Month: December 2017

For as long as I can remember Mam lit a candle in the window on Christmas Eve. It was a sign that Mary and Joseph would not be turned away from this house, that the stranger would be welcome. I loved the tradition and continued it when I moved to Leixlip and then Naas. And now with family grown and the whole Christmas decorating thing becoming more minimal, I still light the candle but now over an extended period… usually from the start of Advent through to the Epiphany.

One of the most symbolic acts of Mary Robinson’s presidency was the placing of a light in the window of her official residence in the Phoenix Park.

It resonated, she said, with the tradition of her home town of Ballina, where people would light a candle and put it in the window in the run up to Christmas.

She did it in order to make good on a promise made in her acceptance speech that “there will always be a light on in Áras an Uachtaráin for our exiles and our emigrants”.

The “candle” theme of Máire Mac and tSí’s poem mad it one of my favourites at school.

Le coinnle na n-aingeal tá an spéir amuigh breactha,
Tá fiacail an tseaca sa ghaoith on gcnoc,
Adaigh an tine is téir chun an leapan,
Luífidh Mac Dé ins an tigh seo anocht.

Fágaig’ an doras ar leathadh ina coinne,
An mhaighdean a thiocfaidh is a naí ar a hucht,
Deonaigh scíth an bhóthair a ligint, a Mhuire,
Luíodh Mac Dé ins an tigh seo anocht.

 Bhí soilse ar lasadh i dtigh sin na haiochta,
Cóiriú gan caoile, bia aguis deoch,
Do cheannaithe olla, do cheannaithe síoda,
Ach luífidh Mac Dé ins an tigh seo anocht.

Thank you to the someone who  posted this on Facebook: “My motto in life is ‘Keep doing anything you are able to do!’ It may sound simple, but let me put it in other words. It came back to me recently because somebody saw me putting on my socks standing up after swimming in the sea. The person was worried that I’d fall. You see, I’m 92 years of age, and I always put them on that way. I’m not planning to change it while I can do it. You can’t give up on yourself before life does!”

My Mr Corish memories

At exactly 9 o’clock every July morning on Cahore beach, there appeared a large and motley group of children. A bearded twinkling eyed instructor waded into the waves and called “C’mon on in Tiddlers” and the smallest of the kids shivered but followed in and joined hands. No matter what the weather, dull and cold or sunny and warm, wet or windy – also important to remember that this was pre wet suit era!!!! A variety of instructions: “jump over the waves, wash your face, hold hands in a ring and every second one lie back, face in the water” were all obediently followed until parents were requested to take their offspring and the next group of “more advanced” swimmers were ordered into the water.

Not until the oldest group of “experienced” swimmers finished did the instructor emerge from the sea, calling on the kids to follow him to the pier. with army-like precision we marched behind him gathering bundles of towels and clothes to participate in the Water Safety classes. Joined by a group of adults, we watched attentively as resuscitation was modelled and then in pairs we practiced on each other. Then all of us once again into the water, way out of our depth, and followed the procedures of “victim away” “rescuer away” for numerous rescue techniques.

It sounds so serious now and yet I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. amazingly we repeated the whole exercise again in the afternoon. The  culmination (I’m not sure after how many sessions) was signalled with the arrival  of an assessor from Irish Water Safety for THE EXAM. The resulting badge (if you got it!!!!) was quickly sown onto your togs to identify you as a rescuer.

(Photos to be added when I find them in attic search!!!!)

The Walkinstown Sports Day was such a date in our calendar! In Mary’s Park we trained for sprints up and down the side of the “park” and the edge of the green provided the “distance” markings for the longer races which we ran in laps. The green itself became the centre for field events which in those days was either the long or the high jump… it wasn’t until much later that the throwing of things (javelins and shots, etc) was introduced! The older kids (those who were 10 and 11) were the starters and adjudicators and the integrity that was required of them would not be out of place in the real world today! There were often complaints and objections but they were usually dismissed immediately to allow training resume!

The SPORTS DAY dawned and a car drove around the area announcing events, starting times and “added” attractions (an Ice Cream van was the usual addition!) Bunting Road Green was the site for the SPORTS and in an era when we saw little official racing on TV this “lined out” arena surrounded by a huge crowd of athletes in motley sports gear and their spectating parents caused great excitement. We walked around intently examining the starting points for various races, commenting on distances as if we were experts, and checking out the opposition.

The megaphone announcements of the real races as well as the novelty races was listened to with such attention….it would be DISASTER to MISS your heat. Nor could you miss the race of your best friend or a family member. We screamed all onto victory. Decisions were made about the viability of wearing runners or going barefoot. Presentation of medals (or packets of sweets to the also rans) by Mr Connolly or Mr Bermingham (everyone over 25 was Mr or Mrs then) was cheered loudly.

And then OUR Joe Connolly and Walkinstown were at the cutting edge of the establishment of The Community Games. Joe, an ordinary but inspiring man mobilised a handful of adults who then came together and formed a committee to address the lack of sporting and leisure activities for young people in 1960’s Dublin.

We never saw the big “social” picture. For us it meant an extension to SPORTS DAY and an added prize of knowing someone who might progress to represent their area and even their county. The first Dublin Finals took place in August 1968 with 3,000 young people from 24 community areas participating. However it was in ***** when Jim and Carmel garbed in maroon blazers and white shorts paraded proudly through the streets of Dublin that our hearts swelled with pride, a pride that neither Ronnie Delaney nor Sonia O’Sullivan ever inspired.

As family photographer for all events I surged forward to capture the pair of Olympians on camera. For many years after the Community Games in our house was known as the Mini Olympics, a sign of the esteem in which they were held!!!

Many years later my own lad paraded around Mosney as a Kildare representative lifting Bronze and Silver medals and I managed a badminton team with Jean Kennedy that took home Gold.

Opening and closing Parade, Community Games, August 1991

I must climb into the attic one of these days and find more of the photos and programmes and medals that commemorate the fond memories of this childhood rite of passage, the excitement of activities with friends on Summer days when the sun “always shone”

 Community Games County Pledge

We the children of Dublin pledge ourselves to the ideals of the Community Games in a spirit of friendly rivalry. We will strive to participate with honest endeavour. Our aim will not be victory at any price but we will genuinely seek to unite our community in friendly sporting competition. By competing fairly and honestly, we the children of Dublin will attempt to make our county a happier place in which to live.

Sé aidhm na gCluichí Phóbail cairdeas fearúlacht agus cothrom na féinne a chothú agus a mhúnlú i measc an phobail uilig. Dearbhaimidine paistí Condae Atha Cliath, go ndéanfaimid ár ndícheall a bheith dílis do ídealacha na gCluichí Phobail. Cé gur mhian linn go léir an chraobh a bhaint amach,mar sin féin tuigfimid gur tábhachtaí go mór spiorad coir, macánta ionraic a chothú tríd na gcluichí seo. Measaimid-ne má éiríonn linn cuspóir na gCluichí seo a bhaint amach gur sásta agus gur aontaíthe an pobal a bheidh again uilig in ár gceanntair féin, in ár gcathair féin agus in ár mbailte féin, in ár gCondaethe féin. Ní neart cur le chéile.

Many famous Irish people have competed in the games over the years and have very fond memories of the Community Games.

“I always enjoyed the Community Games in Cobh with my school friends and then the trip to Cork for the county finals. The ultimate though was heading off on the train to Mosney for the all-Ireland finals, I remember and still have my little accreditation pass, just like what you get in the Olympics for access to all you need and the big book with all the results from years gone by. That’s where I set my early targets and goals for future years, by looking up athletes I knew and the times they ran at the Community Games finals each year before me”.                                                                                                               Sonia O’Sullivan, May 2013

Sonia O’Sullivan

Tommy Bowe

Sean O’Brien

Colin Farrell

Niall Breslin

Paul O’Connell

Ronan O’Gara

Saoirse Ronan

Denis Irwin

Niall Quinn