Fallon's Town Talk: Roscommon Drama festival provides reassurance at a turbulent time
Pictured at the Roscommon Drama Festival at Aras An Chontae last week were Mairead Nally, Tom Costello, Brigeen Fitzmaurice and Caroline Egan. Pic: Michelle Hughes Walsh
In a world that is becoming more scary and turbulent by the day, it is reassuring to be able to turn to reliable mainstays of the rhythms of life in Roscommon. This year’s Roscommon Drama Festival begins next Friday and continues until Saturday, March 15th.
Over the course of eight nights (there isn’t any performance on Wednesday, March 12th) audiences at Roscommon Arts Centre will be treated to the cream of amateur drama.
Many moons ago a gang of us from what was then UCG headed for the Gaiety in Dublin to see a professional production of Seán O’Casey’s ‘The Plough and The Stars’. O’Casey’s play left a lasting impression so it’s good to see his work is still popular on the amateur drama circuit and, by extension, with audiences.
The festival will close with Kilmuckridge Drama Group’s production of O’Casey’s play ‘Juno and the Paycock’. Like many of his most famous works, it is set in working-class Dublin during the revolutionary 1916-1923 period, in this case the Irish Civil War. It might be set a century ago but, sadly, plays about ordinary people suffering in a war will always be topical and relevant.
The honour of opening the festival falls to Kilmeen Drama Group who are staging ‘The Wasp’ by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm. It is described as “a gripping and suspenseful psychological thriller with a good twist and a surprise ending.” What’s not to like?
As usual in Roscommon, the festival has a mix of familiar acting troupes and companies new to the local stage. They are all welcome and we hope they take with them pleasant memories of Roscommon. Best wishes to all involved.
Given that Ireland faces France on Sunday in what is effectively a Six Nations championship decider, it is an apt time to mention the latest book from the prolific pen of friend of the column, John Scally. John’s new book, ‘110 Great Irish Rugby Moments’ has significant local interest.
He writes: “One of my favourite rugby moments came in 2019 when Roscommon CBS qualified for its first Connacht Schools Cup final. Aidan Farrell was one of the driving forces behind that fairytale journey and is also a stalwart of Creggs R.F.C. Another great servant of the club is Adrian Leddy.” In the book John also pays tribute to Trien native Su Carty who has become one of the most influential administrators in world rugby.
While on the topic of Roscommon CBS, it would be remiss of me not to mention the school’s involvement in another major sporting event on Sunday.
The latest graduates from the Roscommon Town football academy will attempt to win the All-Ireland colleges B title for the third time when they take on Patrician HS, Carrickmacross in the final in Pearse Park, Longford.
The CBS’s final appearance will bring memories flooding back of the previous tilts at the top colleges prizes, including their valiant attempt to win the Hogan Cup (the senior A title) in 2015. They lifted the B title previously in 2011 and 2019. I was lucky enough to be at the latter final, which was a thriller, won by a last-second point from James Fitzpatrick, who is now on the Roscommon senior squad.
Of course, the match next Sunday will evoke most comparison with is the 1997 final which, remarkably, also pitted the CBS against the Carrickmacross school. As in 2019, that final was played in Croke Park, but on that occasion the CBS were on the wrong side of a rip-roaring contest, which featured a last-gasp winner.
The match of 28 years ago won’t mean anything to the current CBS players although their coach, Gerry Lohan, played in that final. While the CBS lost in 1997, that team provided the springboard for two major achievements for Roscommon football immediately afterwards.
In 1998 the CBS won the Connacht colleges A title for the first time in 50 years and in 1999 players from those CBS sides backboned Roscommon’s first Connacht U-21 title triumph in 17 years.
In 2001, Lohan and two other alumni of those 1997/98 teams, Paul Noone and John Hanly, starred for Roscommon seniors when they lifted the Nestor Cup.
Going right back to the late 1930s, a successful CBS team is good news for the prospects of Roscommon football. For now, though, it’s all about the present. Best of luck to Noel Moran, Eoghan Coll, the rest of the management and all the players in their quest for glory.
