Local Notes: Birthday greetings to Mayo native based in Dublin
COMMUNITY NOTES: CHARLESTOWN- WESTERN PEOPLE (MARCH 24 EDITION)
Stephen Healy | healystephen70@gmail.com
Congratulations are extended to Michael Divilly (Jnr) who reached the grand old age of forty recently. Michael hails from Hagfield, Charlestown but has been based in Dublin for some years where he works as a Garda.
He’s a well known and popular character in the town and his graduation to forty was greeted with some acclaim it must be said as he takes his place with the newest batch of recruits to have reached such a lofty number.
Michael was a footballer of some renown back in the halcyon days of the early to mid 2000s. He was a panellist on the Mayo U21 team that won the All-Ireland U21 final in 2006 and looked set to have a long and successful career with the Sarsfields before injury took hold and scuppered his and the club’s plans.
He did give some service to the Sarsfields and had some good days in the green and white but a series of niggling injuries prevented him from reaching his true potential which was a source of much regret for him and the club to boot.
He remains something of a cult figure in the club and community however and retains many strong friendships in the area but his skills are now put to much more productive in crime solving and keep the streets of the capital safe which is no easy task indeed.
His work as a Garda keeps him fit and in good shape and while he may not have the pace or athleticism of yesteryear, he remains a formidable specimen who has been known to outrun and outpace many a criminal and yob in the line of duty.
I’m sure his good lady Alison marked the occasion with a cake of some sort as forty is a pretty significant number to reach in today’s busy and turbulent world.
There was a drinks celebration to mark the occasion in Murray’s Bar, The Square, Charlestown which Michael shared with another luminary namely his cousin Ronan Kenny and the two boys were in good spirits as drinks were shared and bought all round for them with plenty of humour and funny relayed on their shared journeys to forty.
We can only wish Michael continued good health and happiness in the future and many more milestones of this nature in the years ahead as he gets ready to embrace all that life with throw at him in the forties.
