor enthusiasts will appreciate the nearby riverside walks and woodland trails along the River Shannon. The location is also highly accessible, situated just a 15-minute drive from both Longford Town and Roscommon Town, both of which provide rail services to Dublin, along with an extensive range of amenities, including shopping centres, cinemas, swimming pools, gyms, and golf courses.

The AMV for this property is €95,000. Viewing is highly recommended and strictly by appointment with the selling agent.

For more information or to arrange a viewing, contact Sheehy Meares Team Earley (Stonecourt Centre, The Square, Roscommon) on 090 6626579 or the auctioneer Keith McLoughlin directly on 086 0848590.

Sheehy Meares Team Earley close sale on Ardsallagh More residence

Sheehy Meares Team Earley would like to extend congratulations and best wishes to the new owners.

Sheehy Meares Team Earley would also like to advise that they are urgently seeking similar houses in the

Keith McLoughlin of Sheehy Meares Team Earley is pleased to advise that he has closed the sale of this beautiful four-bedroomed, detached bungalow residence at Ardsallagh More, Athlone Road, Roscommon Town –ideally positioned just across the road from Roscommon University Hospital. Built in 1991 and extending to approximately 115 square metres, this home offers bright and spacious living throughout.

Roscommon town area for disappointed underbidders. For further details or to book a free valuation, please contact Sheehy Meares Team Earley (Stone Court, Roscommon) on 090 66 26579, email info@ sheehymeares.ie, log onto sheehymeares.ie, or call auctioneer Keith on 086 0848590.

Casey’s Londis in Roscommon complete Londis Irish Camino Challenge in support of Nurses for Night Care

Casey’s Londis, Athlone Road, Roscommon have completed the Londis Irish Camino Challenge for Nurses for Night Care, a national charity fundraising initiative in support of the brand’s charity partner, Irish Hospice Foundation.

Jim McCausland, Annette Cahill, Aga Kownacka, Ilze Bernica and Mathew Parker all representing Casey’s Londis, Athlone Road, Roscommon alongside 115 Londis retailers, staff, family members and friends representing 42 Londis stores nationwide took on a challenging 22km hike through Laragh and Glendalough, Co Wicklow earlier this month.

The challenge formed the centrepiece of a nationwide fundraising effort to support the Nurses for Night Care service, which provides overnight nursing care to patients at end of life in their own homes across every county in Ireland 365 nights a year and relies on fundraising support and donations to operate.

The Londis Irish Camino Challenge was the culmination of weeks of fundraising activity carried out by Londis retailers in their local communities. Stores nationwide engaged customers through iDonate fundraising pages, in store donation buckets, POS kits featuring QR codes and

a ‘Donate €1 at the till’ mechanic. Retailers across the Londis network also led a wide range of community driven initiatives, including coffee mornings, cycle challenges and creative in store fundraising activities, with strong support from customers, family members and friends across the country.

The 22km route began at Laragh GAA Club and concluded at Lynham’s of Laragh Hotel. The finish point provided an opportunity for retailers and participants to come together following the hike for a post challenge meal and refreshments, marking the collective achievement.

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TrailerFix on 086 4041875 Rooskey, Co. Roscommon www.trailerfix.ie

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FENCING/GATES

6077307 or 086 8125165 www.parklaw treeservices.com

PODIATRIST

Tullys

Podiatrist/ Chiropodist SARAH FLEMING

CB.Sc (Hons) Podiatry MScPI

Sarah will be in Tullys

Pharmacy, Castlerea on Monday and Friday and Boyle Totalhealth Pharmacy on Tuesdays.

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CLINIC ROSCOMMON Golf Links Road, Roscommon town F42YX65 (behind Curtain Centre) (Monday to Saturday) Also available in Boyle Chiropody treatment and all aspects of Foot Pain. Orthotics prescribed By Appointment Only –Dylan Byrne DIP CHFP Tel: 089 2551716 or Catriona Byrne DIP CHFP Tel: 087 2982214

Career Coach and Consultant Specialising in Confidence Building

 CONFIDENCE BUILDING

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Tel: 086 8229606

Email: cburkecoaching@gmail.com

Web: www.carolineburke.ie

WINDOWS AND DOORS

HANLEY WINDOWS AND DOORS LTD

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• Full Retrofit Service

• Composite, PVC, Patio, French Doors

• PVC Windows in a wide range of styles & colours.

• Replacement Hinges, Handles, Locks, Restrictors, Double & Trible Glazed Units

• All Repairs and Service Work Carried Out

Contact Pat: 086 600 2721 or Email: pjmhanley@gmail.com

FAMILY NOTICES

DOLAN (NEE MULLOOLY)

Eilish

Culleen, Knockcroghery, Co Roscommon. In loving memory of Eilish Dolan who passed away peacefully on the 30th April 2026.

On this the month’s mind of our dear mother Eilish, we the family would like to take this opportunity to express their sincere gratitude and appreciation for the kindness, support and sympathy shown to us over the past few weeks.

We acknowledge with thanks all those who attended Eilish’s Removal, her Funeral Mass and those who watched online, sent mass cards, letters of sympathy and messages of condolence.

We are eternally grateful to all of our friends, relatives and neighbours, who visited Mum during her sickness, o ering help and kindness and who supported us during this time. To all who helped at Eilish’s Removal with food, catering and parking, we thank you sincerely.

Special thanks to Fr. Ray Milton and Fr. Thomas O’Byrne who celebrated Eilish’s Funeral Mass, and to the Altar Girls and Aileen O’Connor who contributed beautifully to the Mass. Thanks also to Ann Harlow for the beautiful owers.

To the many carers, who cared for Eilish over her long illness, we thank you for showing her such respect and kindness. To Dr. Valerie Morris, the medical teams at Roscommon Primary Health Care Centre, Molloy’s Pharmacy, the Palliative Services and the doctors and nurses at Roscommon General Hospital who attended to Eilish’s medical needs, we thank you all.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the Sta of Portiuncula University Hospital Ballinasloe who took great care of Mum in her nal days and also thanks to the Ambulance Service.

A special word of thanks to Smyth’s Funeral Directors for the professional and digni ed manner in which they carried out the funeral arrangements and to the grave diggers who prepared Eilish’s nal resting place with such care and attention.

We are grateful to Nana Anne’s Café in Knockcroghery for all the food that was delivered to the house and to the sta of the Abbey Hotel for their hospitality and lovely meal after Mum’s Funeral.

As it is impossible to thank everyone individually please accept this acknowledgement as a token of our appreciation and gratitude to you all. The Holy Sacri ce of the Mass will be o ered for your intentions.

Eilish’s Month’s Mind Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, May 30th at 11am in St Patrick’s Church, Knockcroghery.

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. J.B.

PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO FOR SUCCESS IN EXAMINATIONS

O Great St. Joseph of Cupertino who while on earth did obtain from God the grace to be asked at your examination only the questions you knew. Obtain for me a like favor in the examinations for which I am now preparing. In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. E.M.

3 DAY NOVENA TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN

Oh most beautiful ower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me here you are my mother. Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech Thee from the bottom of my heart to secure me in my necessity. (Make your request) There are none that can withstand your power. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee. (repeat three times) Holy Mary, I place this cause in Your hands. (repeat three times) J.B.

HANLEY

Audrey (nee Kenny)

Lisnaville, Fuerty, Co. Roscommon Who passed away on 23rd May 2015 (11th Anniversary)

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

Lovingly remembered by your Kenny family.

FALLON

Anthony Lisnasillagh, Athleague, Co. Roscommon.

In Memory of a loving Dad who died 1st June 2019. (7th Anniversary)

On losing a dad

As time drifts on, I stop to think about it all. The absence of a dad, gone forever more. A strong warm hand; a safe secure hug. A broad wide smile; a short trip away. Those times well spent; those days never lost. I am sad that you are gone but I am glad that you were always there. A dad; my dad. I am longing for you forever more.

Sadly missed by your son Michael, sisters Mary, Nancy, Monica, and all extended family members.

An Anniversary Mass will be held this Sunday 31st May at 10am in St. Patrick’s Church, Athleague.

O’Connor

Patsy (Pat)

Tuam, Kilrooskey, Roscommon

In loving memory of Patsy who passed away on 31st May 2024 (2nd Anniversary)

We thought of you with love today, but that was nothing new. We thought of you yesterday, and days before that too. We think of you in silence, we often speak your name. All we have are memories and pictures in a frame. Your memories are a keepsake, with which we’ll never part. God has you in His keeping. We have you in our heart. Forever in our hearts, loved and remembered by his family.

Anniversary Mass will be celebrated on 30th May in St. Mary’s Church, Ballagh at 7.30pm.

O’CONNOR

Patrick (Patsy)

Tuam, Kilrooskey, Co. Roscommon (2nd Anniversary)

In loving memory of Pat (Patsy) who died on 31st May 2024

Rest in Peace

Sadly missed along life’s way. Quietly remembered everyday. No longer in our lives to share, but in our hearts you are always there.

Sadly missed by Mary, Jim and Gemma.

Anniversary Mass on Saturday, 30th May at 7.30pm in St. Mary’s Church, Ballagh.

MACLEAN NEIL JOHN

Capel, Dorking, Surrey, England.

In loving memory of a dear son who passed away on 8th April 2026.

R.I.P.

God saw you getting tired, a cure was not to be. So he put his arms around you and whispered “Come to Me”.

With tearful eyes we watched you, and saw you pass away. Although we loved you dearly, we could not make you stay.

A golden heart stopped beating, hard working hands rest still. God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best.

Sadly missed by his father John, his wife Paula, sisters Carol and Rosemary, his daughter Leigh and grand children, niece and nephew, brother-in-law, grand niece and nephew, all Neil’s cousins in Scotland and all his friends and lovely neighbours in Ireland. Mass will be celebrated at a later date in St Patrick’s Church, Athleague.

Patrick

The family of the late P.J. Kelly would like to extend their sincere thanks to all who showed kindness, care and support during the sad loss of our cherished P.J. We are deeply grateful to all who conveyed their condolences to us by letter, telephone, on – line or in person through their attendance during the course of P.J’s Funeral.

Thanks to those who sent Mass cards, sympathy cards and RIP messages, phone calls and to those who travelled near and far to be with us. To the neighbours and friends who brought food to Damien’s house and shared memories with us.

Thank you to the Doctors and sta at both Roscommon University Hospital and Roscommon Hospice for their dedicated care, support and compassion shown to P.J and his family. Thanks to Fr Beirne who looked after PJ’s spiritual needs while in hospice.

Thank you to Fr. Victor and to Fr. Conaty for celebrating a beautiful Funeral Mass. Thanks to Michelle Mc Cormack for her wonderful singing during P.J’s Funeral Mass. A special word of thanks to Smyth’s Funeral Director’s for their professional and sensitive manner in which they carried out the Funeral Arrangements and to Brian O’ Rourke who prepared P.J’s nal resting place with such care and attention.

Thanks to the management and sta at Hannon’s Hotel Roscommon for providing a beautiful meal after the Funeral.

As it would be impossible to thank everyone individually, please accept this acknowledgment as an expression of our deepest gratitude.

The Holy Sacri ce of the mass will be o ered for your intentions.

P.J’s Month’s Mind Mass will be celebrated in St. Brigid’s Church, Four Mile House on Sunday, 31st May at 11am.

FAMILY NOTICES

FEENEY

John (Jack)

Enfield, Ballintubber, Castlerea, Co. Roscommon. Who passed away on 21st May 2025 (1st Anniversary)

Those we love don’t go away. They walk beside us every day.

Unseen, unheard, but always near. Still loved, still missed and very dear. Will those who think of Jack today. A little prayer to Jesus say.

Lovingly remembered and sadly missed by all his family.

Jack’s 1st Anniversary Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, 31st May, 2026 at 11.30am in St. Bride’s Church, Ballintubber.

McDERMOTT

Billy Clooneenbane, Roscommon (7th Anniversary)

Treasured memories of Billy, a devoted husband, father and grandfather who passed away on 1st June, 2019

To us you were someone special, Someone set apart, Your memory will live forever, Engraved within our hearts.

Rest in Peace, Billy

Your kind and gentle soul has passed, but you will forever remain in the hearts and minds of your loving wife Ann, children, grandchildren, extended family and friends.

QUINN

Mary

Marnellsgrove, Ballymoe and Lisroyan Lodge, Strokestown, Co. Roscommon

In loving memory of Mary who passed away on the 23rd May, 2006 R.I.P (20th Anniversary)

On her gentle soul Sweet Jesus have mercy. Time may pass and fade away, but fond memories of you will always stay. Always remembered by your ever-loving husband Michael and family.

BRENNAN Bernadette (Dette)

Cloontogher, Kilteevan, Co. Roscommon. (3rd Anniversary)

In loving memory of our dear Mum Dette, who died May 24th, 2023.

This day is remembered and quietly kept. No words are needed, we shall never forget. For those we love don’t go away. They walk beside us every day. Unseen and unheard, but always near. So loved, so missed, and so very dear. Forever loved and remembered by her family.

Anniversary Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, 31st May, 2026 at 10am in St Joseph’s Church, Kilteevan.

RAFTERY

Tom

Ballybride, Co Roscommon. Who passed away on 13th March, 2026

The family of the late Tom Raftery would like to thank most sincerely all those who sympathised with us on the recent sad loss of Tom. Those who sent mass cards and condolences.

Thanks to our many neighbours and friends, Roscommon Fire Brigade and Roscommon Civil Defence for a lovely guard of honour.

Special thanks to doctors and sta of the Sacred Heart Home, Roscommon, and Roscommon University Hospital. Thanks to the sta of Roscommon Home Care Services, especially Bridie, Aaron and Liz. Thank you to the sta in the Dunlo Ward in Portiuncla Hospital, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway who looked after Tom in his nal days.

Thanks to Smyth’s Funeral Directors for their care and professionalism in handling the Funeral Services. Also thanks to the gravediggers.

As it would not be possible to thank everyone individually, please accept this acknowledgment as a token of our sincere gratitude.

The Holy Sacri ce of the Mass has been o ered.

CARROLL

Michael Rathcline, Lanesboro, Co. Longford

(6th Anniversary)

In loving memory of Michael who died on 30th May 2020

His life was one of kindly deeds

A helping hand for others’ needs Sincere and true in heart and mind

Beautiful memories left behind

Always remembered by your family and friends

Anniversary Mass on Saturday, 30th May at 6.30pm in St. Mary’s Church, Lanesboro

DONOHOE

Peter

Late of Four Roads, (Formerly of Dublin and Cavan)

In loving memory of Peter who died on 3rd May 2025 (1st Anniversary)

This day is remembered and quietly kept, No words are needed, we shall never forget. For those we love don’t go away, They walk beside us every day.

Unseen and unheard, but always near, So loved, so missed, and so very dear.

Sadly missed and fondly remembered by his wife, children, grandchildren, siblings, extended family and friends.

Peter’s 1st anniversary mass will be celebrated in The Church of the Assumption, Castlecoote on Sunday, 31st May at 11.30am.

COMPTON

Bernie

In loving memory of Bernie Compton whose 5th anniversary occurs on May 29th. (5th Anniversary)

Say a prayer each time you think of me. Remember, would you please? Whether standing at a bus stop, or in Church, on your knees. It doesn’t need to be a long one. A little one will do. But say a prayer, any prayer, and I will watch over you.

Eternal rest, grant unto her, O Lord And let Perpetual Light shine upon her. May she rest in peace.

Amen Deeply loved, sadly missed and always remembered by William, Ingrid, Ian, Emily & Sadie.

Anniversary Mass will be held in Strokestown Parish Church on Sunday, 31st May at 11.30 am.

STEPHENS

Michael (Mickie)

Church Park, Tremane, Roscommon (4th Anniversary)

In loving memory of Mickie who passed away on 3rd June 2022. We miss you now, our hearts are sore, As time goes by we miss you more, Your loving smile, your gentle face, No one can fill your vacant place.

Lovingly remembered and sadly missed by the Stephens family.

Mickie’s Anniversary Mass will be celebrated in the Sacred Heart Church, Roscommon on Saturday 30th of May at 10am.

FULLARD

Gerry Cloonbrackna Court, Roscommon 22nd Anniversary - 29th May

Just a prayer from those who love you, just a memory ever true.

In our hearts you will live forever, because we thought the world of you. Always remembered by your daughter Sharon, son-in-law Eamon and your grandson, Eamonn Gerard. Masses will be o ered.

FALLON

Mary Galway Road, Roscommon Who passed away on 29th May 2020 (6th Anniversary)

May the winds of Heaven blow softly, And whisper in your ear, How much we love and miss you, And wish you were still here.

Loved and always missed by your Family.

Mary’s Anniversary Mass will be o ered in Sacred Heart Church, Roscommon on Saturday 30th May, 2026 at 10.00am

BEIRNE

Mary

Farragher, Four-Mile-House, Co. Roscommon Who passed away on the 28th of May 2019 (7th Anniversary)

It’s been the hardest thing to lose you, you meant so much to us. But you are in our hearts and that’s where you’ll always be. We know that God called you, but we wish you could have stayed, at least the memories we have of you, they will never fade. We did not want to lose you, but you did not go alone, because part of us went with you when God called you home.

So just remember one thing, we are not apart, you’re with us in our memories and in our broken hearts.

Sadly missed but never forgotten by husband Paddy, sons, daughters and extended family.

Anniversary Mass in St. Patrick’s Church, Ballinaheglish on Sunday, 31st May, at 11 am.

TREACY

Sean (John)

Ballinturly, Athleague, Co. Roscommon

Who passed away on 31st May 2025

As we lovingly remember Sean on his First Anniversary, we his family would like to express our heartfelt gratitude and thanks to all who sympathised, supported and comforted us following the sad loss of Sean, a much loved husband, dad, grandad, brother, uncle and friend to many.

We will be forever grateful to our extended family, neighbours and friends who called to our home, brought food, helped with arrangements, attended his Funeral, sent beautiful messages and mass cards and shared their lovely memories of Sean. Thanks also to the gravediggers who helped to prepare his nal resting place with such care and respect.

A special word of thanks to Fr. Ali Joe and our Sacristan, Theresa, for their gentle guidance and support during a time when we needed it most. We are also grateful to Fr. Eugene McLoughlin and Fr. Raymond Sweeney for helping us celebrate Sean’s life in such a meaningful way.

We are deeply appreciative of our neighbours and the sta and children at Athleague National School for their Guard of Honour and also Garda Owen Crehan for ensuring Sean’s last journey ran smoothly. Thanks also to the sta at The Bridge House who provided refreshments after Sean’s burial.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank the paramedics who cared for Sean in his nal moments, and Smyth’s Funeral Directors for the compassion, respect, and kindness they showed to Sean and to our family during an incredibly di cult time.

As it would be impossible to thank everyone individually, please accept this acknowledgement as an expression of our sincere thanks and appreciation.

“A heart of gold stopped beating two willing hands at rest, God broke our hearts, to prove to us, He only takes the best.”

Sean’s First Anniversary Mass will be on Saturday, 30th May 2026 in St. Patrick’s Church, Athleague at 7pm.

No farewell words were spoken, No time to say goodbye. You were gone before we knew it, And only God knows why.

BEADES (née Hynes)

Peggy Rahara, Athleague, Co. Roscommon

Who passed away on 22nd May, 2022

Rest In Peace

(4th Anniversary)

FINKELSTEIN (née Beades)

Maureen San Diego, USA

Who passed away on 14th January 2026

Rest In Peace

PARTINGTON (née Beades)

Patricia Kitchener, Canada

Who passed away on 16th March 2025

Rest In Peace

Our hearts are full of memories, with pride we speak your name. Although life goes on without you, it will never be the same.

Those special days will never return, when we were all together. But with love and memories in our hearts

You all, will walk with us forever.

Much loved and remembered by all the family.

Anniversary Mass will be held on Sunday 31st May at 10am in Rahara Church

GRIFFIN

Tommie and Frances

In loving memory of our dear parents whose anniversaries occur at this time.

Tommie’s (7th Anniversary) and Frances’s (1st Anniversary)

Thank you both for the years we shared, For the love you gave and the way you cared, You left a void no one can fill,

We love you both and always will.

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

So, rest in peace Tommie and Frances, And thanks for all that you have done, We pray that God has given you both,

The crown you have truly won.

Forever loved and remembered by Maria, John, Michael, Margaret and extended family & friends.

Anniversary Mass will be celebrated in St. Mary’s Church, Kilbegnet, Creggs on Sunday, 31st May, 2026 at 11:30a.m.

DOLAN

William (Willie) Cam Lodge, Brideswell, Co. Roscommon Who passed away on 2nd June, 2025 R.I.P.

We, the family of the late William Dolan would like to express our sincere gratitude to all who visited our home, attended the Removal and Funeral Mass, left condolences on RIP, phoned us and sent mass cards.

Thanks to Fr. Michael McManus and Deacon Willie Gacquin for celebrating a beautiful and tting Mass for William. Thanks also to Liam Gately for the music and singing during the Mass.

Thank you to our neighbours and friends who prepared William’s nal Resting Place with such care, attention and dignity.

A special thanks to Enda McHugh for his professionalism and empathy and Donnie Hamrock for the use of the Funeral Home.

Also a special word of thanks to our wonderful neighbour Mary Dolan who brought the Blessed Host to William every Sunday.

We would like to thank the management and sta at the Shamrock Lodge Hotel for their hospitality after the Burial.

As it would be impossible to thank everyone individually, please accept this acknowledgement as an expression of our deepest gratitude.

William’s First Anniversary Mass will take place on Sunday, 31st May 2026 in St. Bridgid’s Church,

at 10am.

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

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

Signed:

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL

Retention permission is being sought from Roscommon County Council for an existing vehicular entrance servicing existing dwelling house together with seeking full planning permission for the proposed removal of the existing front boundary hedgerow in its entirety together with the proposed erection of a new boundary fence/wall along the site frontage and all ancillary site works to service an existing two storey type dwelling house which was granted planning permission under planning reference No. PD/18/628 at Slevinagee Townland, Roscommon, Co. Roscommon for Cian Casey & Sonya Raftery. The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the o ces of the planning authority during its public opening hours and that a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

Signed: Cunningham Design & Planning Ltd. Block C, N4 Axis Centre, Longford, Co. Longford.

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL

We, Paul Brandon & Olga Kenny are applying to Roscommon County Council for full planning permission to construct dwelling house along with domestic garage, new treatment system and percolation area and all ancillary site development works at Cams, Cloverhill, Co Roscommon. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the o ces 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 €20.00 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. Signed: Aaron Gill

Unit 6, Ballypheason House, Circular Road, Roscommon, F42 T384. Mob. 085 1756190. Mob: 085 1584081.

E: james@jlce.ie & elaine@jlce.ie Web: www.jlce.ie Planning & Design Consulting Engineers

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL

William Kelly intends to apply for Retention of a four bay slatted cattle shed on his lands at Cloonaddron, Ballygill, Ballinasloe, Co. Roscommon.

The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the o ces 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 €20.00 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.

Signed: William Kelly

Submit your Classified online

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

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL

Macánta Nutrition Ltd, intend to apply to the above authority for Permission for development at this site: Unit A, Monkland Industrial Park, Monksland, Athlone, Co. Roscommon, N37 ED29. The development will consist of the ‘part change of use’ from warehouse (442m2 ground oor area) to manufacturing (442m2 ground oor area) comprising of internal clean room, QC room and plant room with new re escape door on west facing elevation together with all associated internal alterations and site works. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the o ces 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: Malachi Cullen Consulting Engineers Ltd, Athlone (Agent)

ROSCOMMON COUNTY COUNCIL MAIN STREET, ATHLEAGUE, CO. ROSCOMMON.

Following the requirement of Roscommon County Council Planning Authority, a NIS and revised plans will be submitted to the planning authority in connection with the application on behalf of Kieran & Denise McConn for planning reference number 25/60473 received by Roscommon County Council on the 02-102025 for planning permission for change of use of vacant shop and dwelling to two residential town houses demolish domestic garage reconstruction works and alterations to building construct a single storey extension and all associated site works at the above location.

The NIS may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the o ces of the planning authority during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing on payment of any relevant fee within a period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the NIS 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: Noel O’ Brien and Associates Mountbellew, Co. Galway Phone No (090) 9679506

DEADLINE FOR ADVERTISING IS TUESDAYS AT 2.00 pm

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

(5x) Electrical Assembly Technician

4 Day Work Week

(Monday - Thursday, 7.30am - 5.30pm)

The company requires technicians to join this quality focused team responsible for the following tasks:

• Assemble electrical components per a detailed electrical/ mechanical design package.

• Wire up internal components including ACB’s, MCB’s MCCB’s, RCBO’s as part of an inclusive skid.

• Execute QAQC checklists as part of the internal quality guide lines.

Full training will be given to the ideal candidate.

(5x) Mechanical Assembly Technicians

4 Day Work Week (Monday - Thursday, 7.30am - 5.30pm)

The company requires technicians to join this quality focused team responsible for the following tasks:

• Assemble mechanical components per a detailed mechanical design package.

Build, punch and form copper busbar components.

• Assemble mechanical enclosures.

• Execute QAQC checklists as part of the internal quality guide lines.

Full training will be given to the ideal candidate.

(2X) General Operative

4 Day Work Week (Monday - Thursday, 7.30am - 5.30pm)

Duties include:

• Van driving, full clean driving licence required

• General Tidying of the manufacturing facility area

• Waste management

• Stock movement between the local warehouse.

Full training will be given to the ideal candidate.

Please forward a CV together with two written references to hr@centralswitchgear.ie

Sports PEOPLE

Ladies facing a tough championship opener

TG4 All-Ireland Ladies IFC (Round 1): Cavan v Roscommon on Sunday at Kingspan Breffni Park at 2 pm

 SEAMUS DUKE

Having been heavily defeated by Leitrim in the recent Connacht final, Roscommon intermediate ladies will have a chance of redemption when they face Cavan in the opening round of the All-Ireland Championship this Sunday.

Cavan will provide a serious challenge to Roscommon. They topped Division Two, before losing to Donegal in the league final. Cavan won the Ulster intermediate title a couple of weeks ago, defeating Monaghan by two points after extra-time.

When Roscommon manager Finbar Egan spoke to People Sport this week, he acknowledged that Cavan will be formidable opponents.

“Cavan are a serious side. They beat a good Monaghan team in the Ulster final so we know what we are facing. They will fancy a win against us at home but I wouldn’t underestimate (the quality of) our challenge.”

Finbar said that everything that could go wrong did go wrong against Leitrim.

“We played very poorly against Leitrim. We simply didn’t show up. We couldn’t score down one end and they couldn’t miss down at the other end. I know that defeat hurt our players badly. They came back in and have trained really hard since that match and they are determined to put that Leitrim display behind them.

I am expecting that we will put in a big performance on Sunday.”

The manager says there are a number of players back from injury, which is a welcome boost for the squad. Ria Lennon, Roise Lennon, Lauren Shanagher and Kate Nolan are all back training, which will make the Roscommon squad much more formidable.

“We have had a lot of injuries this year but with players coming back now we should be a lot stronger.”

What the Roscommon manager has seen at training since the Leitrim defeat has given him great confidence about the forthcoming championship.

“The players want to show that what happened against Leitrim was one bad day out and that they are much better than that. I am expecting a big performance on Sunday and if we can get going up front we can give Cavan plenty to think about. Then we can look ahead to Sunday week (at home to Down).”

The Connacht final defeat was a low point for Roscommon ladies football this year, however the success of the minor team has given everyone in Roscommon LGFA a big boost.

What most followers will want to see is a much-improved performance from this Roscommon team, however it may be a bridge too far to expect them to defeat a quality team like Cavan on their own turf.

Prediction: Cavan.

HARD LUCK, BOSS!

Grehan welcomes influential players back for Tyrone test

All-Ireland Premier Junior Camogie Championship: Roscommon v Tyrone on Saturday in Ballyforan at 3.30 pm

 SEAMUS DUKE

Roscommon’s camogie team face a tough start to their All-Ireland Championship campaign when they take on Tyrone in Ballyforan this Saturday.

Roscommon will play against Tyrone, Kildare, Wicklow, Armagh and Cavan over the next number of weeks and will be hoping to make it to the play-off stages at least.

When the teams met in the league earlier in the year, Tyrone won by 4-6 to 0-14. When they met in the championship last year Roscommon prevailed by 1-20 to 2-6, so there is not much between the teams.

In the league game this year Roscommon rued a number of missed chances on the day and will hope to be more clinical this Saturday.

Team manager Mary Grehan and her selectors will be depending on their

more experienced players to lead from the front in the championship. Rachel Fitzmaurice, Shauna Fallon, Michaela Finneran, Mairead Lohan and Sally Bolger will be front and centre on Saturday.

Roscommon will welcome back Sarah Dooley and Tara Naughton to the squad. When you add in the young guns like Anna Hussey, Alannah Sutton, Grace Geraghty and Orla Connolly, it looks a much stronger Roscommon panel now. While Roscommon have had a long competitive break since playing in the league final, they’ve had a couple of challenge games in the interim. There is no doubt that Roscommon are improving all the time. Tyrone will be a formidable challenge for Mary Grehan’s team, but I expect Roscommon to open their championship campaign with a win.

Prediction: Roscommon.

SportsPeople

Classic double for O’Brien at The Curragh

Horses for Courses by

The two days of top class flat racing at The Curragh provided Aidan O’Brien with a classic double as Gstaad and Ryan Moore won the 2000 Guineas on Saturday and Precise and Wayne Lordan turned the tables on her better fancied stablemate Newmarket winner True Love with Ryan Moore in the fillies Classic on Sunday.

The Group 1 Tattersalls Cup ended in a 1,2,3 for British raiders with the 5-Y-O Almaqam trained by Ed Walker beating George Scott’s Bay City Roller and the winner’s 4-Y-0 half-brother trained by Roger Varian, Saddadd, 3rd. Coolmore’s well fancied favourite Minnie Hauk finished 5th.

Moore enjoyed the Irish Guineas meeting with four winners on Saturday adding O’Brien’s Sergei Diaghilev and Causeway along with and Donnacha O’Brien’s Comanche Brave to his classic winner. He had two more on Sunday, Sun Goddess and Great Barrier Reef for O’Brien Senior.

This week’s racing

This week’s racing starts this afternoon (Thursday) with the first Fairyhouse flat card of the season at 2.12 pm followed by an evening of national hunt fare at Limerick (first race at 4.40 pm).

Tomorrow evening (Friday) sees flat racing at Down Royal featuring His Majesty’s Plate, a listed race off at 4.30 pm with national hunt racing at Tramore away at 4.50 pm. Saturday sees the second of a two-day meeting at Tramore with another jumps card at 5.23 pm. There is also the first of a

CARRICK-ONSHANNON

GOLF CLASSIC: We are very grateful to the Landmark Hotel for their very generous sponsorship of our Golf Classic which takes place this June Bank Holiday weekend. The club are also very grateful to all our tee sponsors.

O.B.N. SERIES: The first series takes place from Friday, June 12th to Sunday, June 14th. This first series is kindly sponsored by Curamach Strings Ltd. The club are very thankful again this year to the McDermott family for their generous sponsorship.

RECENT RESULTS: Recent seniors’ winner was Sean McMonagle. Winner of the Ladies’ Scramble were Phil McWeeney, Eithne McGuire and Mary Egan. Top qualifying team in the Gents’ two-man scramble were Dylan Beirne and Kyle Flynn.

INTER-CLUB RESULTS: Our Barton Shield Team played last weekend in Galway. The result did not go our way this time despite

Tom Red

three-day meeting at Listowel over the jumps from 2.06 pm.

Day two of Listowel on Sunday sees a flat card away at 2.14 pm. There is also a national card at nearby Kilbeggan with the first race at 2.26 pm.

Bank Holiday Monday brings the Listowel Festival to a close with a national hunt card and there is also flat racing at Gowran Park in Kilkenny.

Racing at Haydock on both Friday and Saturday has been abandoned meaning that on Saturday there are still nine races on ITV, with five from the extended meeting at Carlisle, including the Group 3 Lester Piggott Stakes (transferred from Haydock), three races from Beverley, and one from Chester. On Sunday there are 11 flat races on ITV4 with seven from Thirsk and four from Nottingham. With the abandonment of Haydock, the card on Friday has been replaced with a 6-race card to Wolverhampton, and on Saturday an 8-race card will be staged at Carlisle.

Racing news

The Prix du Jockey Club, the French Derby, will be run at Chantilly on Sunday with 22 entries. There are nine Irish entries. Aidan O’Brien has eight left in including Constitution River, Christmas Day, Endorsement, Hawk Mountain, Causeway, Montreal, Dorset, and Flushing Meadows. His son Donnacha is hoping A Boy Named Susie can kick-start a big summer for the Tipperary trainer by running well in the race.

The Irish Horse Racing Board has decided to cancel the three Chase races on the Clonmel card on Friday, June

our team playing very well. The team was John Coffey (captain), Patrick Martin, Nathan Flynn, Dylan Beirne and Charlie Boyle. Our Pierce Purcell team played last weekend against Castledargan. This result was also not in our favour. The team was as follows – Team Captain: Gordon Kavanagh. Home: Liam Bruen and Philip Martin, Owen Gibney and Anthony Noone. Away: Kevin Ward and Paul Reid, Keith Tighe and Cathal Dowd. The club would like to thank the team captains and all players for their efforts.

CASTLEREA

RESULTS: Results of the Harmac sponsored 18-hole competitions, played over May 16th-19th – Patrick O’Connor (Jnr) was winner of the Men’s competition; Runner-up: Tony Reilly; Category 1: Paul Connaughton; Category 2: Jimmy Flynn. Ann Breslin was winner of the ladies competition; Runner-up: Bernie O’Farrell. Congratulations to our recent competition winners and

5th due to the ground conditions and forecast of dry weather. They will be replaced by three additional hurdle races.

At the initial stage 73 horses have been entered for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on October 4th including last year’s winner, Daryz. Ireland has 12 representatives with eight from Aidan O’Brien, including last year’s runner-up Minnie Hauk, beaten in the Tattersalls Cup at the weekend, and one from Willie Mullins’s yard, his first entry in the famous race, Le Destrier.

Point-to-point

The point-to-point season drew to a

thank you to our generous sponsors.

ANNUAL FUNDRAISER:

Castlerea Golf Club’s annual fundraiser – a 4-ball Champagne Scramble – will take place from Friday, June 5th to Sunday, June 7th. We look forward to welcoming visitors from far and wide, together with members and their wide circles of golfing family and friends, to participate and compete for excellent prizes. See social media posts for additional details. Bookings via BRS or phone 087 127 8066 to book your tee time.

INTER-CLUB UPDATE: Our Ladies Minor Foursomes team competed against Athlone on Saturday, May 23rd and unfortunately came out the wrong side of a play-off. The Castlerea ladies won both of their home matches and were very competitive in their away matches, bringing Athlone to the 16th and 18th greens. With two wins for both teams, the match came down to a play-off in Athlone, who had home advantage. Athlone came out as winners on the 2nd play-off hole.

Thank you to our ladies

close last weekend with Galwegian Derek O’Connor being Champion rider for the 12th time with 43 winners, finishing six ahead of Barry O’Neill. He had a double at Ballingarry, one on Saturday, Back To Sea and Time In A Bottle on Sunday, bringing his alltime tally to 1,416 winners between the flags. The evergreen O’Connor last won the title in 2015. Nicole Lockhead Anderson took the Ladies Champion title with 13 winners, beating Emily Costello by two.

Competition time

Winners of tickets for Kilbeggan on Sunday are Mick McGarry, John Egan and Darragh Miley.

team – Mamie Creaton, Margaret Waters, Maura Kelly, Catriona Newman, Valerie Callaghan, Dympna McDonnell, Deirdre Hawkshaw and Dympna Lambert – for representing the club and delivering a very strong performance on the day. We wish Athlone well as they progress to the next round of the AIG Women’s Minor Foursomes Competition.

ROSCOMMON

MEN: Open Friday (May 22nd) winner was Niall Hawes (County Longford) with 39 pts. 2nd: David Kearney (38 pts). Open Friday continue this week and every week.

JUNIOR BOYS: President’s Prize to Junior Boys winner was Samuel Godfrey with 45 pts. 2nd: Conor Gilmore (40 pts).

JUNIOR GIRLS: President’s Prize to Junior Girls winner was Nicole Dowd with 35 pts. LADIES: There was no competition last week because of the wet weather at the time.

PRESIDENT’S PRIZE:

Here’s a second chance to win tickets for Roscommon on June 8th (a meeting which features the Connaught National). lease tell us the name of the two Irish Classics that took place at The Curragh last weekend?

Answers as usual please on a postcard to the Roscommon People, Abbey Street, Roscommon or by email to tomrednew@gmail.com by 5 pm on Tuesday, June 2nd for Roscommon. Don’t forget to include your name, address, and a contact phone number with all competition entries. Tickets to be collected in the office in Abbey Street, Roscommon. Please note the new email address.

Short putts

The second day of the President’s (Marie McManus) Prize to the men will take place this Saturday. The leading players will be out around lunchtime. See BRS for timesheet details.

A presentation and social evening will be held at the clubhouse on Saturday night. Presentation of prizes will be at 9 pm, followed by music and dancing. Everyone welcome.

SENIOR LADIES: Winner was Pat Lyons with 20 pts. 2nd: Nuala McDonagh (19 pts); 3rd: Anne Varley (19 pts); 4th: Monica Lennon (18 pts); 5th: Margaret Egan (18 pts).

SENIOR MEN: President’s (Marie McManus) Prize winner was Gerry Harlow with 38 pts. Cat. 1: Michael Sharkey (35 pts); Cat. 2: Charlie McDonnell (31 pts); Cat. 3: Tommy Gilleran (32 pts); Cat. 4: JT Finn. 66 players played. There

were nine deuces: Ollie Hannon (2), Sham Byrne, Frank Flanagan, Jackie Somers, Des Mahon, Tommy Farrell, JT Finn. INTER-CLUB: There was no luck for our Barton Shield and Pierce Purcell teams last weekend. The Barton Shield team did not qualify for the finals at Galway GC, while the Pierce Purcell team were defeated by Dunmore. Thanks to all our players and team management for their efforts.

OLIVIA COSTELLO: Club member Olivia Costello is in the news once again after she won the Castletroy Scratch Cup for the second year in a row. Olivia won the 36-hole event by five shots on Saturday last. She is one of only three players to have achieved that feat, which was last done in 1995/1996. This was another superb victory for Olivia. Congratulations!

SportsPeople

Creggs RFC receive original Connacht Junior Cup…

BUCCANEERS

Buccaneers host end-of-season awards

Samuel Meecham and Declan Brady were the major winners at Buccaneers Rugby Football Club’s end-of-season awards event which took place in Athlone’s Sheraton Hotel.

Outgoing President Eoin Reid welcomed all the nominees, players, coaches and guests to the informal gathering, which was well attended and highly sociable, helped by the asides of MC Gearoid McDonald!

Another highlight of the event was the presentation by Darragh Murray of his first Ireland senior jersey to the club.

Head coach Darin Claasen commenced his citation on the Senior Player of the Year by stating that the winner has been nothing short of phenomenal for Buccaneers.

The ‘Ray McLoughlin Buccaneers Senior Player of the Year’ trophy was presented to the young Australian Samuel Meecham by Keith McArdle (on behalf of Michael Moore Car Sales).

Aindriu Oates was the heartbeat of our U-20s’ pack this season. A beloved character in the squad, especially after the match in the members’ bar, Aindriu proved a very popular and worthy winner of Buccaneers U-20s’ Player of the Year.

Jack Dowd returned to playing rugby after a number of years and he very much improved week on week. He was the recipient of the Buccaneers Junior 1A Player of the Year accolade. Thirds rugby truly is the melting pot of men’s rugby in this club. We had guys from our 18-yearold captain to a 50-year-old who took to the field this year.

Coming into this group was Cathal Walsh, who made huge carries and terrorised opposition

breakdowns. He will surely feature at higher levels in the near future and his consistent and influential displays justify Cathal’s selection as Buccaneers Thirds Player of the Year.

WOMEN’S PLAYER OF YEAR: Sligo lady

Bebhinn Keane started her rugby career in London with Battersea Ironside and, following spells with Ballina and Sligo, she arrived in Athlone where Buccaneers RFC have benefited from her experience. This has been particularly evident since she was moved out of the pack into the middle of the backline, where she has shown tremendous strength, leadership and support across the season. Buccaneers are highly fortunate that she has joined the Pirates crew and Bebhinn is a truly worthy choice as Buccaneers Women’s Player of the Year.

INTERNATIONALS: Buccaneers had six young players who represented Ireland at U-18 and U-19 levels this season, which augurs well for the future of the club. And, of course, they also enjoyed considerable success on various Buccs teams.

Andrew Henson, Leo Anic and Rourke O’Sullivan were all capped by Ireland U-19s while Darragh Glennon, Owen Egan and Oisin O’Donoghue played for Ireland U-18s clubs. Almost uniquely, this trio comprised 75% of the team’s three-quarters line! With talent such as these richly promising players coming through, the future looks bright at Buccaneers.

CLUB PERSON OF THE YEAR: Declan Brady was a richly merited choice as Buccaneers Club Person of the Year and the Michael Hanley Memorial Perpetual Cup was presented to Declan by Michael Hanley Junior.

DARRAGH MURRAY: The formalities of the evening concluded with a presentation to Darragh Murray on being capped by Ireland seniors during the season during which he marked his 6N debut with a memorable try v Scotland.

The south-east Roscommon man came through the ranks at Buccaneers and is a regular and obliging attender at events in the club. In response, Darragh presented Buccaneers with his first Ireland senior jersey, duly framed, and the club is proud and grateful to receive it. Here’s wishing Darragh many more appearances in the green of Ireland.

CONGRATULATIONS: Congratulations to all Buccaneers award winners and also to Dylan Bolger on being honoured as TUS Senior Rugby Player of the Year recently. Congrats too to Buccaneers U-20s lock Leo Anic on being selected as Connacht Rugby U-19 Player of the Year, which rounds off a wonderful season for the Creggs product. Well done also to Marist College on being named Connacht Rugby School of the Year.

TAG SUMMER LEAGUE: Tag Rugby Summer League continues at Buccaneers on Thursday evenings with first games commencing at 7 pm. Come along, enjoy some exercise and keep fit.

TOUCH RUGBY: Three Buccaneers Touch Rugby players experienced success on Saturday as they were part of the winning ITA Women’s Club Championship side.

Buccs combined with Connacht rivals Racoon West from Galway for the competition in Corinthians RFC in Galway and they were represented by the trio of Niamh Purtill, Aoife Purtill and Chloe O’Connor.

Buccaneers-Racoon West Ladies: Aoife Purtill,

Would-be giantkillers Carrick meet Castlerea in cup final

This Sunday sees the Joe’s Bar sponsored Roscommon & District League Challenge Cup final being played, a game which will signal the conclusion of the 2025/2026 season locally.

This season’s cup final features the Division Two side Carrick Town and Premier Division side Castlerea Celtic. The game will kick off at 3 pm on Sunday, May 31st at the League Grounds, Lecarrow. Carrick Town entered the league for the first time this season. While struggling for consistency at times, they have excelled in the cup, culminating in this remarkable run to the final. Carrick have beaten Premier side Dunmore Town away and also Glen Celtic, Ballaghaderreen and Cloonfad United en route to the final. Fursey Bulter is their top scorer.

Castlerea Celtic have won the cup on eight occasions and will be strongly favoured to win this game. They had an easier run to the semi-finals, having beaten Ballymoe at home and Boyle Celtic’s second side away. They were very impressive in the semi-final, defeating fellow Premier Division side Moore United 5-0 at Lecarrow. Kailin Barlow and Jay McCartney have been particularly prolific in front of goal for them.

While Castlerea Celtic will start as favourites, they should be wary of Carrick who have some very good players in their side and have nothing to lose after reaching the final against the odds.

Final whistle looming for local soccer season

SOCCER: Congratulations to the Castlerea women’s team who won the Challenge Cup last weekend with Meara Stephenson netting both goals in their 2-1 win over pre-match favourites Dunmore Town (see report).

Division One Cup

Ballinasloe Town and Cloonfad United met in the Division One Cup final at Lecarrow on Sunday morning.

An early strike by Cameron O’Leary gave Ballinasloe the lead. Anatolii Vovk added their second four minutes later. A tired Cloonfad team just could not get back into the game and Ballinasloe won 2-0.

Masters League

In the Masters League, Ballaghaderreen beat Shiven Rovers 3-2 at home. Roscommon United triumphed over Ballyboro 3-2 at Lanesboro, while Boyle Celtic defeated Glen Celtic 3-1 at Boyle. Carrick Town and Castlerea Celtic drew 2-2 at Carrick-onShannon and Colemanstown beat St Joseph’s, Athlone 4-1 at Colemanstown.

Meara magic seals cup win for Castlerea

Congratulations are extended to Castlerea Celtic who won the Roscommon & District League Women’s Challenge Cup on Saturday evening at Lecarrow, defeating Dunmore Town 2-1. Both teams were very cautious during the opening 20 minutes but for the remainder of the game the good attendance were treated to some excellent attacking football.

Overall, the teams were well matched for most of the game and while Castlerea Celtic had a few good chances to score on the break in the closing stages the Dunmore ‘keeper Helena Cummins made some excellent saves, particularly one from Holly Hopkins on 23 minutes.

Nicola Kilgarriff opened the scoring for Dunmore with a well-struck free-kick on 29 minutes. Just before half-time Meara Stephenson was quick to react to a loose ball in the Dunmore penalty area and volleyed

to the corner of the net. The turning point of the game came with eleven minutes played in the second half. The Castlerea Celtic ‘keeper Clodagh Diggins made two good saves in quick succession to deny Aoife Smyth and Nicola Kilgarriff and within three minutes Castlerea scored at the other end. A well-struck corner by Reece Higgins reached

Meara Stephenson and she headed the ball to the Dunmore net. In the closing ten minutes only some desperate defending from Aine Keenan, Sarah Diggins and Eilidh Murr kept Castlerea in front, a lead they held to the end.

Afterwards, League Chairperson David Kelly presented the cup to the Castlerea

GAA REWIND / FAST-FORWARD

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEKEND

In football, Donegal’s statement-making 10-point win over Kerry in Killarney; in hurling, Dublin’s defeat of Kilkenny, a win which sent the Cats out of the championship.

GAME OF THE WEEKEND

On the football front, there were three thrillers: Cork v Meath was pulsating, Roscommon v Tyrone was very entertaining, and generally of high quality – but the award goes to that engrossing battle of heavyweights Kerry and Donegal.

MEDIA WATCH

‘From start to finish, this was a battle between Roscommon’s flair and commitment to all-out attack, up against a Tyrone side that methodically and thoughtfully picked and prodded their way through the minefield to try and suck the life out of their flamboyant opponents, and the passionate crowd of over 16,000 people, the vast majority of which sported the home colours’ – Kevin Egan (of this parish) reporting for GAA.ie

THE JIM McGUINNESS SMART ALEC AWARD

The Jim McGuinness Smart Alec award goes to… Jim McGuinness. The Donegal manager was out of order with his tetchy response to a legitimate question posed by reporter Tommy Rooney.

Rooney asked if McGuinness was worried about receiving a touchline ban after getting involved in a scuffle at half-time in the KerryDonegal game. Cue some unpleasant sarcasm,

staring and general pettiness from McGuinness. The Donegal manager is an expert at creating ‘them and us’ narratives. It’s unfortunate to see a handful of GAA managers beginning to adopt the tactics of some managers in English soccer who regularly bully journalists.

(Here’s part of that Jim-Tommy exchange) Rooney: ‘We saw Ger Brennan getting a ban for being involved... are you worried about a ban?’

McGuinness: ‘Are you trying to get me banned?’

Rooney: ‘Well it’s televised – it’s on GAA+. It’s on air.’

McGuinness: ‘So you’re flying that kite there?’

Rooney: ‘No, it’s a pretty straightforward question.’

McGuinness: ‘No it’s not really, not at all.’ Rooney: ‘It would be hard not to talk about it.’

CHAMPIONSHIP WATCH 2026

McGuinness: ‘Well you’re not talking about the incident, you’re finger-pointing me out of the 50 people, is that what you’re saying?’

Rooney: ‘There’s a very clear rule that Ger Brennan got banned for.’ McGuinness: ‘Well that’s good enough… you’ve done your job.’

TASTY TREATS AHEAD

There are four fascinating All-Ireland SFC Round 1 games taking place this weekend. New kids on the block Westmeath host Cavan; Armagh v Derry is a mouthwatering prospect; Dublin face Louth once again, and Mayo travel to play Clones in Monaghan.

‘FRIENDLIEST SUPPORTERS’

award goes to…

A post on X from ‘Unofficial Tyrone’ read as follows: ‘Dr Hyde Park is a great venue. A lovely town. A lovely people. Friendliest supporters on the island. Roscommon will kick on this summer. The break suited us well, in the end.’

Replies were overwhelmingly positive. One read: ‘Had a great day out in Dr Hyde Park. Some job they have done on it and I remarked that to a few fans at the game today. Great fans are the Rossies. Friendly before and after the game and congratulated us on our win. Their season ain’t over yet for sure. Great win for Tyrone.’ Stephen Millar responded: ‘Have to agree on that! Pitch was like carpet! And some noise from the Rossies when they got their goals!!’

Ah sure you have to love it! PH

Four fascinating All-Ireland football Round 1 games this weekend

All-Ireland SFC (Round 1): Westmeath v Cavan in Mullingar on Saturday at 5 pm

After the excitement of winning the Leinster final against Dublin, Westmeath will have to come down to earth for what could be a very tricky match against Cavan. Westmeath should be good enough to win but they will have to play well to shake off Cavan in what will be a competitive contest. Prediction: Westmeath.

All-Ireland SFC (Round 1): Armagh v Derry in Armagh on Saturday at 7.15 pm

This promises to be the game of

the weekend. Armagh were very impressive in extra-time in the Ulster final against Monaghan, but Derry have several top class players in their ranks and will be very dangerous opponents. With home advantage, Armagh look the better bet – but there won’t be much in it.

Prediction: Armagh.

All-Ireland SFC (Round 1): Dublin v Louth in Croke Park on Sunday at 2.30 pm

Dublin were very poor against Westmeath and Louth were even worse against the Dubs in the provincial semi-final. Louth seem to have gone back a bit and Dublin

should have too much for them, especially if Con O’Callaghan plays. Prediction: Dublin.

All-Ireland SFC (Round 1): Monaghan v Mayo in Clones on Sunday at 4 pm

A chance of redemption for Mayo but it will not be easy against a Monaghan side who gave Armagh plenty to think about in the Ulster final. This will be a fascinating clash and at home Monaghan will fancy their chances. It might take extra-time to separate them. Prediction: Monaghan.

All-Ireland U-20 finals

The All-Ireland U-20 Football Championship final between Tyrone and Kerry is in Croke Park on Saturday evening at 5 pm. Tyrone are attempting to win their fourth title in five years at this grade. Kerry, Roscommon’s conquerors, will be favourites to win.

In the hurling equivalent, it’s neighbours Clare and Galway who will meet in Semple Stadium on Sunday at 2 pm. There will be a huge crowd at this one and Galway will start as favourites.

Hurling finals

The Christy Ring Cup final between Derry and Kerry is on Sat-

urday in Croke Park at 3 pm and it will be preceded by the Nicky Rackard Cup final between New York and Tyrone at 1 pm. If New York win that final Roscommon will not be relegated from the Christy Ring Cup. Leitrim and Longford meet in the Lory Meagher Cup final on Sunday in Croke Park at 12.30 pm.

O’Rourke delighted with performance on emotional weekend for Tyrone GAA

< SEAMUS DUKE

It was a very satisfied Tyrone manager Malachy O’Rourke that faced the media after the game. The genial Fermanagh man was keen to stress that his side had extra motivation to do well on the day after the passing of Tyrone legend Frank McGuigan.

“We knew we were going to have to improve. We felt that we had improved in the Armagh game, but we didn’t do enough to win that game. I suppose (over) the six weeks since that… the preparations haven’t gone seamlessly because we’ve had an awful lot of injuries.

“But the boys are working hard. We came down here today, really determined to put on a big performance. And as well as that, it’s a day when all the Gaels in Tyrone are mourning a legend like Frank McGuigan, and I think the boys wanted to put on a performance that would make the McGuigan family proud, and I think we achieved that.”

He went on to speak about Frank McGuigan and his place in Tyrone football.

“Yeah, the news came as a bit of a shock. Whereas I didn’t know Frank personally, I knew him to meet off and on, but some of the boys would have been a lot closer to him. He’s obviously a legendary figure in Tyrone for what he did in the past, and over the years as well, so it was a shock to everybody. And as I said, it was just a case of trying to go out and put on a performance. You can’t guarantee the win, and I wasn’t going to put that pressure on to say that we had to win for the family, but you wanted to go out and put on a performance to be proud of, and I think we achieved that.”

Can this win kick-start Tyrone’s season? “Time will tell. Looking at all the teams that are left, it’s a very competitive championship, and you see one team loses, and then they bounce back. We lost against Armagh, we were determined to bounce back today, and we did that. We’ll see what the draw throws up, and it’s going to be a big chance whoever it is, but we just have to keep the heads down and keep working.

“It’s a cliché, but the way the league went, we knew we had an awful lot of work to do. We knew the boys were working hard, there was a good spirit among them, but it wasn’t showing maybe in some of our results and performances, and people weren’t slow to tell us that. So we knew we had plenty to improve on, and that’s what we’re hoping to do from now on.”

‘We couldn’t get our hands on the ball near the end’

Senan Lambe turned in another super display on Sunday, but was understandably disappointed after the match.

“Ah look, we are very disappointed. I thought we never reached the standard of performance that we showed in the last few matches and the scoreboard shows that today.

“We couldn’t seem to get any momentum. Even when we got the goal in the second half there, we never really kicked on. They took the sting out of the game there near the end and we couldn’t get our hands on the ball.

“The bottom line is we can’t afford to slip up again and we will train hard for the next match in three weeks’ time.”

Matt finish lifted Tyrone, Ethan added late gloss!

Late anguish for Roscommon as extra-time loomed

All-Ireland SFC (Round 1) Roscommon 2-18 Tyrone 3-16

< SEAMUS DUKE at King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park

At this level of football, it doesn’t take much to swing the pendulum one way or the other, and that was the case in this thrilling All-Ireland Round 1 game played in sweltering heat at King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park on Sunday last. Since their one-point defeat to Armagh, Tyrone had six weeks to lick their wounds and prepare for this game. Despite being without Darragh and Ruairí Canavan, they could call on many top class, established, experienced players. The passing overnight of one of Tyrone’s greatest ever players, Frank McGuigan, will have hardened the Ulster side’s resolve to try and win this challenging fixture in his honour.

As for Roscommon, Mark Dowd’s side were making mistakes of a nature not seen from them previously in the 2026 championship. The home team turned the ball over cheaply several times, especially in the first half, and Tyrone took full advantage.

Two incidents illustrate how Roscommon were just slightly off their game on the day. Coming up to half-time, Daire Cregg lost possession of the ball in a great attacking position, and Tyrone raced downfield where eventual match-winner Ethan Jordan scored a twopointer.

In the 57th minute, Conor Carroll (who had been having a great match) miscued a kickout. Ciaran Daly snapped it up and passed to Frank Burns, who in turn put Mattie Donnelly in on goal, the veteran making no mistake from close-range. It was the decisive score of the game.

On a beautiful summer’s day a massive Roscommon crowd gathered for another big championship Sunday. Once again there was a tremendous atmosphere in the Hyde, and the thrills and spills were unrelenting from the throw-in.

Conor Carroll was in action in the opening minute, saving well from Ciaran Daly. It was clear from early on that Tyrone meant business. Points from Peter Teague and Ethan Jordan opened their account before Darragh Heneghan set Hyde Park alight with a brilliant goal in the 5th minute.

The Michael Glaveys man flew past Michael McKiernan with blistering pace and blasted home a great goal to get the Roscommon crowd on their feet.

Tyrone were giving Roscommon plenty of problems when they attacked, and Eoin McElholm and Ethan Jordan were especially prominent for Malachy O’Rourke’s men. Daire Cregg and Diarmuid Murtagh were keeping the flag flying for the Rossies, but Tyrone exploded into the game with two goals within three minutes.

In the 22nd minute, after Roscommon had penalty claims waved away at one end, Conn Kilpatrick made a surging run before sending Eoin McElholm away, the young star making no mistake.

There was more trouble for Mark Dowd’s team in the 25th minute when Ronan Cassidy

cut through the Roscommon defence before scoring a superb solo goal. It was a super finish but Roscommon were far too open at the back, allowing the Tyrone man a clear run on goal. Roscommon responded well – Diarmuid Murtagh on target with a two-pointer – but it was Tyrone who finished the half better with a point from Mattie Donnelly and a two-pointer from Jordan after Roscommon had given the ball away cheaply. Half-time score: Tyrone 2-11 Roscommon 1-9.

The third quarter was very intense and hardfought, with fortunes swaying one way and then the other. In the 41st minute Daire Cregg had a great goal chance but the outstanding Niall Morgan made a super save.

Conor Hand was on for Roscommon as a sub and he scored two fine points on his introduction to reduce the margin to two (2-13 to 1-14).

Then in the 54th minute Roscommon were back into the lead.

A long delivery was seized upon by Enda Smith who galloped through and fired home an inspirational goal. It looked like it could be a huge score in the context of the match.

Diarmuid Murtagh pointed two minutes later

and Roscommon were now two ahead. However, just when it looked like the momentum was with the Rossies, Tyrone struck for goal number three. Conor Carroll’s kickout went astray and Mattie Donnelly took full advantage.

McElholm and Murtagh exchanged points (both frees) to leave just one in it with ten minutes to play. Jordan pointed a free in the 63rd minute and now the exchanges were really intense as the finish line came into view. Tyrone were holding on to the ball, Roscommon desperate to get possession.

With two minutes to play, Roscommon sub Paul Carey kicked a magnificent two-pointer to level the scores. Would there be extra-time?

No. Tyrone worked the ball downfield and McElholm was fouled by Senan Lambe, Jordan pointing the resultant 20-metre free. The clock simply ran out, and Roscommon were defeated by a point.

It was another great game of football. Most people would agree that Tyrone were slightly the better side on the day. Roscommon played well in patches but we never saw the exciting, swashbuckling style that was so evident in the games against Mayo and Galway.

Conor Carroll had a magnificent match. He made several excellent saves and his kickouts were generally superb, but that one poor one that led to the Donnelly goal will haunt him. Eoin McCormack, Senan Lambe and Colm Neary were the pick of the defence.

Keith Doyle and Conor Ryan played well only in patches against Brian Kennedy and Conn Kilpatrick at midfield. Up front, Enda Smith, Diarmuid Murtagh and sub Conor Hand were most prominent of the attackers. It was good to see Brian Stack return as a late sub too.

For Tyrone, Niall Morgan was magnificent all through and Peter Teague, Niall Devlin, Conn Kilpatrick, Mattie Donnelly, Eoin McElholm and Ethan Jordan were outstanding.

It’s certainly not the end of the line for Roscommon and all eyes will now be on the draw for the next round of games which takes place on Tuesday morning, June 2nd.

Mark Dowd, his selectors and players will have learned a lot from this match and after such a brilliant campaign up until last Sunday they will relish the chance to get another crack at this year’s championship.

Teams & scorers

Tyrone: Niall Morgan; Cormac Quinn, Peter Teague (0-1), Joey Clarke; Michael McKernan, Niall Devlin (0-1), Kieran McGeary; Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick (0-1); Seánie O’Donnell (0-1), Ronan Cassidy (1-0), Ciaran Daly (0-1); Eoin McElholm (1-3), Mattie Donnelly (1-1), Ethan Jordan (0-7, 1tp, 3 frees, 1 ’45). Subs: Darren McCurry for Cassidy (53), Frank Burns for McGeary (53), Ciarán Bogue for Daly (62), Ruairí McHugh for Kennedy (67).

Roscommon: Conor Carroll (0-2, tpf); Colm Neary, Caelim Keogh, Eoin McCormack; Ruaidhrí Fallon, Ronan Daly, Senan Lambe; Keith Doyle, Conor Ryan; Dylan Ruane (0-1), Enda Smith (1-1), Darragh Heneghan (1-0); Diarmuid Murtagh (0-8, 4 frees, 1tp), Daire Cregg (0-2), Robert Heneghan. Subs: Conor Hand (0-2) for Robert Heneghan (44), Shane Cunnane for Ryan (51), Paul Carey (0-2, tp) for Ruane (53), Brian Stack for Fallon (54), Cian McKeon for Cregg (60).

Referee: David Gough (Meath).

Stat Attack

Stat Attack

Red cards: 0

Black cards: 0

Yellow cards: 0

Wides: Tyrone 8 (4, first half); Roscommon 6 (3, first half)

Two-pointers: Tyrone 1 (Ethan Jordan); Roscommon 2 (Diarmuid Murtagh, Conor Carroll, free)

Attendance: 16,181

Man of the Match: Ethan Jordan (Tyrone)

Dowd rues turnovers on day of fine margins

UPBEAT, CITES AMBITION IN WAKE OF LAST-GASP LOSS

< SEAMUS DUKE

Reflecting on Sunday’s defeat to Tyrone, Roscommon manager Mark Dowd felt that his team had turned over the ball too many times, particularly in the first half.

“We gave ourselves a chance to get back into that game towards the end. And yeah, they got a free there towards the end to get the result out of it.

“But I suppose overall, analysing the game, quarter one, quarter two for us we had a lot of uncharacteristic turnovers and it was more so from ourselves rather than pressure being applied to us. And instead of us converting them, they were converting them down the other side.”

Dowd acknowledged that the third Tyrone goal was a really decisive score in the game.

“Yeah, absolutely. It probably got them back in and got them going again when we felt that we probably had a bit of momentum built up at that stage. It probably took us a while to respond again from that. But credit to our lads, we kept plugging away.

“In quarter four, we got our hands on a lot of ball. We were converting and in fairness to Tyrone, they were smart there towards the end, the way they tried to keep ball, and it was up to us to try and get it back off them. We would have done the very same if it was the other way around.”

With three championship games played in Connacht, and now this

All-Ireland SFC Round 1 fixture, I wondered if it’s a challenge to have the team fully tuned for each game.

“I suppose that’s where we want to be. If we have the ambition of being a Division One team, wanting to be get-

ting to these (big games), that’s what we’ve got to do. We’ve three weeks now of a rest, but if we’re ambitious, we want to have it ‘week on week’ now going forward.

“When we finished the league we

were only guaranteed three games, now we’re only guaranteed one more game. So it’s about ourselves now – where we go after these next three weeks – we need to have ourselves ready for the next one.”