Downpour fails to dampen Urlaur spirits
The Western People's correspondent in Ballyahunis, Mark Godfrey, performed the launch of Jim Casey's book 'Divided Paradise' at the Urlaur Pattern. Pictured, from left, are: Tomas Phillips, Mark Godfrey, Jim Casey and Josephine Gallagher.
A downpour didn’t dampen the spirits of the large crowd that attended the annual Urlaur Pattern on the August Bank Holiday Weekend.
The event drew a fine crowd on Sunday, August 4th, to the village by a lake in East Mayo.
While the traditional mass in Urlaur Abbey was cancelled, a friar from the Dominican order travelled to Urlaur Community Centre where the Pattern events continued indoors.
Musicians including Connie Gildea and Paddy Joe Tighe entertained the crowd in the hall while a marquee outside hosted other musicians, like the Tempo group featuring father and son Evan and Martin Fitzmaurice. Drinks were served in the hall by Spell’s Bar, Ballaghaderreen while locals purchased copies of ‘Divided Paradise’, the new book published by retired soldier and Urlaur Pattern volunteer Jim Casey.
The Urlaur Pattern is a tradition carried on for hundreds of years in honour of Saint Dominic, whose feast days falls on August 4th.
Among the events at the Pattern was the launch of a book by retired soldier Jim Casey about his experiences as a peacekeeper in war-torn Cyprus in the 1970s.
Casey’s frightening experiences in a Nicosia airport besieged by Turkish guns are recounted in 'Divided Paradise', a 200-page tome published by Cork-based self-publishing agent Orla Kelly.
