Roscommon Association London set to host landmark 60th dinner dance

The Roscommon Association London is preparing to celebrate a major milestone when it holds its 60th dinner dance at the Clayton Hotel, Chiswick, on Saturday, October 24th.

Since the 1950s, the Association has played a vital role in bringing together Roscommon people living in London while maintaining strong connections with home.

Founded in 1955 by Moore native Mary Kenny and Kilteevan man Tommie Gilleran, alongside a group of dedicated supporters, the organisation has become a vital link between County Roscommon and its vibrant London diaspora.

After a ten-year break, the Roscommon Association in London held its 58th dinner and dance in 2024. This year’s event is once again being organised by Ballyleague native Ciaran Horohoe, together with his family and many friends.

The annual dinner dance has become synonymous with community spirit and charitable giving. Last year’s event proved particularly successful, enabling the Association to donate more than £14,000 to a range of deserving causes, including Mayo/Roscommon Hospice, the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, Join Our Boys Trust and the Critical Care Centre at King’s College Hospital in London.

That fundraising effort has already made a significant difference. During the past year, members of the Association visited King’s College Hospital to see at first-hand the impact of the music therapy programme they help support. The group met patients who had spent extended periods in critical care and saw at first hand the benefits music therapy can bring to recovery and wellbeing.

In partnership with the Ballroom of Romance in Addiscombe, the Association committed £7,000 towards funding music therapy services for the coming year. Members also toured the hospital’s critical care roof garden, an innovative facility that enables seriously ill patients to experience the therapeutic benefits of an outdoor environment while remaining on full life-support treatment.

The Association also continues to play a valuable role in developing Gaelic games among young people in London. The growth of both football and hurling has been a considerable success story, with London county teams travelling to Ireland this year as guests of Connacht GAA and Roscommon GAA.

London teams have competed against county and club opposition across Connacht, strengthening ties with the sporting community in Roscommon and beyond. The Association hopes the initiative will continue to expand, while also supporting Roscommon teams travelling to London for future fixtures.

The programme has flourished thanks to the support of Dr Cathal Cregg, Connacht GAA provincial coaching and games manager, Damian Curley, Connacht GAA hurling games manager, and Padraic Mitchell, Roscommon GAA head of games development.

One of the highlights of the year came in July when London captured the All-Ireland Junior Football Championship title with victory over the USGAA in Croke Park. The achievement was made all the more special by the fact that the panel was made up entirely of homegrown players.

Guests at this year’s event will include London manager Paul Coggins and All-Ireland-winning London player Luke Morahan, who will join attendees in celebrating the success.

The Association will also welcome a number of special guests, including renowned Roscommon GAA supporter Paddy Joe Burke, Britain GAA chairperson Sean Hopkins and India-Kate Sharkey, Rose of Castlerea 2026.

One of Roscommon’s most passionate GAA supporters, Paddy Joe Burke also ran a famous barber shop in Roscommon Town for 50 years before retiring in October 2024.

The Association is pleased that this year’s event will stage the London launch of Paddy Joe’s new book, ‘Kindness Has a Long Memory’, in partnership with Roscommon Herald deputy editor Richard Canny.

The evening’s fundraising efforts will again support a number of important causes, with profits from the event being divided between four charities.

The critical care centre at King’s College Hospital will receive support towards music therapy services and specialised equipment for patients recovering from serious brain and head injuries.

Cancer Research UK, one of the world’s leading cancer research organisations, will benefit from the fundraising efforts as it continues its work in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The Mayo/Roscommon Hospice Foundation will also receive support.

The Association is remembering the late Roscommon native Aonghus Leydon, a dedicated supporter of the organisation, Roscommon GAA and Club Rossie. Alongside his brother Tomas, Aonghus was well known through their very successful Auld Shillelagh and WB Yeats pubs in London.

Following his passing earlier this year, the Association is working with the hospice to purchase a piece of equipment in his memory.

The fourth beneficiary will be the Motor Neurone Disease Association. The charity has special significance this year through its connection to Eoin Egan from Falty, Moore, who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2019. Eoin has become internationally recognised for helping develop a pioneering thought-controlled wheelchair through the use of a brain-computer interface implant. He is the only Irish person among a small number of recipients worldwide to have received the technology. His siblings, Ethel and Emmet, will attend the dinner dance.

Planning is already under way for a busy 2027. The Castlerea Brass and Reed Band will travel to London for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in March, while a separate fundraising event in south London will be organised in support of the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

As preparations continue for the landmark 60th dinner dance, Association members have also expressed their gratitude to sponsors, supporters and the many friends who have donated raffle and auction prizes.

For information on tickets for the Roscommon Association Dinner Dance, contact Ciaran Horohoe, Tel: 0044 7956 883227.