Local Notes: Betty Hassett, Charlestown celebrates 101st birthday
Betty Hassett, St Attracta's Residence Hagfield, Charlestown, and Airport Road, Charlestown, who celebrated her 101st birthday recently with St Attracta's Residence hosting a party to commemorate this special event with her family in attendance.
Birthday greetings and best wishes are extended to Betty Hassett, St Attracta’s Residence, Hagfield, and Airport Road, Charlestown, who celebrated her 101st birthday recently. Betty is a remarkable lady who continues to plough on and embrace life in the best way she knows how. Her mind remains as sharp as a tack with her memory pitch perfect as she can recall dates and events that took place in the last century. Her longevity and thirst for life is to be marvelled at as Betty extracts the maximum out of each and every day with the daily crossword being a staple part of her day to day activities as she teases out and solves every clue with the same dogged determination and tenacity that very much define her as a person as she brought great energy and endeavour to the workplace during her time in charge of the old Premier Guest House.
Betty never took life for granted in any way and knew the value of a good day’s work for a good day’s pay and this indomitable spirit remains a cornerstone of her being as she takes on each and every day with the same gusto and relish that have got her to the wonderful age she is today. The staff of St Attracta’s Residence, Hagfield, Charlesown, where Betty resides threw a party to commemorate the auspicious occasion and were delighted and honoured to celebrate such a unique and admirable event and wish her heartfelt congratulations from all in St Attracta’s Residence as they provide Betty, and indeed all their residents with the very best of care. There was a cake unveiled to celebrate the event with Betty’s daughters Michele and Sharon in attendance along with her grandchildren and other members of her extended family. We wish Betty continued good health and happiness in the year ahead as she continues to forge ahead and is already look forward to her 102nd birthday which is something to behold.
There was no winner of the Charlestown Sarsfields GAA lotto jackpot of €10,100 in the weekly draw held on Sunday night, February 4, and the following were the four numbers drawn; 12, 18, 21 and 31. The winners of the €50 weekly prizes were Bridget Jordan and Etain Clarke. The latest jackpot increased to €10,200 and the draw was held on Sunday night, February 11.
Congratulations are extended to Niall Fleming, son of Marty and Moira Fleming, Brackloonnagh, Charlestown, who celebrated his coming of age recently.
A Pink Ribbon fundraiser will take place in Walsh’s Bar, Main Street, Charlestown, on Saturday, February 17, with a champagne reception, music, food, raffle and an auction with lots of fun guaranteed. There will be prizes for best dressed Pink Lady and Gent. Special guest on the night will be well known former Today FM DJ Phil Cawley. Tickets are on sale from Walsh’s Bar, Casey’s Expert Hardware or from committee members Grainne (087 9438824), Trina (087 9809529), Martina (085 7216286), Fiona (085 2628925).
Kilbeagh Community First Responders will be running their Irish Heart Foundation Heart Saver courses starting in late February in the Town Hall Arts Centre which are free of charge. Most cardiac arrests in Ireland occur either in the home or the local community so learning these life saving skills is hugely beneficial to your family, friends and local community. It is also highly recommended for all coaching staff at all the local sports and social clubs in the area. The course is available to everyone over the age of 16 . If you attended this course two years ago, your skills and certificate need renewing which attending this latest course will provide. For more information contact 087 3878408 or check out the Kilbeagh Community First Responders Facebook page and click on the link.
Congratulations and best wishes to Susan O’Connor, Lavey Manor, Charlestown, who celebrated a very significant birthday recently. ‘m not at liberty to reveal the number that was on the cake due to data protection but let’s just say it’s a significant one that is worthy of a few lines in tribute. Susan is a very popular and well known lady in the community who runs the very successful Susi’s Bistro Cafe which is one of the most successful and prosperous businesses in the town that attracts a huge clientele through its doors with customers coming from far and wide to sample the delicious food on offer. She runs and excellent product and has created quite the niche market for herself since the business opened some five years ago.
Susan has aged quite well it must be said with not a hint of grey in the hair with all other physical features having changed little over the years. Susan is a hard working lady with a terrific work ethic and has a good family behind her with husband Ryan a key cog in the whole operation. I’m not sure if Susan had time for a party as she’s a very busy lady but I’m sure Ryan pulled out all the stops behind the scenes to ensure his good wife enjoyed her graduation to.....oops I almost let the cat out of the bag so to speak with plenty of celebrations taking place to commemorate the auspicious occasion. Susan has baked some lovely cakes in her time so I’m sure Ryan didn’t venture into the whole baking arena and left it to his good wife to produce something special to top off the celebrations. Whether I’ll get a slice on the back of this mention is anybody’s guess but we live in hope as they say. The candles, I believe, were all stacked neatly on every conceivable part of the delicious caca and Susan needn’t be in any rush dispensing them as the other half of the house will be requiring them in a matter of weeks as 2024 is a significant year in the O’Connor household. Here’s wishing Susan continued good health and happiness in the future and many more years of good and quality cooking and baking as she’s a lady with a formidable talent.
A new five week block of yoga classes will commence at Carracastle Community Centre on Tuesday, February 27, at 7.30pm . Please note this is not a drop-in class. For more information and to book your place contact Toni at 089 2389351.
Carracastle/Kilmovee Drama Group are staging their three-act play ‘The Year of the Hiker’ at Carracastle Community Centre on Friday, February 23, and Sunday, February 25. Doors open at 7.30pm and the play begins at 8pm. Proceeds on the nights will go towards the community centre and Scoil Iosa National School.
Hard luck to the Charlestown Cubs U14 Girls Basketball team who lost out agonisingly to the Crossmolina Tigers in the U14 cup final played at the CBD Sport and Recreational Centre recently. This was a thrilling contest between two evenly matched teams who matched each other score for score from the tip-off. There was little or nothing between the teams throughout with the drama and excitement keeping both sets of supporters in the edge of their seats as the teams continued to battle it out and grapple for supremacy. They couldn’t be separated in normal time with additional time having to be played before a winner emerged with the Tigers finally getting the crunch score in the clutch moment to take home the cup with contrasting emotions very apparent when the final hooter sounded.
The Charlestown Cubs were gutted to have lost out in sharp contrast to the elation and joy on the other side of the court but the Charlestown girls can be proud of their display as they went out on their sword and left everything on the court in their pursuit of victory. It was a terrific match and a wonderful advert for basketball as both teams served up an enthralling contest. Well done to the victorious Crossmolina Tigers and commiserations to the Charlestown Cubs team and their coaches and special mention to Paul Duffy Window Cleaning who kindly sponsored the pizzas for the girls after the game.
Well done to the Caiseal Gaels Hurling Club trio Luke Connor, Matthew Connor and Paddy Dozio who were part of the Mayo Hurlers squad which defeated Armagh in the division 3 round one league fixture played at McHale Park, Castlebar recently. Mayo had a comfortable 1-18 to 2-7 victory over the orchard county and it could have been a lot more as they shot seventeen wides which leaves something to work on ahead of their remaining games in a tough and competitive division. Luke Connor started at corner back and acquitted himself well by all accounts clearing his lines with intelligence and authority in a fine display all round. Matthew Connor came on in the second half and made quite an impact as he roamed far and wide in search of possession and used it wisely at all times. Paddy Dozio was on the bench and will be hoping to force his way onto the starting fifteen in the coming weeks as Mayo get ready to face Monaghan in round 2. All three lads are key members of the Caiseal Gaels junior team and are three of the club’s best and finest talents who are good role models for all players in and around the club as they have worked hard to get where they are and are extremely dedicated in terms of their commitment and attitude. We wish the lads well with Mayo in the season ahead and will be monitoring their progress with interest in the coming weeks and months.
Charlestown and Districts Men`s Shed are holding a darts and cards night every Wednesday night at 7pm in the Men’s Shed which is located at the rear entrance of the CBD Sport and Recreational Centre, Lowpark, Charlestown. The gathering is open to members and non-members and finger food and refreshments will be served. Game starts at 8pm.
There was a good turnout for one of the highlights in the Bridge calendar, the Des Henry Memorial Trophy held in Walsh’s Bar, Main Street, Charlestown, on Wednesday, February 7, and the following were the prize winners; 1st Michael and Patricia Brennan, 2nd Hilary McDonagh and Tom Ginty, 3rd Nora McVeigh and Maura Kilcoyne, 4th James Mooney and Mary O`Connell, 5th Teresa Ward and Mary O’Malley, 6th Elsie Jackson and Hilary McCrohan, 7th Paddy and Patricia Colleran, 8th Mary Lynskey and Tom Dunne, 9th Mae and Charles Quinn, and 10th Michael Dee and Tommie O`Malley.
The game takes place every Wednesday night at 8pm in Walsh’s Bar, Main Street, Chalestown, and new members are welcome.
There was a good turnout at the weekly 25 Card Drive held in the Yeats County Inn, Curry on Tuesday, February 6, and the following were the prize winners; 1st Colm Gallagher and Mary O`Hara, 2nd Vincent Brennan and Joe Mahon. Raffle winners were Breege Leonard, Mary O’Hara and James Cafferty.
The game takes place every Tuesday night at 8.30pm in the Yeats County Inn, Curry, and all are welcome with new members are especially welcome.
Well done to Keely Stevens who claimed her fifth Connacht Boxing title when she was awarded a walk over in her weight category recently with no contender emerging to challenge her. It wasn’t ideal but no fault of Keely’s who can now switch her attention to the National Championships in April as she prepares to defend her crown. She will be back in the gym working on her fitness along with many rounds of sparring against a number of opponents lined up to challenge and provide her with some crucial rounds in the ring as the level of competition goes up a couple of notches. We wish Keely and her coach Darren Fahy all the very best in the weeks and months ahead as Keely looks to bring home another national title belt to the club headquarters.
Charlestown Sarsfields GAA Club are staging their annual dinner dance on Saturday, March 9, in the Yeats County Inn, Curry, Co. Sligo. Tickets cost €35 and are available from any member of the executive . There will be a number of presentations made on the night such as Club Person of the Year, Senior, Junior and Young Player of the Year Awards with the ladies club also having a number of their own presentations to make in what promises to be a great night of fun and entertainment. There will also be a number of medal presentations to be made on the night and there will be a monster raffle with spot prizes galore. Special guests have yet to be confirmed but this will be made known closer to the event. Note the date and join the club in a night of celebration as they look back and reflect on a good year overall in both genders with the men and women coming together to celebrate as one.
The Cloonacool GAA 5km Run/Walk/Jog takes place on Sunday, February 25, at 12 noon. Runners, joggers and walkers are all welcome. Registration from 10.15am -11.45am at Cloonacool Community Park. Entry fee is €10 for adults, €5 for children and €25 for a family. Changing and shower facilities are available and refreshments will be served afterwards.
All players from U10 up to senior who wish to play with Charlestown LGFA for the 2024 season can now register with Charlestown LGFA by logging onto www.foireann.ie (or using the Foireann Mobile App). Use the same login details as last year if you already have an account. U6s and U8s must register with Charlestown Bord na n-Óg, their registration will be open soon.
There was no winner of the Curry GAA lotto jackpot of €2100 in the weekly draw held on Monday night, February 5, and the following were the four numbers drawn; 2, 9, 11 and 22. The following were the winners of the €20 prizes; Catherine Fox, John Durcan and the Jennings family.
The latest jackpot increased to €2,200 and the draw took place on Monday night, February 12.
The Charlestown Sarsfields GAA Club wish to remind their members that membership for the 2024 season is now due and can be made payable to any member of the executive or alternatively can also be paid by following the link on the club’s Facebook page which gives up to minute details on offers the club have in regard to membership, annual lotto and county board draw. The cost of the membership remains at €50 and the closing date for the same is March 31.
Birthday greetings are extended to Bosco Walsh, New York, USA and Main Street, Charlestown, who celebrated his sixtieth (60th) birthday with a party for family and friends in Walsh’s Bar, Main Street, Charlestown, recently. Bosco travelled from New York specially for the occasion and there was a good turnout of family and friends to help him come to terms with life in the sixty lane. His mother Kitty was also in attendance and she was as hale and hearty as ever and is a remarkable lady who continues to defy father time in her own inimitable style. Bosco’s brother Pat and sister Ann-Marie were also present and a good night was had by all as people mixed and mingled with laughter and fun permeating every conversation.
Bosco is a good advert for sixty and has aged rather gracefully it must be said with everything still intact and in good working order. The waistline remains slim and lean and he still looks like he could reprise that momentous match winning goal from the 1988 county junior final which was one of his greatest days in the green and white of the Sarsfields. The thatch has plenty of cover with the hair follicles continuing to flourish as Bosco gets ready to tackle all that life with throw at him as a sixty year old. I’m loath to use the word veteran to describe him but Bosco has packed a fair bit of fun and adventure into those sixty years and has emerged the other side relatively unscathed save for a troublesome knee which hasn’t halted his gallop in any way mind.
Behind a good man is a good woman and his good wife Eva has certainly played her part in keeping her man in good trim as she keeps an eye on his dietary needs and calorie intake. She’s doing a right good job as Bosco is in prime shape to begin the next chapter in his life with lots of trips to Ireland in the pipeline as his devotion to Mayo and Charlestown Sarsfields remains steadfast and unwavering as he pines for the day Mayo might land Sam and bring it West of the Shannon. He has a passion for all things GAA and loves his trips to Croke Park with All-Ireland final day one of his favourite days of the year. He has forged many great friendships through his involvement in GAA and these he treasures and cherishes with every passing year.
There was a cake unveiled to commemorate the occasion and Bosco had little difficulty blowing out all sixty candles a further indication of his fitness and well-being with the cake being divvied up into small segments for each and everyone present. I must admit I missed out on my slice so perhaps Bosco might have kept it in reserve on foot of a mention in my widely read column!!.. Happy to oblige Bosco so you can send the slice at your earliest convenience. Here's wishing you many more celebrations of this nature in the years ahead, continued good health and happiness in the future and yes you will be able to read this little tribute as I’m sure somebody in your inner circle will WhatsApp it to you before the ink has gone dry!!
There was a good turnout at the weekly darts competition held in Walsh’s Bar, Main Street, Charlestown, on Sunday night, February 4, as The Dynamo and the Pillock served up another interesting instalment of the weekly classic. Governor Gus was imperious as always in his role as match referee and ensured good sportsmanship prevailed throughout. The Dynamo made the better start of the two and took the first set with a treble 10, double sixteen combination doing the trick in the fourth leg. The Pillock bounced back in set two as he reeled off three quick fire legs to level the match and leave him in good fettle as he began the third set with the advantage of the throw. It was the Dynamo who regained control however as he took the set in comprehensive fashion to nudge 2-1 ahead with the Pillock still reeling from a total loss of form and control in set three.
The Dynamo cranked it up in set four and took the first two legs with some scintillating throwing with the Pillock powerless to avert what looked like a certain defeat as his form dipped alarmingly between the second and third sets. He earned a brief reprieve when he took the third leg with a last gasp double one finish but it proved to be somewhat of a false dawn as the dynamo grabbed control of the fourth leg with a maximum 180 leaving him on the brink of victory. The Pillock staged a recovery to reach the double but the Dynamo had got there before him and had 88 left in his column as he plotted his path to victory. His first dart plunged into the middle of the treble twenty bed to leave two darts at double 14 as the crowd gasped in anticipation. His first dart grazed the wire as he mopped the beads of sweat that had gathered on his brow. He composed himself before releasing his final arrow as it sped in the direction of double 14. It never looked like missing as it remained gun barrel straight to navigate its way to the corner of the green baize much to his delight to send his large support base into raptures of delight.
The Pillock cut a forlorn look as he trooped over to offer his congratulations with the Dynamo in full celebration mode. The two men embraced warmly as the Dynamo took his place on the winner’s rostrum to claim his first title in over six months and none which he hopes will be a prelude to many more in the weeks and months ahead.
